Tuesday, June 25th, 7:00 PM. The Etruscans: One of Three Great Civilizations in Italy. Presented by Francesco Bonavita. The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301. Program Donation: MEMBERS: $15 per person; NON-MEMBERS: $20 per person. Q & A, Refreshments and a light reception will follow.

Who are these Etruscans who are often labeled as enigmatic, gluttons, bon vivants, obscure but who, supposedly, gave us wine, the love for music and taught us to live life in style? In this presentation, we will explore several questions. Is it possible that three major civilizations could flourish in the same area, during the course of twenty five hundred years?

In a small geographical area, such as Tarquinia, the Etruscans left behind a vast and highly decorated necropolis to honor their loved ones. Although there is no question that the Etruscan society was clearly defined in terms aristocratic lines, vis-a-vis a much larger servant population, one has to assume that such an extended necropolis could not have been intended just for the upper echelon. Rather, might we presuppose a more egalitarian posture toward the lower classes? Might this attitude constitute a more benevolent disposition toward the working class at this early juncture of Western Civilization? Another question that is equally compelling is where the Etruscans originate? Since their language is classified as non Indo-European, many historians have been intrigued by their origins. And last, but not least, we need to examine the legacy of the Etruscans and the degree to which studying these ancient people might give us a better appreciation of who we are.

About the Presenter:
Francesco Bonavita is a native of Rome, Italy, and the author of Giardino italiano: An Intermediate Language Program, published by Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and he is a linguist. He has taught Italian, French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese at the middle school level as well as high school and college. He is currently a professor of second language methodology at New York University where he trains second language teachers, from K-12. He has a blog, www.thewondersofitaly.com wherein he has posted the following articles The Making of St. Peter’s Basilica,The Etruscans, Venice: A Preserve of a Bygone Civilization, The Baths of Caracalla, Taking the Mystery out of the Mona Lisa, Siena: A Unique Contribution to World Heritage, and a book review by Natale Caruso: The House on the Fondaco Plain.