Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts
About
The Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts is a Cambridge nonprofit that promotes Italian language and culture across New England. Its school offers Italian language courses each academic term, both in person and online, and the society builds appreciation for Italian achievements in the arts, literature, science and industry through cultural events and activities. Its home is the Dante Alighieri Cultural Center, which also serves as a meeting space for members and the wider community.
The society’s roots go back to the original Dante Alighieri Society founded in Italy in 1889, and a Massachusetts chapter was active in Cambridge by 1911. Like many so-called foreign organizations, it was labeled un-American and forced to disband around World War II. In 1961 Professor Philip Cordaro reorganized the chapter, and with help from Ted Kennedy it was removed from the subversive list in 1962. Its cultural center broke ground in 1980 and was inaugurated in 1985.
What to Know
- Caffè Dante open houses on the last Sunday of the month, starting in the fall, invite people to chat in Italian at any level.
- The PLIDA B1 exam required for Italian citizenship applications will not be offered at the Cambridge center until 2027.
- The center sits near MIT and Harvard on a site secured with help from Cambridge Mayor Alfred Vellucci.
- Past board members include Massachusetts governors Foster Furcolo, John Volpe and Frank Sargent.
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