The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia
1963-2024
Vittorini Award
for Undergraduate Excellence in Italian at University of Pennsylvania
From Penn History-Italy:
"1961 marked the 100th anniversary of Italian unification. Penn, specifically those in Circolo Italiano (founded by Domenico Vittorini, n.d.e) and the America-Italy Society of Philadelphia was addressed by Dr. Ugucione Ranieri di Sorbello, a representative of the Italian government to the United States to speak on the subject of Italian unification.
A number of smaller events occurred in early 1963. The Consul-General of Italy, Dr. Gian Piero Nuti was honored at Penn by Il Circolo Italiano. The Dr. Domenico Vittorini Scholarship was presented, honoring the memory of Vittorini, a Penn associate professor who had died five years earlier. The scholarship would allow a Penn student studying Italian to study in Italy for an academic year."
The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia supports excellence in Italian studies at the University of Pennsylvania with its Vittorini Fund, established in 1963 to honor the memory of Professor Domenico Vittorini, beloved long-time member of the Romance Languages Faculty. Prizes are awarded each year to encourage undergraduate students in the pursuit of majors and minors, and perhaps even careers, centering on Italian culture.
The awards are presented by the America-Italy Society at an annual ceremony held at the end of the spring semester at Penn. Marked by a lecture in Italian Studies by a member of the Penn faculty and by the participation of the Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia, the Vittorini reception is an occasion for all Italian students and faculty at Penn, as well as members of the America-Italy Society, to celebrate academic excellence and reaffirm the warm relationship between the University and the city’s major Italian-American cultural organization.
Eligibility:
All undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania taking Italian courses, whether as electives or as part of a major or minor, qualify for the awards.
Meet Alexander Proia
“I am in my final semester of college at UPenn, majoring in Real Estate and minoring in Italian. I grew up in Gainesville, FL and my dad’s side of my family are all Italian-American. I grew up eating Italian food, but this is my first time in Italy. I love sports, and specifically soccer, basketball, tennis, and golf.”
“Back in Bologna, the Piazza Maggiore at night. Even though I pass through Piazza Maggiore every day, it still is amazing every time.”
“Matthew and I at the game. Matthew is a massive Napoli fan, and I like AC Milan. Matthew was very happy because Napoli dominated the game. We sat close to the guest section so the singing of the Napoli fans was deafening!”
“Lucas and I after our first game (ever) of Lacrosse. Super muddy field as you can tell, but we had so much fun. In our second game, which was an hour after this one ended, I spoke to the team in the huddle in Italian!”
“Lucas and I on the team bus on the way to our Lacrosse games this weekend, which were in Resana.”
“Last weekend I went to Oktoberfest! From left to right: me in my Lederhosen, Peyton, and then Emmanuel. Emmanuel is one of my closest friends from Penn and I was able to meet up with him in Germany, where he is studying German! It was super cool to share our experiences learning to live in countries where we are learning the language and culture. Peyton is a friend of Eman’s from the program in Germany. It was awesome getting to share our experiences as Americans living in other countries.”
“For my Bologna Consortial Studies Program class on Advanced Italian Language and Culture, we visited the Medieval History Museum here in Bologna. You can see my professor unintentionally mirroring the massive golden statue of a young pope as he explains the significance of the statue””
“I arrived in Bologna just over 2 weeks ago, and the last couple weeks have been some of the best weeks of my life. I have made many friends, both American and Italian (and from other countries). I’ve had aperitivi, incredible meals, and have been adjusting to the different meal times in Italy as compared to the states. I’ve already done trips to Zurich, Florence, and Ravenna. I had my first class at the University of Bologna today, and it was challenging but I think my Italian will improve drastically throughout the class. Bologna is an incredible city. I have only scratched the surface of the history throughout the city. All of the buildings are incredibly old and beautiful. It is a long walk from one side of the city to the other, but less than an hour and totally doable – I’ve done it multiple times already. The program I’m in, the Bologna Consortial Studies Program, is full of Americans with the same goal as me: try to be as fluent as possible and to push ourselves to take difficult classes (all in Italian).”