The America-Italy Society of Philadelphia supports excellence in Italian studies at the University of Pennsylvania with its Vittorini Fund, established in 1979 to honor the memory of Professor Domenico Vittorini, beloved long-time member of the Romance Languages Faculty. Prizes are awarded each year to encourage undergraduates students in the pursuit of majors and minors, and perhaps even careers, centering on Italian culture.
The awards are presented by the America-Italy Society at an annual ceremony held at the end of the spring semester at Penn. Marked by a lecture in Italian Studies by a member of the Penn faculty and by the participation of the Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia, the Vittorini reception is an occasion for all Italian students and faculty at Penn as well as members of the America-Italy Society to celebrate academic excellence and reaffirm the warm relationship between the University and the city’s major Italian-American cultural organization.
Eligibility:
All undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania taking Italian courses, whether as electives or as part of a major or minor, qualify for the awards.
Cash Awards:
- For the best essay written during the academic year for an Italian literature course
- To the student who has demonstrated the most significant achievement in advances courses in Italian
- For excellence in second year Italian
- For excellence in first year Italian
The Vittorini Fund occasionally makes available a scholarship for an outstanding major in Italian or Italian Studies who plans to undertake further study in Italy.
Contact:
Professor Millicent Marcus
Director, Center for Italian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania
521 Williams Hall
36th and Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
Phone: (215) 898-6041
