Island Dream Aperitivo - June 20, 2025

Let's clink glasses and taste the tropics as we imagine ourselves at a Balinese beach bar! This evening there will also be a traditional dance performance.

When: Friday, June 20, 2025

Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: Bali Bar, Via del Mattonato 29 (Trastevere)

Cost: €15 for a glass of prosecco or of red or white wine plus a mixed appetizer plate. No host: you will pay the restaurant directly for the menu plus any extras you order.

RSVP to canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle by 18 June, 2025.

CCR Book Club - June 19, 2025

At the June meeting, the CCR Book Club is going to discuss "The Safekeep" by Yael van der Woudent over an early evening aperitivo potluck. The Guardian review says "an outsider shatters the quiet domestic life of a lonely young woman in this thrilling debut set in post Nazi-era Netherlands."

When: Thursday, June 19, 2025

Time: 6:30 p.m.

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

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

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

Summer Garden Reception - May 28, 2025

As the club season approaches the summer, we'll be returning to the beautiful garden of the Official Residence of Canada's Ambassador to the Holy See, Joyce Napier, for a lovely evening reception.

Menu -- waiter service

Cones of fried vegetables

Assorted canapés

Potato, provola cheese and speck bites

Mini meatballs with honey and walnuts

Savoury pastry boats with gratin vegetables 

Vegetarian couscous

Smoked salmon pockets

Assorted brochettes

Fresh fruit skewers

Dessert cups

Prosecco, red and wine wines

Juices, water, tea and coffee

When: Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Where: The Official Residence of Canada's Ambassador to the Holy See, Via di Porta San Sebastiano. Exact address and advice on parking will be sent to confirmed participants.

Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

Price: €50 for current CCR members, €60 non-members

N.B. This event is open to guests only if accompanied by fully paid and registered CCR members.

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

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle by May 20th, 2025

Barberini Drinks - June 12, 2025

Let’s raise a glass to summer on Cinema Barberini's fashionable rooftop. This multi-level venue will give you a unique perspective on Via Veneto and Piazza Barberini while you sip one of their signature drinks accompanied by sophisticated finger food.

When: Thursday, June 12, 2025
Time: 6:30-8:30p.m.
Where: Terrazza Barberini, Piazza Barberini, 24-25-26.
Cost: No-host, i.e. you will be responsible for your own order. But please confirm your attendance so we save you a spot.

RSVP: by the 9th of June to canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marina.

CCR Book Club - May 27, 2025

"Black River" by Nilanjana Roy has been chosen as the CCR Book Club's May book. Both a "riveting murder mystery" and an "elegy for India," this novel touches on issues of politics, class, religion, friendship, grief and revenge.

When: Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Time: 6 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 finger food you'll be bringing.

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

CCR Book Club - April 28, 2025

The next book club meeting will take place at the aperitivo hour! The group is going to discuss "This Strange Eventful History" by Claire Messud.

When: Monday, Apr. 28, 2025

Time: 6 p.m.

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

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

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

Now You're Cooking Lebanese! - May 9, 2025

We will have the pleasure of hosting a Lebanese cooking demonstration by CCR member Laura Attar! Laura will prepare typical dishes from her husband’s country, like riz a jej (rice with chicken), fattoush (mixed salad), hummus (chick pea spread), and other surprises!

The cooking demonstration will be followed by dinner. Our cooking events are always popular and space is limited, so book soon. Once your spot is confirmed, payment will be required in advance.

When: Friday, May 9, 2025

Time: Cooking will start at 6 p.m., followed by dinner around 8 p.m.

Where: CCR member's private residence, Quartiere Trieste area; exact address sent to confirmed participants by email.

Cost: CCR members €30, non-members €35, including meal, wine and other beverages. Once your booking is confirmed, your payment will be required in advance (no cash at event).

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

NB: Book early, as space is limited. Current CCR members have priority.

CCR Wine Tasting: The Story of Chianti Classico - March 8, 2025

Did you know that the name ‘Chianti’ referring to the wine dates back to at least 1398? Or that in 1716, Tuscan grand duke Cosimo III officially defined the Chianti wine area which, with a few changes, continues to exist to this day? In 2024, the Chianti Classico wine consortium, an organization which helps to protect and promote the quality of chianti wine, celebrated its hundredth year.

At our upcoming Chianti Classico wine tasting, the history and diversity of Chianti Classico wine region will be explored. We will also delve into the grape varieties and terroir that are so important to the region. After a short ‘lesson’ there will be a tasting of 5 Chianti Classico wines. Top Chianti producers will be showcased, with wines from each of the 5 different Chianti subregions.

Where: Residence of CCR members – Villa Patrizi area (exact details will be sent to registered participants).

When: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Time: 7 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 Monday 3rd at canadarome@gmail.com. Please note that you are financially responsible for your reservation.

Gilberto Gangarossa will be guiding the event. A licensed FIS sommelier since 2014, Gilberto has focused his wine knowledge with additional Master Class qualifications in several French and Italian wine regions, including Chianti Classico. He makes frequent trips to the Chianti region and has connections with several of the top producers in the area.

CCR Book Club - February 23, 2025

The CCR Book Club's February book choice is "Baumgartner" by Paul Auster. The celebrated novelist's 2023 creation features, according to the Guardian review, a sort of alter-ego reflecting "on the mind-body problem" of ageing and loss.

When: Sunday, Feb. 23, 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.

Now You're Cooking Seafood! - March 3, 2025

Full/wait list.

Love fish and seafood and want some tips on cooking it at home? Join us for a day by the seaside in Anzio, where our chefs Francesco and Manuele will demonstrate three different dishes that we’ll then enjoy at lunch, accompanied by local wine.

When: Monday, Mar. 3, 2025

Time: 11 a.m.

Where: Ristorante La Vela Latina, Via Ardeatina 64, Anzio Colonia

Cost: €35, demonstration and meal included. Advance payment required.

NB: Limited space, so book early.

Transportation: by train on the Rome-Nettuno line, leaving Termini at 9:42, cost €3.60.

RSVP & Payment: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guided Tour & Rehearsal at the Opera - February 26, 2025

Full/Wait list started.

Join us for a unique experience at Rome's opera theatre. This journey will take us to the most beautiful rooms, including the entrance foyer, stalls, the royal box, the gallery and the museum room. Our English-speaking guide will illustrate the historical and architectural changes since 1880 and narrate curious anecdotes about the leading figures and artists who have graced the stage of the opera house.

Rome's Teatro dell’Opera is celebrating the 125th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca, which premiered here in 1900. You may not get tickets to this sold-out opera starring Anna Netrebko as Tosca, but we'll have the immense pleasure of watching 30-45 minutes of the rehearsal after the guided tour. The rehearsal “all’italiana“ will be without the set but with full orchestra and possibly with costumes.

After this feast of sounds and beauty, those who wish can digest it all over an aperitivo in a restaurant nearby. 

When: Wed., Feb. 26, 2025

Time: tour starts at 3:30 p.m. for about 1 hour; rehearsal at 5 p.m. 

Where: Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 

Cost: €25 for the guided tour and rehearsal. Advance payment required.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marina by Feb. 24.

NB: Space is limited, so book and pay soon!

CCR Talks: Jubilee Levity - February 2, 2025

“The one where the cardinal’s mule goes crazy!” The first of our "CCR Talks" this year will be a humorous introduction to the 2025 Jubilee. Yes, the new Holy Year is now upon us and to help us be patient as we negotiate the roadblocks and the crowds, Olivia will outline the main features of a holy year, why this one is a jubilee, and the origins and meanings of the terms.

We will have some refreshments at a potluck Sunday brunch while embarking on a (hopefully humorous) historical overview of the monumental achievements and artistic events we owe to past holy years, but we will also hear about the many mishaps and contretemps of all kinds which pilgrims and Romans had to put up with during the last 700 years.

When: Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025

Time: 11 a.m.

Where: Trieste neighbourhood. Confirmed participants will be informed by email of the exact meeting point.  

Cost: €10 for members and €15 for non-members.

NB: Attendance limited to 14 people due to space limitations. CCR members have priority.

Potluck: Contributions welcome of wine/prosecco and snacks to nibble on at the beginning; salad and dessert will also be welcome.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Peter by Jan. 30. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

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.).

CCR Book Club - November 21, 2024

The novel chosen for discussion in November is "Horse" by Geraldine Brooks.

The narrative moves between the perspective of a biracial British son of diplomats who is a grad student in the U.S. studying "the equestrian art of the antebellum south" and the life of the enslaved stableman and racehorse depicted in a painting 160 years before. As both the Guardian review and that of the Atlantic point out, the fact the novel is written by a white Australian-American woman is both a bold and controversial undertaking. "Brooks signals that she enters her latest project knowingly. A gauntlet has been thrown, and she will take it up."

When: Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024

Time: 6 p.m.

Where: Private residence of CCR member (San Paolo-Marconi 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.

CCR Wine Tasting: ‘Heroic Wines’ of Italy - November 16, 2024

N.B. Full/waiting list.

Heroic wines are wines grown in vineyards where the conditions for wine making are extremely difficult. These vineyards are located at high altitudes, on steep slopes, on very small islands -- places requiring complex work where mechanization is almost impossible. Producing wine from these terroirs is truly a heroic act and, at the same time, they safeguard the heritage of these ancestral vineyards and terroirs.

Where: Residence of CCR members – Villa Patrizi area (exact details will be sent to registered participants).

When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024

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 Monday, Nov. 11th 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.