CCR Wine Tasting: Volcanic Wines of Italy - January 25, 2025

Some of the most exciting wines coming out of Italy have volcanic origins in their soils. A surprising number of great wines, from Veneto down to Sicily, hail from volcanic terroirs. We’ll be tasting volcanic favourites and new surprises.

Where: Residence of CCR members (Monteverde Vecchio area), exact details will be sent to registered participants.

When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025

Time: 6 p.m. 

Cost: €35 for members (€40 for non-members); advance payment required to confirm your place. A light dinner will follow the wine tasting.

RSVP to Linda; payment by Mon., Jan. 20 at canadarome@gmail.com. Please note that you are financially responsible for your reservation.

We are pleased to have Marco Lori, Italian sommelier and wine master, lead one of CCR’s wine tastings. Marco’s sommelier training in 1995 sparked his passion for wine and set in motion years of study. In 2014 he earned the “Italian Sommelier Executive Wine Master” status, recognized by the Worldwide Sommelier Association. He is the founder of “Off the Vine,” a gastro-tourism venture in Italy.

Guest Speaker: Judge Graciela Gatti - January 19, 2025

We're honoured to have Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) at The Hague, give us a talk on her work at "the Mechanism," as it's commonly known. This UN court deals with matters arising from the work of earlier tribunals set up following conflicts in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, including the tracking and prosecution of war crime fugitives.

Before becoming President of the Mechanism, Judge Gatti Santana worked within the Uruguayan judiciary for over 30 years, she has taught at various universities, and, in addition to her native Spanish, she is fluent in English, French and Italian.

Rome's CBC correspondent Megan Williams will moderate our Q&A with Judge Gatti. Book soon, as space is limited.

When: Sunday, January 19, 2025

Time: 5-7 p.m. Doors open at 4:45 p.m., 5:15 presentation begins (no latecomers admitted after 5 p.m.).

Where: Official Residence of Canada's Representative to the Holy See, Via di Porta San Sebastiano (exact address and details will be sent to confirmed participants only).

Cost: Free for current CCR members, €10 for non-members. Light refreshments will be served.

Security: Mandatory registration of all participants. Please note that due to Canadian embassy security requirements, we will need the full name of each person attending at the time of booking and you are required to have photo ID with you on the day of the event. Anyone not on the guest list will be denied admission.

RSVP to canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle by noon Jan. 17th, or until all places booked. Space is limited and CCR members have priority.

CCR Book Club - January 26, 2025

"The Glassmaker" by Tracy Chevalier is the novel chosen for discussion in January. The Guardian review calls it a "time-skipping Venetian tour de force."

When: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025

Time: 1 p.m.

Where: Private residence of CCR member; exact address sent to confirmed participants by email. Open only to current members of the CCR. 

Potluck: Please let Lucy know what you'll be bringing.

Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Lucy. As space is limited, reservation is compulsory.

CCR Book Club - December 15, 2024

The CCR Book Club's Christmastime meeting will be a cozy lunchtime get-together. The group has decided to discuss a Christmas tale, "Brightly Shining" by Ingvild Rishoi (translated by Caroline Waight).  According to the New York Times, this short novel is "an emotionally packed little gem" that includes a "dose of Christmas magic."

When: Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024

Time: 1 p.m.

Where: Private residence of CCR member (Villa Pamphili area); exact address sent to confirmed participants by email. Open only to current members of the CCR. 

Potluck: Please let Lucy know what you'll be bringing.

Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Lucy. As space is limited, reservation is compulsory.

Big Friends, Big Cheer! - December 12, 2024

Here's another chance to clink our glasses to holiday cheer. This informal evening will take place at an eatery called "Big Friends" -- and there's certainly a plan in that name!

When: Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024

Time: 6 p.m.

Where: Big Friends Rome - Eat and Drink, Via Elvia Recina 27 (near Piazza Tuscolo; closest metro stops: San Giovanni and Re di Roma)

Cost: €10 for the aperitivo menu including one drink, a board with cold cuts (2 types) and cheeses (2 types), plus 2 different types of suppli. Vegetarians can also be accommodated. No host; you will pay the venue directly for the menu plus any extras you order.

RSVP to canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle to join our table by 10 Dec., 2024.

Santa's Dinner Party - December 2, 2024

This year, besides our delicious seafood feast, we're having a "Secret Santa" gift exchange, to welcome the holiday season! Each person is asked to bring a wrapped gift with a maximum value of €15. Santa and his elves will then hand out all the gifts to those who have been good boys and girls this year. But Santa has ditched his old lists and now operates on a random distribution system, so who knows what you'll get! Once you've opened it, you'll be free to exchange it with another party-goer who may be more interested your gift than theirs.

Festive attire is very welcome.

Appetizers

Oysters, scampi and shrimp 

Truffle-scented salmon

Salmon marinated in orange

Seared tuna with balsamic vinegar and soya sauce

Sea bream (spigola) carpaccio

Mussels sautéed with tomatoes

Fried baby octopus

Gateau of Sardinian crisp bread (Pane Carasau), pecorino (sheep) cheese and swordfish

Pasta dishes

Paccheri tube pasta with kingfish (ricciola) and Pachino cherry tomatoes

Creamy risotto with zucchini flowers and shrimp

Mains

Baked sea bass (branzino) with potatoes en croûte

Grilled scampi and prawns

Raw vegetables with Italian oil dip (Pinzimonio)

Sweet endings

Sorbet

Tiramisù 

Traditional Italian Sweet Loaf (Panettone) and bubbly

White wine: Sardinian Vermentino

Water, coffee, digestives

A special menu may be prepared for people who cannot eat fish or seafood, but this and any other dietary restrictions must be communicated in advance to the CCR.

When: Monday, Dec. 2, 2024

Where: Ristorante Eleonora D’Arborea, Corso Trieste 23.

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Cost: CCR members €50; non-members €60.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com with the names of members of your party by email and proof of payment no later than 12 noon Nov. 29, 2024, or whenever the maximum number is reached. Please note that those arriving without reservations will not be accommodated.

NB: Payment must be made in advance and will not be refunded for no-shows or late cancellations. Please inform us of any dietary requirements upon reservation and no later than Nov. 29th.

Each participant is asked to bring a wrapped but unlabeled gift (max. value €15) for our gift exchange. 

Parking: Garage entrance at 29 Corso Trieste (before 8 p.m.) – 207/A Via Alessandria (after 8 p.m.).