About Us

The Dante Alighieri Society Sydney is the oldest Italian cultural institute in Australia, having been founded in 1896 by Dr Tommaso Fiaschi, an eminent Italian, who migrated to Australia towards the end of the 1800s. The Sydney chapter of the Society saw the light only a few years after the first Società Dante Alighieri was founded in Rome in 1889, by a group of intellectuals led by the Nobel Prize-winning poet Giosuè Carducci. We are one of 460 societies operating worldwide, thanks to the voluntary work of people willing to promote the appreciation and understanding of the rich Italian culture, in all its forms and expressions. The main part of our mission is the organisation of cultural events together with Italian language courses, by strictly native-speaking teachers, with impeccable academic preparation. Since its foundation, the Dante Alighieri Society Sydney has operated thanks to professionals coming from different walks of life, but all with the same passion and love for Italian culture.