Englishenglish Italianoitaliano

Special Events

  • 2010

Saturday, June 19, 10 AM to 6 PM: A family event in downtown Silver Spring (Ellsworth Street), Maryland, featuring the Flag Throwers from Lanciano, Italy, re-enacting a Medieval Pageantry "The Mastrogiurato Investiture."
Sunday, June 20, at Festa Italiana, 595 Third Street. NW, Washington, DC
Monday, June 21, at 12 noon at Baltimore City Hall and at 6:45 p.m. on Stiles Street by St. Leo's school in Little Italy, Baltimore.

See photos of the above events





Drummers and flag throwers re-enact pageantry accompanying the 14th Century fair in Lanciano authorized by Charles II of Anjou. The event title, Mastrogiurato, refers to the official appointed to firmly and fairly preside over the fair. Together with his escort, the Mastrogiurato was the only person permitted to carry weapons and was empowered to arrest anyone causing trouble to fairgoers. His main tasks included welcoming the fair's "guests," strictly controlling weights and measures, and performing the administration of civil and criminal justice. The street performance includes the administration of an oath of office in Latin to the Mastrogiurato.

SMATCH gratefully acknowledges sponsors of this event:

  • The Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society of the Washington, DC, Area
  • Festa Italiana of Holy Rosary Church, Washington, DC
  • Bethesda Travel Center
  • Da Marco Ristorante Italiano, Silver Spring, MD
  • Vicino Ristorante Italiano, Silver Spring, MD
  • Luigi De Luca, Bethesda, MD
  • Gia Cafe, Baltimore
  • Mayor's Office of Special Events, Baltimore
  • Medieval Times
  • ...and the restaurants and residents of Baltimore's Little Italy


    See photos of the event, and read the Mastrogiurato Oath of Office in a downloadable pdf file - Click Here.



    • 2009
      Theater Performance on Italian History and Culture. (Cameroon)

    From left to right Patrizia Troiani Susy Sergiacomo Graziella Corruccini and center Georgia Pace

     

     

     

    • 2008
      Roman History Courses Ongoing Since 2003
    • -- Semester-long courses on Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Rome, and Pompeii/Vesuvius, Carthage and North Africa, and Rome/Hollywood). University-level (non-credit) courses, ten weeks each, at the Arlington Learning in Retirement Institute (ALRI) taught by SMATCH Board Member Tom Wukitsch in Arlington, Virginia. (All ALRI events require separate ALRI membership.)

    • 2006
      Rome's Gruppo Teatro Essere (GTE) performances in the USA
      October 2006, College Park, Maryland, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    • Florence, Venice Study Tour
      September 2006
      SMATCH Board member Tom Wukitsch led a ten-day tour of Florence and Venice, Italy. Tour participants were members of the Arlington Learning in Retirement Institute (ALRI) who participated in his continuing series of courses on Ancient Roman and Italian history. Click here for information on the courses.

    • 2005
      October 2005
      Magic Rome
      written and directed by Tonino Tosto
      Georgetown University, Washington, DC and John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA

    • Supported by a special grant from the Municipality of Rome, Italy

    • Personal Living Space Venice Biennale

    • SMATCH administered funds to assist
      Marya Kazoun's installation at the 2005 Venice Biennale.
      For more information, click here.
      Another project in association with Berengo Fine Arts.

    • Modern Visions/Ancient Traditions

    • Ongoing project of Tatyana Zhurkov in Italy and New York SMATCH USA, SMATCH Italy, and Swashbuckler Enterprises, Inc. Administer the Zhurkov residency in Venice and Murano

    • 2004
      November 2004
      Italia in Cantata
      SMATCH and the Italian Cultural Society of Washington, DC presented
      ITALIA IN CANTATA (A Short History of the Italian Song)
      performed by IL GRUPPO TEATRO ESSERE from Rome, Italy
      Chevy Chase, MD.

    • Supported by a special grant from the Municipality of Rome, Italy

    • Archaeological Tour of Rome, September 2004
      SMATCH Board member Tom Wukitsch guided an ALRI tour of archaeological sites in Rome, Italy. See http://www.mmdtkw.org/RT04-ALRI-2004RomeTrip.html for details.




    • SMATCH © 2009