SICILY: History & Culture Dinner & Lecture

Join us on Friday, April 17th at the Italian Club as we continue our cultural programming with an exciting Sicilian Culture Presentation hosted by Dr. Davide Tanasi (PhD), USF Dept. of History, who will take us on a one of a kind journey through engaging storytelling and historical insights. This presentation aims to deepen appreciation for Sicily's mysteries and enchantments, inviting a closer look at its complex history and beauty. The presentation will include a variety of pictures and videos too! Guests will enjoy a delicious Italian Dinner as part of the ticket purchase, and full cash bar. Tickets are limited and sell out fast!

APRIL 17TH 2026 TOPIC: Filthy Rich - Living Large in Roman Sicily's Countryside! A journey back in time to Sicily’s most jaw-dropping “country homes” - the villas of Casale, Caddeddi, and Gerace - where luxury wasn’t just about comfort, it was a public performance. We’ll step into a world of lavish living, excess, and a hint of decadence: floors exploding with dazzling mosaics, rooms wrapped in gleaming marbles, and statues that turned private residences into something close to palaces. And here’s the real whodunit: who, exactly, lived behind all this splendor? By reading the clues hidden in the villas’ decorations, mosaics, sculpture, and imported stone, and matching them with ancient written sources, we’ll try to put real names to the owners of these three estates. Following this trail through spectacular spaces, this presentation shows how Sicily’s elites used art and architecture to project wealth, ambition, and power, even as their identities remain, in many ways, tantalizingly out of reach.

REGISTRATION: $35pp Club Member discounts are available. Registration fee includes meal, lecture, and a charitable donation to the USF Foundation to support Dr. Tanasi's archaeological research programs in Sicily. Fee includes all taxes and service charges; no refunds. Open Seating.

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Host or Publisher Italian Club of Tampa Building & Cultural Trust