Italian and poetry: the recitation competition held by the Dante Alighieri Society

MELBOURNE - The Melbourne branch of the Dante Alighieri Society - the oldest of its kind outside Italy - recently held its annual poetry competition final at The University of Melbourne.

The competition displayed the talents of students from across the state of Victoria.

The Dante Alighieri Society’s poetry competition has a long history and is one of Victoria’s most prestigious student contests. As a result, it’s one of the most highly anticipated events of the year for Italian students all over the state.

This year, a total of 1646 students from 42 schools participated in the competition.

Contestants from Years 9 to 12 had to memorise and recite a poem, and were divided into three categories: native speakers, Italo-Australians and non-Italian speakers, ensuring an equal playing field for all.

It was wonderful to see so many young people from across Victoria, including Swan Hill and Traralgon, gather at The University of Melbourne.

While in town, many contestants took the opportunity to explore Lygon Street, known for being Melbourne’s ‘Little Italy’, enjoying gelato and pizza as well as visiting the Italian Museum on nearby Faraday Street.

The high number of participants and schools underscores the broad appeal, importance and love of the Italian language and culture.

Staff from The University of Melbourne’s Italian department, including Professor and Dante committee member John Hajek, warmly welcomed visiting students and teachers to the campus.

Hajek also took the opportunity to encourage students to continue their Italian studies at university.

The competition’s preliminary rounds, held in early June, were very competitive with students bringing a wide range of poetic works into the fray. The atmosphere was electric as participants enthusiastically recited their poem before enchanted judges.

The finals, held on June 24, saw the top students return to The University of Melbourne to compete for the top prize.

The final judging panel included president of the Dante Alighieri Society, Cavaliere Dominic Barbaro, and Dr Vita Giordano, Italian Studies lecturer at The University of Melbourne.

During the final, students demonstrated skill, eloquence and passion, which impressed the judges immensely.

The variety of poetic themes recited during the competition ran the gambit from classical to contemporary, all the while reflecting the diverse perspectives of Italian and Italo-Australian poets.

The competition not only celebrated the art of poetry but also fostered a sense of community among participants, as students from different schools and regions had the opportunity to intermingle and share the experience.

Organisers from the Dante Alighieri Society, including Siu Chan, Gabriella Gomersall-Hubbard and Adriana Congiu, were very satisfied with the high number and quality of participants.

They emphasised the importance of encouraging young people to engage with the Italian language through poetry and were pleased to see such enthusiasm and talent among competitors.

The organisers also made sure to thank the judges and student ushers from The University of Melbourne for their time and dedication.

After such a successful event, the Melbourne Dante Alighieri Society looks forward to continuing this tradition and nurturing the next generation of Italian language students.

Meanwhile, the society will organise an awards ceremony, also to be held at The University of Melbourne, to formally recognise the winners in front of their families.