Viva Italy! at New Haven Public Library Aug 29 and 31

The public is invited to celebrate Italy at the downtown branch of New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm St., during the last week of August.
Viva Italy! opens on Monday, Aug. 29, 5:30 pm, with a screening of Bitter Rice (Riso Amaro), a 1949 Italian classic written and directed by Giuseppe De Santis and produced by Dino De Laurentis,  starring Silvana Mangano and Vittorio Gassman.  The 1950 Academy Award-nominated film is set during rice-planting season in Northern Italy and involves a complex plot of robbery, love, and murder.  Discussion to follow with Jacinto Lirola.
On Wednesday, Aug. 31, 6 pm,  singer and guitarist Enzo Boscarino offers an all-ages musical tour of the Italian countryside, ranging from Liguria and Veneto, down the peninsula through Tuscany, Lazio, and Campania, and finishing around the islands of Sicily and Sardegna.  Dubbed "a true Renaissance Man" (Martha's Vineyard Gazette), Enzo Boscarino has shared his love of Italy's various musical traditions with audiences in Newport,  Martha's Vineyard, and NYC, as well as with the Hartford Festival Orchestra and at First Night in Hartford. A native of Italy until the age of 21, he now teaches at Central Connecticut State University and St. Joseph's College.
The library is collaborating with New Haven Sister Cities/Amalfi to present this musical tour,  with Italian sweets provided by Claire's Cornucopia and Lucibello's Italian Pastry Shop.  To find out more, visit http://www.vivaitaly.eventbrite.com/<http://www.vivaitaly.eventbrite.com/> or call the library at 203-946-8835<tel:203-946-8835>.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.