< 2021 >
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  • “Festa della Repubblica”: How Italy Became a Republic
    7:00 PM-9:00 PM
    06/01/2021

    The “Festa della Repubblica” is celebrated on June 2nd because on that very day, in 1946, the Italian people went to the polls. For the first time after 20 years of Fascism, after World War II had largely destroyed the country, they had an important choice to make. “Monarchia” or “Repubblica” ? Women were also allowed to vote, for the first time in Italian history, and so they did. Credit is usually given to Alcide De Gasperi for the remarkably consequential decision to call the entire population to a vote on such a huge and controversial issue. The choice was “Repubblica” by a close margin, and King Umberto II went into exile.

    Francesco Ranci, born in Italy, holds a B.A. and M.A. in Political Sciences from the University of Pavia, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Milano. In Italy, he worked as a researcher, instructor, and journalist until 2010. After moving to the U.S., he worked as Adjunct Faculty at Naugatuck Valley Community College, The College of New Rochelle, Berkeley College, and Iona College. He recently published an essay about Cold War Era sociologist Erving Goffman in the peer-reviewed journal “The American Sociologist”. For the last four decades, he focused his research on the methodology of the cultural sciences. He is particularly committed to saving the legacy left by the Italian Operational School, in the aftermath of World War II, from oblivion.

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  • Virtual Writing Workshop
    10:00 AM-11:30 AM
    06/05/2021

    “Writing the Italian in Your Memories”: Spring Edition
    Laboratorio Virtuale di Scrittura, Virtual Writing Workshop
    May 22, June 5, June 19
    10:00-11:45am
    No experience necessary, just a notebook and pen!

    As Italians and Italian-Americans (IA), when we look back on our pasts, whether a year or decades ago, our stories are often intertwined with our culture—its richness, expectations, challenges and humor. During each workshop, led by author Maria Giura, we’ll focus on how one aspect of IA life–family, work, and (un)belief—forms the background or foreground of our memories.

    We’ll read short, vibrant excerpts written by IA authors and explore how they tell their stories. Participants will then be given prompts to generate their own writing. By the end of each workshop, participants will have produced an original piece of writing. No experience necessary, just a notebook, pen, and a sense of curiosity and fun!

    Register for one, two, or all three workshops. Pour your coffee and join Maria on Saturday mornings from 10 to 11:45 am. The fee for each workshop is …There is a member discount for family members.
    Part 1: Saturday, May 22
    Part 2: Saturday, June 5
    Part 3: Saturday, June 19

    About the Instructor:

    Maria Giura is the author of Celibate: A Memoir (Apprentice House) and What My Father Taught Me (Bordighera Press). Her writing has appeared in Prime Number, Presence, (Voices in) Italian Americana, Lips, Tiferet, and Paterson Literary Review. She has won awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Independent Press, and the Center for Women Writers, and was a judge for the Lauria/ Frasca Poetry Award. She has taught at St. John’s University, Montclair State, and Binghamton University where she earned her PhD in English. https://www.mariagiura.com/

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  • Children’s Cooking Class – Mini Cheese Rice Balls
  • How Italian Are You? 
    7:00 PM-9:00 PM
    06/08/2021

    How Italian Are You? 
    Discover if you qualify for Italian citizenship and what its benefits can mean for you!
    Presented by Carla Megale Di Tommaso 

    When someone asks, “Are you Italian?,” you probably answer “Yes!” Whether you are a native citizen of Italy or not, being Italian is part of who you are. And Italy is in your blood – more than you may know. 

    Italy’s Jure Sanguinis – a “Blood Law” – gives you the legal right to inherit citizenship from your parents or grandparents, regardless of where you were born. 

    What about your children? Does being an Italian citizen, even with a valid passport, mean your children are also Italian? Probably, but only if Italian authorities have a record of their birth. 

    And what if you’re married to an Italian citizen? You’ve grown to love Italy, you love to visit, you dream of retiring in Italy. Being married to an Italian gives you a good chance of acquiring Italian citizenship along with all its rights and benefits.  

    Some of you may just want to know more about your Italian ancestors, to discover details that will unlock mysteries about their lives. Answers may be found by searching township archives in Italy. They contain centuries of certificates of birth, of marriage and of death; they even record recurring names, changed names and other surprising, little-known facts. 

    All these different scenarios require different procedures that can seem dauntingly complicated. In fact, they are not simple. They entail knowing the requisite documents and correct sequence for obtaining them that will lead to certification of Italian citizenship. 

    If your life goals include becoming an Italian citizen or having your important life events recorded in Italy, join us at Casa Belvedere on Tuesday, June 8 at 7 pm for a special presentation. 

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  • In Person Opera Dinner • Serenades in Opera, Film & Song
    6:00 PM-10:00 PM
    06/15/2021

    Join Us for an Evening of Fine Outdoor Dining, Live entertainment, and a video presentation
    Tuesday, June 15 • 6:30 – 10:00 p.m. • 
    Doors open at 6:00 pm
    By Lou Barrella

    Come savor fine dining on the mansion’s rear patio with scenic views of New York Harbor and the Verrazzano Bridge while embracing your love of Opera!

    About the Video Presentation:
    A Serenade is a piece of music performed at night to a lady from below her balcony by a lover.  Sometimes these tranquil moments create conflicts becoming the essence of operatic situations. This video will present serenades from diverse performances that convey lyric beauty, dramatic encounter and humorous entanglement.

    Live performance by Kayla Suter:
    Kayla Suter, 18, started singing classically when she was 11. She performed with the Staten Island Children’s Theatre throughout middle and high school. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and is now a freshman at Liberty University, where she will perform as a lead in an upcoming opera.

    Three-Course dinner includes wine and soft drinks.
    Non-Members $85 per person (tax and gratuities included)
    *Casa Members & Garibaldi Museum Members $75 Per person
    (tax and gratuities included)

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  • Virtual Writing Workshop
    10:00 AM-11:30 AM
    06/19/2021

    “Writing the Italian in Your Memories”: Spring Edition
    Laboratorio Virtuale di Scrittura, Virtual Writing Workshop
    May 22, June 5, June 19
    10:00-11:45am
    No experience necessary, just a notebook and pen!

    As Italians and Italian-Americans (IA), when we look back on our pasts, whether a year or decades ago, our stories are often intertwined with our culture—its richness, expectations, challenges and humor. During each workshop, led by author Maria Giura, we’ll focus on how one aspect of IA life–family, work, and (un)belief—forms the background or foreground of our memories.

    We’ll read short, vibrant excerpts written by IA authors and explore how they tell their stories. Participants will then be given prompts to generate their own writing. By the end of each workshop, participants will have produced an original piece of writing. No experience necessary, just a notebook, pen, and a sense of curiosity and fun!

    Register for one, two, or all three workshops. Pour your coffee and join Maria on Saturday mornings from 10 to 11:45 am. The fee for each workshop is …There is a member discount for family members.
    Part 1: Saturday, May 22
    Part 2: Saturday, June 5
    Part 3: Saturday, June 19

    About the Instructor:

    Maria Giura is the author of Celibate: A Memoir (Apprentice House) and What My Father Taught Me (Bordighera Press). Her writing has appeared in Prime Number, Presence, (Voices in) Italian Americana, Lips, Tiferet, and Paterson Literary Review. She has won awards from the Academy of American Poets, the Independent Press, and the Center for Women Writers, and was a judge for the Lauria/ Frasca Poetry Award. She has taught at St. John’s University, Montclair State, and Binghamton University where she earned her PhD in English. https://www.mariagiura.com/

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  • In person Book Presentation: SIX POPES: A Son of the Church Remembers
    7:00 PM-9:00 PM
    06/22/2021

    Meet Msr. Franco before he leaves for Rome.

    Not only is Monsignor Franco a Son of the Church, he is a son of New York and Italian immigrants. Born in the Bronx, his work has taken him all around the world, including Staten Island in the 1960’s to the Church of the Assumption on Brighton Avenue in Tompkinsville. Monsignor Franco even organized dances at the church and invited Chubby Checker, of “The Twist”  fame  to host one evening!

    As a young man he attended Rome’s premier seminary, served in various parishes and became the special assistant to Archbishop Fulton Sheen. This most formidable churchman reveals his tales of intellectual, pastoral, and diplomatic service to the Catholic Church, enlivened by recollections of the fascinating people he came to know from U.S. presidents and foreign heads of state, to religious leaders like Padre Pio and Saint Mother Teresa.

    Stories of this book’s six pontiffs that Franco served under — John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis — offer landmarks along Franco’s trek through the corridors of spiritual power in New York, Washington, D.C., and Rome. It also includes snapshots of his life as a priest, even recounting playing soccer with other priests when studying as a young man in Rome.

    The title of his current role, Advisor at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, gives little hint of the drama of the times he recollects.

    “Monsignor Franco is known as an engaging storyteller of his impactful time in the Church. Read this book and you will see why.” — Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archdiocese of New York

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July
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July