An Evening of Italofonia

Grazie mille to everyone who came out October 15 to help us celebrate this year’s “Week of Italian Language in the World” (Settimana Della Lingua Italiana Nel Mondo).   

2025 marks the 25th anniversary of this event, held annually during the 3rd week of October, and each year has a theme. This year the theme was “Italofonia: lingua oltre i confini” (Italian beyond borders).   

But just what is Italofonia, what does it mean and where can we see it in the world around us? We attempted to answer these questions (and others) here at Carleton with a celebration of Italofonia of our own.  

The evening began with a short video highlighting this year’s theme: a showcase of Italian as it appears in music, science, literature, and art; in wine and food; and in the lives of people both inside and outside Italy’s borders. 

After the video, Italian professor Dr. Cristina Trevisan explored these themes in a presentation that touched on: the motivations of people learning the language, the influence of Italian past and present on both places and people, and finally the distribution of Italian speakers around the world. 

She ended her presentation with a thought-provoking question: “What does Italofonia mean to you?” 

Next up, centrepiece of the evening’s entertainment, a play by first, second, and third year Italian students based on the book “Amore e Cappuccino,” a novel read by all first-year students of Italian at Carleton.   

Adapted to the stage by Italian Lettrice Marcella Marceddu, the story follows the life of Canadian tourist, Karen, and Italian barista (or is he?), Claudio, after their chance meeting at the Rome airport, and is set against a backdrop of quintessential Rome landmarks: the Colosseum, the Fontana di Trevi, and Via dei Condotti. 

The play was a delight, with students shining both on stage and behind the scenes. 

In lead roles, Karen (Maya Newton) and Claudio (Kristian Kovalev) travel around Rome in his Fiat 500 where they encounter Roman regulars like Aida the cat , Marina the Tour Guide and her lone tourist, Cristina, who does double-duty as the clothing store proprietor. 

And, because every good play needs a dance interlude, a group of dancers from across the disciplines (Cybersecurity, History, History & Theory of Architecture, Social Work, and Forensic Psychology) stepped in with a choreographed performance to 1967 classic “Cuore matto” (Crazy Heart) by Little Tony. 

The play was kept on track by the fine work of special student Debora as Narrator and the timely sign interventions of Kasia.  

Behind the scenes, sound and visual effects were handled seamlessly by Rubis with Akanne and Mike taking care of the scene changes.   

Special mention too to the props team for their incredible work, especially on the life-size (almost) yellow Fiat 500 that carried our protagonists through Rome’s cobblestone streets. Kudos to Valeria, Tia, Maggie, Myles, Thomas, and Marian.  

And let’s not forget the arrest video/news broadcast revealing Claudio as (spoiler alert!) an undercover police officer! Shout out to Catriona for her work on that. 

Following the play, Rebecca Scano, Head of Cultural Affairs, Press and Communications at the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa took to the stage to recognize performers for their fine performances and to announce prize winners in the “La mia prima parola in Italiano” essay competition.  

Winners included: 

• Julia Piraszewska  
• Anthony Calla  
• Cristina D’Amata  
• Glenn Easton  

Pizza followed prizes and some audience members had their photos taken in the Fiat 500 cabina per fototessere (photobooth). 

Congratulations to Carleton’s Italian teaching team – Cristina Trevisan, Claudia Rocca, and Marcella Marceddu – and their students on creating such an engaging and enjoyable evening.   

Special thanks to Mike Barker for his backstage support, and heartfelt appreciation to the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa and the School of Linguistics & Language Studies for their generous support in making this celebration possible. 

Photo Credits: Vanessa Boath, Simon Burke, Tabbatha Malouin, Marcella Marceddu, and Marta Ciranda