Lecture in English by  Dianne Hales

Through words and images, the speaker will take her audience with her on her quest to find the source and secrets of la passione italiana—from temples in Sicily to Renaissance Florence to eternally seductive Venice to  vineyards in Piedmont and  cheese and prosciutto producers in Parma and Modena, weavers and ceramicists in Umbria, racing car drivers in Ferrara, film-makers in Rome and fashion designers in Milan.  She will finish in the nearby Tuscan town of Castiglion Fiorentino, where la passione has inspired both the townspeople and foreigners to work together to save the abandoned chapel of San Filippino.

The Cultural Programme is open to members of the British Institute of Florence. Membership options range from 24 hours to Life. For membership see here.

This season is made possible by a generous donation from Graham Avery and his wife Annalisa, matched by Alessandra and Michael Griffiths.