Outing to Villa d'Este in Tivoli - September 19, 2026

Our first trip out of town this season will be to Tivoli's gorgeous Villa d'Este. This 16th-century Renaissance palace and its terraced gardens are set on a stunning hillside, with hundreds of gravity-fed fountains and brilliant masterworks of historic hydraulic engineering. Our English-speaking guide will provide unique insights.

After the visit, we'll have lunch at Terrazza Gregoriana, with its panoramic view. The fixed menu includes antipasto, first course, salad, water, wine and coffee. Any dietary restrictions must be communicated ahead of time.

We are grateful to the Conversi family for their assistance in organizing this excursion!

When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026

Timing & transportation: meet at Ponte Mammolo station (metro B) at 9 a.m. The Cotral bus to Tivoli is a 48-minute trip (cost €4.50 return). Our guide will meet us at Tivoli's Piazza Garibaldi stop. From there it's is a short walk to the Villa (2 min.) and then to the restaurant (10 min.). Stairs and ramps between the Villa and its gardens. Return time will be around 3:30-4 p.m., as there are regular buses from Tivoli to Rome. Further details will be provided to participants upon reservation. 

Cost: €55 for CCR member, €60 for non-members, including admission, guide and lunch! Transportation and other purchase not included. Advance payment required.

RSVP and payment: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle by Sept. 14.

CCR Season Formal Opening - September 24, 2026

Our formal reception for the 2026-2027 club season is going to take place along the garden portico of the historic Hotel Quirinale. Get together with old friends and new to catch up and learn about our plans for the new season.

Due to venue requirements, the final guest list must be decided by the 14th of September and later bookings cannot be accepted, so be sure to book your spot as soon as possible!

Drinks

Prosecco

Wines: Chardonnay & Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Cantina Colle Cavalieri

Various fruit juices

Still & sparkling water

Apericena menu

Olive ascolane (meat-stuffed olives)

Batter-fried vegetables

Mini supplì (Roman-style rice balls)

Arancini (Sicilian-style rice balls)

Potato croquettes

Pizzette (mini pizzas)

Coldcuts from the Lazio Region with warm rosemary focaccia

Braided bufala mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and basil

Selection of cheeses paired with various types of jam and compote

Puglia-style focaccia & Roman-style crispy pizza stuffed with mortadella & bufala stracciatella

Quiche

Lasagna alla Bolognese

Curry meatballs

Mini pastries

Freshly sliced fruit

When: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026

Time: 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Where: The gardens of the Hotel Quirinale, Via Nazionale 7.

Cost: current CCR members €40, guests €55. Advance payment required for admission.

RSVP and payment to canadarome@gmail.com by noon Sept. 14th (attach proof of payment). You are financially responsible for your reservation.

NB Due to venue requirements, the guest list must be decided by Sept. 14th and later bookings cannot be accepted. This is also the deadline to inform the venue of any dietary requirements.

CCR's 2026-2027 Charity: Kids Help Phone

The Canadian Club of Rome will be supporting Kids Help Phone with charity contributions in the new season. Throughout the 2026-2027 club season we will link various events to fundraising efforts.

Kids Help Phone is a Canadian organization that provides the only national 24/7 multilingual support service for youth struggling with mental health crises. Every year, one in five people in Canada will experience mental health challenges or a mental disorder, with the five most common issues being related to anxiety, relationships, depression, suicide, and isolation. In 2024 Kids Help Phone supported 4.3 million people, connecting with youth through its website, counselling, texting, and peer-to-peer services. It also offers programming for post-secondary students and adults.

Charity Intelligence Canada (CIC) has given it a 4-star rating, with 70% of money donated (after overhead costs and management) going to programmes.

CCR Book Club - September 22, 2026

The first meeting of the 2026-27 season will discuss "What We Can Know" by Ian McEwan. Globo describes the novel as "a masterpiece, a fictional tour de force that reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe, and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost."

When: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026
Time: 6 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 food you'll be bringing.
Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Lucy. As space is limited, reservation is compulsory.

CCR Book Club - June 18, 2026

The last novel to be discussed in the 2025-2026 club season is "Pick a Colour" by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Bloomsbury says that this novel, "told over a single day with razor-sharp precision and wit... confirms Souvankham Thammavongsa's place as literature's premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms." 

When: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Where: Private residence of CCR member (Piazza Cavour area). Exact address sent to confirmed participants by email. Open only to current members of the CCR. 
Potluck: Please let Lucy know what food you'll be bringing.
Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Lucy. As space is limited, reservation is compulsory.

Book Launch and Author Meeting - May 26, 2006

We are pleased to present a very special literary event. Join us for the Rome launch of "La Poesia di Carol Shields," a bilingual English/Italian collection of the poetry of the award-winning, late Canadian writer Carol Shields. Translated and curated by Nella Cotrupi, the collection brings a major Canadian voice to Italy. “These translations are a bridge between an extraordinary writer and a linguistic community that has not yet had full access to her most distilled voice.” The collection is published by I Quaderni del Bardo Edizioni di Stefano Donno.

Also presenting at the same event will be the Canadian-Italian writer Genni Gunn, who will discuss her latest book "The Cipher," a historical novel of secrets and lies, spies and lovers, which takes place during the Second World War.

Speakers will include the author/editor Nella Cotrupi, writer Genni Gunn, and publisher Stefano Donno.

When: Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Private residence (Corso Trieste area). Exact details will be sent to registered participants.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com