500 Years Later: Who was Giovanni da Verrazzano? Monday, April 15, 2024, 7 to 8 pm in The Galleria Light refreshments will be served. Get ready for the 500^th anniversary of Giovanni da Verrazzano’s exploration of New York Harbor with an immersive journey through time to commemorate the life and enduring legacy of this legendary explorer. Join us as we delve into Verrazzano’s remarkable adventures and his pivotal role in shaping transatlantic history. From his vision of a western trade route to his encounters with indigenous people, Verrazzano's exploits continue to resonate five centuries later. Don't miss this opportunity to explore the rich tapestry of Italian history and celebrate the enduring spirit of exploration and discovery, here at Casa Belvedere with its stunning view of the Verrazzano Bridge.

La Dolce Lettura Book Club at Casa Belvedere Wednesday, May 1 from 7 to 9 pm in The Galleria

Introducing Casa Belvedere’s new “Sweet Reading” book club! The first book will be “Loyalty” by Lisa Scottoline. Read the book and gather for a discussion led by AnnMarie Cicero (biography below). “Loyalty” is available at New York Public Library, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and other retailers. Light refreshments to be served. Drinks and concessions will be available for purchase. About the book “Loyalty” Best-selling author Lisa Scottoline delivers Loyalty, an emotional, action-packed epic of love and justice, set during the rise of the Mafia in Sicily. Loyalty can save a soul or destroy one. Franco Fiorvanti is a handsome lemon grower toiling on the estate of a baron. He dreams of owning his own grove, but the rigid class system of Sicily thwarts his ambition. Determined to secure a better future, Franco will do anything to prove his loyalty to the baron. But when the baron asks him to kidnap a little boy named Dante, Franco makes a decision that will change his life and the history of Sicily forever. Gaetano Catalano is an idealistic young lawyer whose devotion to justice is tantamount to a calling. He’s a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of aristocrats who investigate crime in Palermo, a city riddled with graft. Gaetano sets out to find the boy and punish the kidnapper, but his mission leads him to a darker place than he had ever imagined. Meanwhile, Mafalda Pancari is a new mother rejoicing at the birth of her daughter Lucia, when disaster strikes. And Alfredo D’Antonio is a goatherd living as a hermit, under constant threat of being discovered as a Jew. This cast of unforgettable characters collides in this epic tale of good versus evil, as Loyalty twists and turns to its monumental showdown. Readers will be transported to the dramatic and ruggedly beautiful island of Sicily, the jewel of the Mediterranean, where lush lemon groves and mouth-watering cuisine contrast with a turbulent history of colonization and corruption. Scottoline brings her decades of thriller writing to historical fiction, creating in Loyalty a singular novel that no reader will be able to put down.