The tenth edition of the Italian Perspective Series explores the intersections of language, identity, and belonging
Saturday, February 21, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University
For details and tickets: [link]
The Ferrucci Institute for Italian Experience and Research invites the Chapman community and the public to the tenth anniversary edition of the Italian Perspective Series. This year’s program examines the relationship between language and culture, bringing together scholarly inquiry and artistic performance in an exploration of Italian linguistic diversity and identity. As Director Dr. Federico Pacchioni notes, “In Italy, the reality of language as a living, organic, and layered phenomenon is amplified by its extraordinary diversity of dialects and idioms. These are not curiosities of the past, but vibrant carriers of memory, identity, and creativity.”
Program Highlights
“Where Words Become Music: Italian Dialects in Song”
Internationally acclaimed Sicilian-American singer Michela Musolino, accompanied by Phil Passantino on guitar and accordion, performs folk songs in regional dialects—living testaments to identity expressed through word and sound. Founder of Rosa’s Drum and member of the celebrated trio Terra Sangue Mare, Musolino has served as cultural consultant for Pixar Studios and performs globally.
“The Dialects of Italy and the Wonders of Linguistic Diversity”
Dr. Adam Ledgeway, Professor of Italian Linguistics at the University of Bergamo and Fellow of the British Academy, examines how the linguistic fragmentation following the fall of the Roman Empire created extraordinary diversity—where the divergence between Venetian and Sicilian can exceed that between modern French and Italian. Author of five monographs and over 150 scholarly publications, Dr. Ledgeway explores what this variation reveals about identity and community.
“Dante and Francis, Holy Jesters”
Actor and playwright Matthias Martelli, accompanied by Lucia Sacerdoni on cello, intertwines the worlds of Dante Alighieri and Saint Francis of Assisi through the lens of Dario Fo’s celebrated work. Martelli, one of Italy’s leading interpreters of popular and physical theatre, has performed Fo’s Mistero Buffo more than 270 times internationally. The performance highlights the importance of popular culture in Italian language and tradition.
Ferrucci Community Service Award
Valentina Martelli, Founder and CEO of ITTV International Forum, will receive the award in recognition of her work connecting filmmakers, entrepreneurs, and students across Italy and the United States. A former war correspondent and national news anchor for RAI and Mediaset, she currently serves as Board Advisor to Ecoflix.
Presented under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles. Open to all.
For details and tickets: [link]
