Category Archives: Events

Painting Italy Fundraiser – July 12

PITTURA ITALIA – Painting Italy Fundraiser July 12, 2014 1-4 PM

Support the North Bay Italian Cultural Foundation in a fun and creative way. Our new fundraiser is ‘Pittura Italia, Painting Italy’ on Saturday July 12, 1-4 PM at the Center. This three-hour workshop is for any level of art ability! Participants will spend an afternoon creating an original painting of an iconic scene in Italy guided by professional artists. All participants will receive a canvas board, paints and brushes to use, beverage and snack for $35. Just bring an apron and your creativity and go home with a painting! Because this is a sip and sketch event (we are serving wine), it is for adults only. To register, send your check with Name & Phone Number to NBICF 64 Brookwood Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Registration must be received by July 9, 2014. Space is limited. Reserve early. Questions: Call NBICF at 707-591-9696 or use Contact link. Fundraiser proceeds support our scholarship program at SRJC and our cultural events.

Travel Night at the Center – June 25

Travel Night at the Center- June 25 at 7:00 PM

Join Sharie Sbrazza for a night of Travel News for NBICF members at the Italian Cultural Center.

Upcoming trips include The ‘A’s Italian Heritage Night’ at the ballpark on Friday, August 1. Board a bus with other members with games and prizes. Receive a hat, dinner and great seats once you arrive at the ballpark. Tickets for members are $60.

In October, members can board a bus to Reno for an overnight trip the Reno’s Festa Italiana.

November’s trip is to the southwest region of France, the Languedoc, and to the southeast of Spain. See the largest Roman Aqueduct, a Roman colosseum, castles, beautiful beaches, Barcelona and more. Sharie will show a slide presentation of the areas.

For more information contact the Center at 591-9696. This event is free.

June Dinner Reminder

Reminder: June 16 Dinner will be at St. Rose Parish Hall

Monday, June 16, 5:00 pm – Post Father’s Day Dinner at St. Rose Parish Hall Dining Room, 398 10th Street, Santa Rosa. Our June dinner will be a celebration of the regions of Campania and Puglia. Naples is the capital city of Campania. The area is rich in culture, food, music, sites like Pompeii and Herculanuem. Pizza and calzone were conceived in Naples. The capital of Puglia is Bari, known for its olive oil and the Trulli houses. It is the heel of the boot of Italy and where agriculture is emphasized. In keeping with our “Regional Dinner” menus, we will present: Antipasti: Cauliflower & Celery Bruschetta, Entree: Baked Ziti & BBQ Sausages with Salad and Garlic Bread, Surprise dessert!
Silent auction and a raffle are planned. Continuing our tradition, please bring photos of your father and/or grandfather. Free raffle ticket with the photo. Doors open at 5:00 – Dinner at 6:00. Prepaid reservations only must be received by June 11, 2014.
$14 for members, $16 guests, $8 teens 13-17, $5 for children 5-12, under 5 free. See the current newsletter, Mosaico Culturale, for dinner reservation forms.

May Dinner Reminder

Reminder: May 19 Dinner will be at St. Rose Parish Hall

Monday, May 19, 5:00 pm – Post Mother’s Day Dinner at St. Rose Parish Hall Dining Room, 398 10th Street, Santa Rosa. Our May dinner will be a celebration of the regions of Lazio and Abruzzo. In keeping with our “Regional Dinner” menus, we will present the following: Appetizer: Antipasti and Foccacia; Entre: Roast Pork w/fig sauce & orecchieti w/broccoli rabe, including Herb Salad w/balsamic dressing. Dessert: Abruzzo chocolate cake.
Entertainment and a raffle are planned. Continuing our tradition, please bring photos of your mother and/or grandmother. Free raffle ticket with the photo. Doors open at 5:00 – Dinner at 6:00. Prepaid reservations only must be received by May 15, 2014.
$14 for members, $16 guests, $8 teens 13-17, $5 for children 5-12, under 5 free. See the current newsletter, Mosaico Culturale, for dinner reservation forms.

Afternoon in Italy’s Gardens

AN AFTERNOON IN ITALYʼS GARDENS – Sunday, May 18, 2-4 PM

Come be inspired and learn about classic Italian garden design, history, and ideas for your own garden with Cathy Edger, an active member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). Sheʼll be sharing with us her extensive slide collection of these amazing gardens. Visions of large potted citrus and the limonaia, tunnels of shrubs, dramatic double staircases, sunken gardens, theatrical gardens and more have all stood the test of time.

Garden near Lake Como

In 2009 Cathy, a former park ranger, along with her 92 year old mother-in-law and 20 fellow members of the APLD visited various villa gardens in Italy. For two weeks they traveled from Lake Como through Tuscany stopping to see gardens from the early Renaissance in the 15th century through the Romantic period of the 19th century. Now you too can visit these gardens with a little armchair traveling with us. A $5 donation is requested for this event. We will have refreshments available for purchase. Please RSVP by calling the NBICF Center at 591-9696. Space is limited so please reserve a seat.

April Dinner Reminder

Reminder: April 21 Dinner will be at St. Rose Parish Hall

Monday, April 21, 5:00 pm – Post Easter Dinner at St. Rose Parish Hall Dining Room, 398 – 10th Street, Santa Rosa. In April we will visit the region of Emilia Romagna and our menu will feature: Antipasti: Salami, Copa, Balsamic Veggies Chicken Cacciatore & Tagliatelle Pasta, Salad, Bread, Torta di Mele (apple cake). Entertainment and raffle scheduled. Doors open at 5:00 – Dinner at 6:00. Prepaid reservations only must be received by April 16, 2014.
$14 for members, $16 guests, $8 teens 13-17, $5 for children 5-12, under 5 free.
See the current newsletter, Mosaico Culturale, for dinner reservation forms.

Sundays at the Center – April Movie

Sunday at the Center – 2:00-4:00 pm Italian Cultural Center

Activities at the Center provide interesting Italian movies, operas and lectures. The doors open at 2:00pm and the program begins at 2:30pm.

April 27, 2014 – Movie – Enchanted April

Two cloistered, married English women (Josie Lawrence, Miranda Richardson) impulsively rent an Italian villa and embark upon a vacation without their spouses. They are joined by two other ladies, the high-flown aging widow Joan Plowright, and elegant upper-crust beauty Polly Walker, whom they have never met. Under the spell of an exotic new locaion, the foursome are in for quite a few life-altering experiences, many of them amusing, and not a few very surprising. Impeccably accurate in its recreaion of European manners and mores in the 1920s. Enchanted April is sheer bliss from fade-in to fade-out. In English.

Please call 707-591-9696 to reserve your seat at no charge.

Sundays at the Center – Movie

Sunday at the Center – 2:00-4:00 pm Italian Cultural Center

Activities at the Center provide interesting Italian movies, operas and lectures. The doors open at 2:00pm and the program begins at 2:30pm.

**March 23, 2014 – Movie – The Spaghetti West documents the film genre referred to as Spaghetti Westerns.**

These movies were made in Italy during the 1950s and ‘60s, where production costs were very cheap and the terrain offered perfectly believable sets. While Sergio Leone became the most well-known director that succeeded in the genre, a number of famous film personalities such as Clint Eastwood and Ennio Morricone established themselves in these Westerns. The film utilizes clips of some of the most famous scenes. In English and Italian.

Please call 707-591-9696 to reserve your seat at no charge.

Film Fundraiser

Finding the Mother Lode: Italian Immigrants in California

On April 6 and 7, the North Bay Italian Cultural Foundation (NBICF), the Santa Rosa Junior College Department of Modern & Classical Languages & American Sign Language and the Wine Library Associates of Sonoma County will host filmmakers Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien for the screening of their film, “Finding the Mother Lode: Italian Immigrants in California”.

Finding the Motherlode documents the experience of Italian immigrants in California. Through stories set in seven Italian communities throughout California, including Sonoma County, this film examines how economic and social mobility became possible for many Italians in the Golden State. It is also a look at how immigrant identity is maintained and transformed as immigrants become assimilated into mainstream America. To learn more about the film & the film makers, visit the official film site by clicking here.

Sunday, April 6, 4:30-7:00 pm – Finding the Motherlode: Italian Immigrants in California – Special Film Documentary on the Italian Immigration to California at Carole Ellis Auditorium on the Santa Rosa JC Petaluma Campus, 680 Sonoma Mountain Pkwy. Prior to the filming there will be a reception with light refreshments and following the film there will be a post screening discussion with the filmmakers.
Tickets $10/ SRJC Parking $4. Tickets may be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets – click here to order.

Tickets will also be available for purchase at the NBICF March 16 Dinner at the Veterans Hall, 5:00 PM. Tickets for “will call” at the theater may be ordered by mail until April 3 by sending check for $10 per ticket to NBICF at 64 Brookwood Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95404 – Call 707-591-9696 for more information.

Monday, April 7, 5:00-7:00 PM – NBICF and the Wine Library Associates of Sonoma County host Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurien, directors and producers of Finding the Mother Lode, for a fireside chat and wine reception at the Sonoma County Wine Library, 139 Piper Street, Healdsburg. The reception highlights a few of the winery principals interviewed in the film including Cellar #8 at Asti Winery, Pedroncelli and Seghesio. Artisan cheese and local bread will accompany the wine tasting. The directors will speak briefly about their project and also will have the DVD for sale at the event.Tickets: $25 to the general public, $20 for NBICF members Wine Library Associates. To purchase tickets see Fireside Chat with Gianfranco Norelli and Suma Kurine at www.eventbrite.com by clicking here.

Monthly Dinner – March Date Update

Monthly Dinners – March Date Changed to March 16.

The day and date of the March Dinner has been changed to Sunday, March 16. The NBICF office will call members who may have already sent in their reservation form to inform them of this change. The reservation form in the Mosaico now has the correct date. Call the NBICF office if you have a question about your reservation.

Sunday, March 16, 5:00 pm – Tavola di San Giuseppe at Santa Rosa Veterans Hall – In keeping with our “Regional Dinner” menus, we will present from the region of Tuscany and our menu will feature roasted pepper crostini & warm foccacia; Pasta with Pork Ragu; salad & bread. Assorted cookies and orange sponge cake for dessert. Doors open at 5:00 – Dinner at 6:00. Come early and enjoy music and conversazione with friends to commemorate the ancient tradition of Tavola di San Giuseppe. Prepaid reservations only must be received by March 12, 2014.
$14 members, $16 guests, $8 teens 13-17, $5 children 5-12, under 5 free.