On-Line/Live Event
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR & LIVE STREAM TOUR BUNDLE
“February All-Inclusive Bundle”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero and special guests Dr. Nicholas Albanese, Dr. Paolo Alei, and Maurizio Seracini
Dates & Times:
Exclusive Webinars:
Thursday, February 3, 10, 17, and 24
11:30am – 12:30pm ET | 8:30 – 9:30am PT |
4:30 – 5:30pm London
Live Stream Tours:
Saturday, February 5, 12, and 19
2:00 – 3:00pm ET | 11:00am – 12:00pm PT |
7:00 – 8:00pm London
EXCLUSIVE WEBINARS | “Thursdays in February”
Each webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
LIVE STREAM TOURS | “Live Events from Italy in February”
Each event will include a 45-minute live stream tour followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
Please note:
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Mussolini’s Mistresses”
Presented by Dr. Nicholas Albanese
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
It was well-known that Benito Mussolini, the founder of modern fascism, had numerous extra-marital affairs throughout his political career. Some of his lovers, which included minors, became a threat to il Duce’s public image while others made significant contributions to Mussolini’s – and fascism’s – cultural and political success in Italy. In fact, without some of these “State lovers” it is difficult to imagine that Mussolini would have been able to dominate Italian politics in the years between the two World Wars. In this presentation, I will talk about the mistresses who helped determine or threaten the fortunes of Benito Mussolini and Italian fascism.
Dr. Nicholas Albanese is Associate Professor of Italian in the Department of Modern Language Studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He received his PhD from Indiana University in Italian Language and Culture and has taught extensively on Italian history, literature, and film both in Italy and the US. Dr. Albanese does research mainly on contemporary Italian history and culture with particular focus on Southern Italy and Sicily. His most recent publication discusses the ethics of story-telling in the works of the Sicilian author, Leonardo Sciascia. He is currently completing a project on 21st-century Italian apocalyptic fiction.
The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Naples: Between the Sacred and Profane”
Presented by Dr. Paolo Alei
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
This webinar lecture will lead you into the mysterious meander of subterranean Naples. We will explore the so-called terre sante (holy lands), namely underground cemeteries, where for centuries Neapolitans have amassed dead bodies especially in times of pandemics. The Cemetery of the Fontanelle, a former monumental Greek quarry, is not only the biggest among the terre sante, but also the most fascinating one. In the last centuries, men and women have come to the Fontanelle to adopt skulls whose souls, ideally in Purgatory, would have established an intimate relationship with the living. The empathetic reciprocity between the dead and the living, united by the same condition and grief, led to the adoption of thousands of dead bodies in hope their souls would offer protection in exchange of prayers. Through anthropology, myth and faith, the Fontanelle shows how the sacred and the profane have coexisted in the entrails of one of the oldest cities in the world up until the 21st century.
Paolo Alei is an art historian from Rome. He is Professor of art history at the University of California (the UCEAP academic program in Italy) and Curator of the Museum of the Castle of Bracciano near Rome. He has a Master from Columbia University where he specialized on Venetian Renaissance Painting and a PhD from Oxford University where he completed a dissertation on the influence of the Natural History by Pliny the Elder on Italian Renaissance art. He has published several essays on Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, and a book on the history of the Venice Carnival. Recently, he coedited a monumental book about the patronage of the Orsini family in Central Italy. He is co-organizer of EMR (Early Modern Rome), one of the greatest conferences about Renaissance and Baroque culture.
The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Brunelleschi and Ghiberti: The Rivalry that Ignited the Renaissance”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
The competition of 1401 for the commission for a set of bronze doors for Florence Baptistery is generally considered the event that kicked off the Renaissance. Firstly, because of the date of the competition, which coincides with the chronological beginnings of the Renaissance. Then because of the artists involved – Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi – who were two of the major artistic protagonists of Renaissance Florence. Finally, because competition amongst great artists would become one the central leitmotifs of the Italian Renaissance.
The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Art Crimes: Fakes, Forgeries, Insurance Frauds and Money Laundering”
Presented by Maurizio Seracini
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
This exclusive webinar will give a hard look to the less glamorous side of the world of the art market. Art crimes, such as art theft, looting, forgery, the production of fakes, insurance fraud, money laundering, illicit exportation, and the use of Free Ports as hideouts for stolen and/or looted art goods from war zones have plagued the art world for decades.
The current and generally non-scientific method of art authentication has only served to increase the possibility for art crimes. We will see how tricky it can be to tell an original work of art from a replica or a fake if we rely just on the traditional field of attribution. We will also examine several examples of forgeries found in art galleries, museums, and auction houses throughout the world, as well as the famous art forgers who made them and fooled museums and art historians alike.
The second part of this webinar will focus on the current method of art attribution versus actual art authentication, and why the two are so very different. We will conclude by discussing the future of art authentication and why the art market has been so reluctant in accepting science as the most reliable weapon for fighting art crimes.
For more on Maurizio Seracini, please visit: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/science/06tier.html
The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
LIVE STREAM TOUR | “Florence by Night – A Renaissance Dream”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
Join us for a virtual LIVE STREAM tour under the stars and glow of the street lamps of Florence in order to admire its beauty. Stroll across the Ponte Vecchio, marvel at the statues in Piazza della Signoria, wander down the Via Calzaiuoli past the grain-market-turned-church of Orsanmichele, and then be astounded by the stunningly illuminated Duomo of Florence by night. See and appreciate the beauty of Florence in REAL TIME and learn how the city’s beauty only amplifies after the sun goes down.
The event will include a 45-minute live stream tour followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
LIVE STREAM TOUR | “Siena by Night – a Gothic Dream”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
Discover the medieval magic of Siena by night during this evening LIVE STREAM tour of the beautiful historic Tuscan hill town. The tour will begin at the great Basilica of San Domenico, which houses Siena’s most cherished relic – the head of St. Catherine of Siena. Afterwards, we shall walk past the seat of the world’s oldest extant bank called Monte dei Paschi, which was founded in 1472. We will then continue on to the Piazza del Campo, which has been described as the most beautiful piazza in Italy and is where the celebrated Palio horse race is run. We shall then continue on and conclude our visit with a close-up exterior view of the striking Gothic-style cathedral of Siena – all in REAL TIME!
The event will include a 45-minute live stream tour followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
LIVE STREAM TOUR | “The Vatican by Night – St. Peter’s Square”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
Join us for this LIVE STREAM tour where we shall stroll across Bernini’s Ponte degli Angeli, admire the ancient-mausoleum-turned-fortress Castel Sant’Angelo, and then make our way down the majestic Via della Conciliazione to admire the awe-inspiring and beautifully illuminated square and Basilica of St. Peter – the most important church in the Catholic world – all in REAL TIME!
The event will include a 45-minute live stream tour followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
Sold Out
