A talk by Ms Jill Morris CMG, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Italy
Jill Morris, British Ambassador to Italy, will speak to members and guests this month to give her view on the current state of British-Italian relations and prospects for the future. In the wake of the Brexit Referendum in the UK, and at a time of political and economic uncertainty throughout Europe, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to hear from, and put our questions to, such an authoritative representative. From the Embassy at Porta Pia the Ambassador has a unique perspective on developments in Italy and emerging policy in London, as well as having an important role to play in developing the bilateral relationship and overcoming the challenges.
Jill Morris has been Ambassador to Italy and San Marino since July 2016. She had spent several months earlier in 2016 in Italy studying Italian and preparing for her appointment to Rome.
From 2012 to 2015, Jill served as Director for Europe in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. She had previously headed the Counter-Proliferation (2010-12) and Consular Strategy (2008-10) Departments. Earlier in her career she had served in Brussels (UK Representation to the EU) and Cyprus.
Jill was born at Chester and studied Modern Languages at Southampton (MA) and Warwick (MPhil) Universities. She joined the Diplomatic Service in 1999.
Elisabetta Dal Carlo and Barbara Rossi
A Joint Event with Venice in Peril
This lecture introduces the story and artistic heritage of the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, a lively cultural institution established in 1869 by the last descendant of the Querini Stampalia family, Count Giovanni Querini, and located in a 16th century Venetian palace whose interior is decorated with precious 18th century stuccoes and frescoes. It now hosts a general library, open, according to the Founder’s will, until late at night and during public holidays, a Museum and an area dedicated to temporary exhibitions. On the ground floor is a space restored by Carlo Scarpa in 1963 and a new service wing designed by Mario Botta.
The speakers will focus on the Library, which is considered the “Library of the Venetians” and on the Museum, acclaimed for being one the best preserved House-Museums in Europe, and on its collections.
The piano nobile of this magnificent Palace recreates the typical atmosphere of an 18th century aristocratic residence. Original Rococo and Neoclassical furniture, Meissen, Vezzi, Sèvres and Cozzi porcelain decorate the Museum. The ambience is enriched with mirrors and chandeliers from Murano, silk cloths, globes, Flemish tapestries, sculptures and paintings from the 14th to the 19th century. Amongst works on display, from the 400 paintings acquired and commissioned by the family over the centuries, there are paintings by the Neo Byzantine School, Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo di Credi, Jacopo Palma the Elder and Younger, Marco and Sebastiano Ricci, Pietro Longhi and Giambattista Tiepolo. Recent donations have also enhanced the Museum with 19th and 20th century art.
The talk will examine in detail Giovanni Bellini’s masterpiece, The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, and there will be a brief overview of the cycle of paintings depicting scenes of sumptuous public and private Venetian life by Pietro Longhi and Gabriel Bella.
The Foundation is held in high regard both locally and nationally for its commitment to culture. The support of its Institutional Partners and Main Donors is proof of the high esteem in which it is held while a major contribution towards preserving, improving and managing its artistic and library collections for future generations comes from the “Friends of Querini Stampalia”.
By joining the Foundation, each Friend becomes a member of a leading cultural institution which has been playing a lively role in Venetian cultural life for more than 150 years. It is a way not just of supporting an excellent cultural institution, but also an opportunity to make new discoveries and participate in a rich calendar of events.
Elisabetta Dal Carlo is an art historian, a scholar of baroque and neo-classical decorative arts and a specialist in eighteenth-century ceramics. A conservator at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia she graduated in History of Art at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice obtaining her Ph.D. in History of Art at Siena University. She lectures in Italy and abroad (London and Paris) on the art of porcelain and has edited catalogues on decorative art collections and various publications on Venetian and Veneto art history.
Barbara Rossi graduated in Economics with a Master’s in the Management of Cultural Heritage. At the Fondazione Querini Stampalia she works for the Development Office and is responsible for membership, sponsorship and public funding.
Wine and canapés will be offered after the talk
A talk (in Italian) by Daniela Lo Monaco about Mediterranean fishing traditions.
Excursus sulla pesca nel Mediterraneo dal punto di vista storico, sociale e scientifico. La biodiversità è senza dubbio un carattere importante del Mediterraneo, una ricchezza biologica che si è trasformata nei secoli in ricchezza gastronomica, fatta di centinaia di ricette e divagazioni culinarie di altissimo livello. Nel nostro mare è molto abbondante quello che viene definito “pesce povero”. Si tratta di quelle varietà spesso bistrattate ma che di recente molti cuochi stanno promuovendo nei loro ristoranti e nelle loro ricette. Palamita, tombarello, acciughe, sgombro, aguglia, alaccia, sardina, alice sono specie di pesce azzurro, spesso considerate parte di una cucina povera, ma in realtà sono molto ricche di qualità nutrizionali. Sono molto digeribili grazie all’assenza di grassi saturi, e fonti importanti di omega 3 e di calcio. Comprarli e cucinarli sempre più spesso può dare una mano alla sostenibilità ambientale del nostro mare. Per contribuire alla salute del Mare Nostrum, è necessario consumare prodotti ittici da fonte sostenibile e bisogna orientare le scelte dei consumatori verso prodotti certificati, non dimenticando la biodiversità e scegliendo le specie sostenibili certificate. Metodi e tradizioni della piccola pesca artigianale con visione di 2 spezzoni tratti dal programma di Rai Uno “ Linea Blu “
Daniela Lo monaco e’ Dirigente Biologo presso l’ Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Della Sicilia. Dal 1990 lavora come Biologo nel settore dell’ ambiente marino. Esperta in pesca, attrezzi da pesca, sicurezza alimentare ed esperta in ambito delle patologie animali (cetacei, pesci d’ allevamento etc).
Si laurea in Scienze Biologiche nel 1988 presso l’ Universita’ degli Studi di Catania, specializzata in Patalogia Generale, iscritta all’ Ordine Nazionale dei Biologi ed ulteriore laurea acquisita nel 1995 in Scienze Naturale, sempre presso l’ Universita’ di Catania.
Daniela Lo Monaco gioca un ruolo importante nell’ importanza della sostenibilità ambientale anche nei paesi dell’ Africa.
Italian writer director Paolo Sorrentino has, over the last decade, established himself as one of the major filmmakers now working in world cinema. From his breakthrough success with The Consequences of Love (2004), through his Academy Award winning Great Beauty (2013) and most recently his acclaimed TV series The Young Pope (2016), Sorrentino has confirmed himself as one of the most powerful, distinctive voices in modern film and helped to lead a renaissance in the critical and commercial appreciation of Italian Cinema. Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London, who is also the programme curator of Italian Film for the London Film Festival and advisor to the Venice Film Festival and Noir In Fest, has regularly curated and presented Sorrentino’s work in the UK, hosted him for onstage discussions and written about him for magazines, such as Sight & Sound. In this talk, illustrated with slides and film clips, he will explore the development of Sorrentino’s work and contextualise him in the modern history of Italian film.
Adrian Wootton is the Chief Executive of Film London – the agency charged with developing the film and media industry in the capital – and the British Film Commission – the unit responsible for promoting the UK as the best place to produce feature films and high end television in the UK. Prior to becoming the Chief Executive of Film London, Adrian was Acting Director of the British Film Institute (BFI), in addition to having been the Director of the London Film Festival, the National Film Theatre and Head of BFI Exhibition. Adrian is a Programme Advisor on Italian films to the BFI London Film Festival, in addition to being Programme Advisor to the Venice Film Festival and Noir in Fest, Courmayeur. He is also Chair of the Advisory Board of Sensoria, Sheffield’s Music & Film Festival. He frequently lectures nationally and internationally, as well as curating film programmes and retrospectives for numerous organisations. In 2012, Adrian received an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts and was appointed Visiting Professor of Film & Media at Norwich University of the Arts. Adrian is also a member of the London Mayor’s Cultural Strategy Board; British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) and the European Film Academy (EFA); the British Screen Advisory Council (BSAC) and a Board member of Creative Skillset’s Crafts & Technical Skills Academy.
Wine and canapés will be offered after the talk