CCR Talks: Jubilee Levity - February 2, 2025

“The one where the cardinal’s mule goes crazy!” The first of our "CCR Talks" this year will be a humorous introduction to the 2025 Jubilee. Yes, the new Holy Year is now upon us and to help us be patient as we negotiate the roadblocks and the crowds, Olivia will outline the main features of a holy year, why this one is a jubilee, and the origins and meanings of the terms.

We will have some refreshments at a potluck Sunday brunch while embarking on a (hopefully humorous) historical overview of the monumental achievements and artistic events we owe to past holy years, but we will also hear about the many mishaps and contretemps of all kinds which pilgrims and Romans had to put up with during the last 700 years.

When: Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025

Time: 11 a.m.

Where: Trieste neighbourhood. Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

NB: Attendance limited to 14 people due to space limitations. CCR members have priority.

Potluck: Contributions welcome of wine/prosecco and snacks to nibble on at the beginning; salad and dessert will also be welcome.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Peter by Jan. 30. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: The Women Behind Van Gogh - April 13, 2023

Note: Change of date. 

Vincent Van Gogh died in Auvers-sur-Oise in the north of France in 1890. At his death, he was a desperate, unknown artist leaving behind a huge, unsold mass of paintings which today are considered masterpieces. His loving brother Theo, his universal heir and the only one at that time who appreciated his art, tragically died soon after. So, how did it then come to pass that today van Gogh’s artwork is so well-known, having made its way to posters, bookshop shelves, auction houses, and the walls of museums worldwide? As it turns out, it was thanks to the efforts of two amazing women that Van Gogh became the universally loved artist we know today. Please join us for an evening aperitivo lecture in the Trieste neighborhood to find out more about their amazing stories. 

When: Thursday, April 13, 2023

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: in the Trieste neighbourhood. Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. 

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Apr. 9. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Bosch, a Different Renaissance - January 31, 2023

An exhibition has opened recently in Milan entitled “Bosch e un altro rinascimento” (Bosch and another Renaissance). It brings together works by, or influenced by, Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516), a 16th-century Dutch painter. Bosch had a huge influence on his time as well as on contemporary artists and modern art movements. Bosch or “El Bosco” was a favorite artist of King Philip of Spain, and German Expressionists, Surrealists, and Salvador Dali are among his more modern admirers. This lecture will serve as an introduction to the artist, his life, and times, as well as examine his artworks’ many secrets and conundrums.

When: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. (lecture duration approx. 75 to 90 minutes)
Where: on Zoom
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Sat., Jan. 28, 2023. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Happy Birthday Queen Christina! - December 6, 2022

We celebrate the birth of one of the most interesting of Rome’s 17th-century inhabitants – Sweden’s very own Queen Christina – a consummate linguist, mathematician, and avid art collector. The impact of this out-spoken – and outed – former queen at the papal court made life difficult for her and others. We chart her sojourn from the fastness of her native Sweden to the sprawling beauty of baroque Rome, where she lived an eventful life, meeting some of the most brilliant people of her generation and attracting myriad admirers to this very day.

When: Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75-90 minutes)

Meeting Place: on Zoom

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Sat., Dec. 3, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

Guest Speaker: Maurizio Bagarani on Africa, Health and the role of NGOs - February 7, 2022

Dr Maurizio Bagarini will talk to us in Italian and French about the challenges in the global governance of human health in all its aspects. Health has an impact not only on the growth of a nation in terms of ecological and social development but also from a security and stability viewpoint. In order to be more effective, it is essential to coordinate state-run, inter-government organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community associations.

Maurizio Bagarani, former department head and surgery professor at Sapienza University of Rome, has spent the last thirteen years working as a consultant for various private health facilities and volunteering for Doctors Without Borders in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Afghanistan. He is currently the director of the Quality Control and Continuing Education Committee at Hôpital Kira in Bujumbura, Burundi.

When: Monday, February 7, 2022
Time: 6 p.m. (Italian time) 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

CCR Talks: The Gardens of Caligula - February 16, 2022

Come explore with us the luxurious gardens of the wayward Emperor Caligula (37-41 AD), recreated in Rome's newest museum-cum-archeological site, the Museo Ninfeo. The complex is a veritable gift to those passionate about urban history. It features a state-of-the-art exhibition/site set up near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II after over ten years of careful excavation, carried out while a modern building rose over the dig on the site of a bombed-out building. Let’s go!

When: Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Time:  18:30 (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)
Meeting Place: on Zoom
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, February 12, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Italy, the Land of Wine! - January 19, 2022

It is safe to say that for a couple of millennia now Italy's name has been closely associated with wine. Both its production and consumption have been identified with a certain Mediterranean lifestyle, which other peoples -- be they contemporary Canadians or 3rd-century BC Gauls -- have embraced with gusto. In this lecture we shall delve into some recent research, carried out using innovative techniques, into the very first phases of wine-growing. They are revealing the rich and enterprising world of early winegrowers -- and their valiant consumers!

When: Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)
Where: on Zoom
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, January 15, 2022. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: The Caves of the Oppian Hill and the Discovery of the “Grotesque” - December 7, 2021

The great palace of Emperor Nero with its amazing wall and ceiling paintings was abandoned and purposely buried after the Emperor’s death in 68 AD. Despite this attempt at obliteration, the frescoes miraculously survived and were rediscovered by accident in the late 15th century. The unearthing of these paintings contributed to an artistic revolution never before seen in Western art. This lecture, the first this season, will look at the artists, aristocrats, and adventurers who first crawled into the “grotte” (or “caves”) beneath the Oppian Hill and drew inspiration from what they saw as well as sharing the bizarre legends and stories that swirled around the discovery of this mysterious underground world.

When: Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)
Meeting Place: on Zoom
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, December 4, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Let's discover German art - May 4, 2021

This year marks the 150th anniversary of German Unification. Let's take the opportunity to look at Germany's amazing history through its artists, their relationship to political power, and their unique contributions to Europe's vibrant artistic legacy in the 20th century.

Die Internationale by Otto Griebel, 1928

When: Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Time:  18:00 (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Where: on Zoom

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, May 1, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Let's go to... Istanbul (not Constantinople)! - April 13, 2021

The last of the Emperors died on the ramparts of Constantinople in May 1453. Under the Sultans of the Ottoman Turkish dynasties who followed them, the city evolved once again. Let's follow the footsteps of some of the visitors and writers whose accounts help bring the city back to life, as we take a look at modern Istanbul, and the way its history has shaped its amazing skyline.

When: Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Meeting Place: on Zoom

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Sat., Apr. 10, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Let's go to... Constantinople! - March 16, 2021

This month our CCR Lecture will visit a city which started out as a flourishing Eastern Greek colony, Byzantium. After it was refounded by Constantine in 324, the city came to see itself as the sole, real capital of the Roman world. A flourishing, cosmopolitan city, with a stunning heritage, the glory of Constantinople lives on today in a multitude of ways. Into the city we shall wander and an imaginary walk through its streets awaits!

When: Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Time: 18:00 (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Meeting Place: Your Place!!

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, March 13, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Talks: Let’s go to… Pompei! - February 2, 2021

Recent archaeological and other research into the Vesuvius eruption of 79 B.C. has given us important new insights into Roman Campania’s history, as new areas of Pompei are explored by specialists from many fields. During our next CCR virtual lecture, we will examine these recent advances and discoveries, including how multimedia may help (or hinder) our perceptions of them. We will also touch upon which spots you might consider seeking out during your next in-person visit to Pompei.

When: Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Meeting Place: on Zoom

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, January 30, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: Aubrey Beardsley - December 15, 2020

Picasso, Klee, Münch, and many other 20th century artists owe so much to Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898), a young English artist who died of tuberculosis aged 25. An original, solitary, sickly genius, Beardsley shocked Victorian society with an ambiguous and entrancing world of his own creation. In the 1960s, his works briefly enjoyed a second wave of popularity and this year an exhibition at the Tate in London and another at the Musée d’Orsay were meant give him back the limelight he so rightly deserves. Join us for the next CCR virtual lecture as we delve into Beardsley, his art, and his times.

When: Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Meeting Place: Your Place! Online meeting platform.

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, December 12, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: Romanesque Wanderings - November 24, 2020

In the 13th century, a woman died and was buried in Palermo. Her gravestone provides a starting point for a fascinating, digressive, meandering journey which weaves together many different ethnic, cultural, and economic ties. Glass in hand, we will examine Italy's ties to Muslim, Byzantine and Northern European cultures, supplying inspiration for the Romanesque style of the 12th and 13th centuries.

When: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Time: 18:00 (lecture duration is approx. 60-75 minutes)

Meeting Place: Your Place!

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Sat., Nov. 21, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: Torlonia Marbles - November 11, 2020

An ill-fated but much awaited exhibition has just opened in Rome. After years of preparation, rumours and contretemps, the famous Torlonia collection is on show at the Capitoline Museums. Want to get to know about the wonders of the Torlonia collection before you visit, with the added benefit of being able to sip on your favorite cocktail in the virtual company of your CCR friends? Then come join us for our first CCR “virlectail” (virtual lecture/cocktail) of the season!

When: Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Time: 6.00 p.m. Central European Time

Where: at your home (and where the lecture takes you).

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. Advance payment required payable by transfer to the CCR bank account.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by 1 p.m. Central European Time on Sat. Nov. 7, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: the Pantheon and the Sun - June 19, 2020

For centuries people have marveled at the Pantheon, and its purpose. One theory is the design is connected to the sun’s cycle. Was this the only monument like this, or were there others? As the summer solstice draws closer we look at ways in which the solar cycle has been celebrated in Rome through the centuries.

When: Friday, June 19, 2020,
Time: 6.00 p.m. Rome (Central European) Time.
Where: at your home (or where the remote lecture takes you).
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. Advance payment required payable by transfer to the CCR bank account.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by 1 p.m. Central European Time on Wed. June 17, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: Venice at the Crossroads - June 5, 2020

As the 15th century was ending, Venice faced many external pressures and had to decide what its future would be: remain an independent maritime power or become a regional Italian presence. This dilemma, and its eventual resolution, was reflected in the art and architecture of the time. 

Join us on a virtual tour of the city, its paintings, and its people just over five centuries ago.

When: Friday, June 5, 2020,

Time: 6.00 p.m. Rome (Central European) Time.

Where: at your home (and where the lecture takes you).

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. Advance payment required payable by transfer to the CCR bank account.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by 1 p.m. Central European Time on Wed. June 3, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: Venus de Milo - May 22, 2020

The ancient marble sculpture known as the Venus de Milo is today a prized possession of the Louvre in Paris. Although the work has achieved iconic status, visitors are not always aware of the many dramatic events in the work’s history, or why this became a work which for many defines the idea of classical Greek art.

Let’s spend a lazy evening (or morning, as the case may be), sipping on something refreshing, as we trace the statue’s history, which now spans over two thousand years and involves interesting ideas about identity, culture, nationhood, and gender.

When: Friday, May 22, 2020,

Time: 6.00 p.m. Rome (Central European) Time.

Where: at your home (and where the lecture takes you).

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. Advance payment required payable by transfer to the CCR bank account.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by 1 p.m. Central European Time on Wed. May 20, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: Boccaccio's Decameron - May 8, 2020

Summer 1348 -- seven young ladies and three young men escape plague-stricken Florence and take refuge in a deserted villa where they pass the evenings telling each other... one hundred stories! Written by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) during the Black Death epidemic (1348-1349), this is one of Italian literature’s defining works. Its mix of wit, licentiousness, lyrical and tragic aspects make it an unforgettable read, inspiring countless works ever since its first appearance up to modern times.

Join us in our very own virtual deserted villa as we retrace the genesis of stories which have fascinated people through the centuries.

When: Friday, May 8, 2020,
Time: 6.00 p.m. Rome (Central European) Time.
Where: at your home (and where the lecture takes you).
Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. Advance payment required payable by transfer to the CCR bank account.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by 1 p.m. Central European Time on Wed. May 6, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Remote Lecture: A Virtual Tour of the Acropolis Museum - April 24, 2020

A lucky mining project, a far-sighted political leader, a 50-year-old still-tentative democracy and a looming invasion. In the 5th C. BCE, this was the backdrop prior to Athens achieving cultural and military domination in the Mediterranean and its greatest glory.

Join us as we cross the Adriatic for a virtual visit (using slides, video clips and street views) of the Acropolis Museum in Athens and its stunning treasures.

When:  Friday, April 24, 2020,

Time:  6.00 p.m. Central European Time

Where: at your home (and where the lecture takes you).

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members. Advance payment required payable by transfer to the CCR bank account.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by 1 p.m. Central European Time on Wed. Apr. 22, 2020. You are financially responsible for your reservation.