The University of Tennessee at Martin will host Luca Bonomi, president of the Societa Dante Alighieri in Siena, Italy on October 2-5. The Societa Dante Alighieri or the Dante Alighieri Society is a society that promotes Italian culture and language around the world. Today this society is present in more than 60 countries. Bonomi became associated with UT Martin after an interdisciplinary class of students traveled to Italy last spring to study the country's culture, language, food and literature.

During Bonomi's week-long stay, he will present two public presentations and take part in the UT Martin Academic Speaker series at 6 p.m. on October 3, in the Boling University Center's Watkins Auditorium. His topic will be "Music and Songs: A New Idea of Soundtracks in Italian Cinema, 1950s-60s". On October 2 at 7:30 p.m., Bonomi will give a presentation in the Fine Arts Building's Blankenship Recital Hall, where he will address "Love, Sacrifice, and Redemption in 'La Traviata,'" an opera by Italian composer Guiseppe Verdi.