Titled Echoes of Italy, the evening attracted around 80 guests and was held at Alfredo’s on Bulletin Place, a venue well known among opera enthusiasts in Sydney.
Marking the start of the new year’s activities was a performance by soprano Noemi Gagliano, accompanied on piano by Maestro Mauro Colombis, who performed a program of some of the most beloved arias in opera.
Guiding the evening’s proceedings was master of ceremonies Andrea Tenconi, before guests enjoyed an Italian dinner paired with a selection of wines.
The food was much appreciated, carefully curated and served à la carte. Prepared with quality ingredients and presented with great attention to detail, the dishes combined flavour and refinement matching the evening’s musical elegance.
From the first course to the last, the cuisine confirmed Alfredo’s reputation as a venue where Italian tradition meets a contemporary and sophisticated style.
The event brought together members, supporters and representatives of key Italian and Italo-Australian institutions, including the Consul General of Italy, Gianluca Rubagotti; the director of the Italian Institute of Culture, Marco Gioacchini; the CEO of the Italian Trade Agency, Simona Bernardini; the president of Com.It.Es. NSW, Luigi Di Martino; and Professor Giorgia Alù from the University of Sydney.
In her opening address, president Concetta Cirigliano Perna recalled the origins of the Società Dante Alighieri, founded in Italy in 1889 and established in Sydney as early as 1896, when physician and philanthropist Tommaso Fiaschi helped create one of its first committees outside Europe.
Since then, the Dante Alighieri Society has become a point of reference for those wishing to study the Italian language or maintain a living connection with Italy’s culture.
It was also noted that the association does not receive government funding and sustains itself through memberships and language courses, supported by the voluntary work of its committee.
Many of its cultural initiatives are offered free of charge, with the aim of keeping access to culture as open as possible.
Public thanks were extended to committee members Antonella Beconi, Andrea Tenconi, Fabio Carosone, Giancarla Guareschi Montagna, Christian Antonini, Cristian Aliotta, Manuela Rispoli, Nadia Fronteddu, Francesca Ramazzi, Luisa Perugini, Laura Crippa, Paola Vertechi and Silvana D’Intino.
The 2026 calendar includes new language courses, lectures, film screenings and cultural activities. Among the upcoming events is Dantedì on March 25, dedicated to the figure of Dante Alighieri.
In an evening that wove together music, community and tradition, there was also a reminder of the enduring value of knowledge and culture, through the words of the Divine Comedy: “You were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
A fitting reflection of the Dante Alighieri Society Sydney’s mission: to keep the Italian language alive and to create spaces for connection through culture.
