CCR sees Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal - November 17, 2015

Another theatre outing for CCR. Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, or BJM, is an internationally renowned repertory company, originally founded in 1972 by Geneviève Salbaing, Eva Von Gencsy and Eddy Toussaint. On this tour the troupe will be be dazzling audiences with three performances: Mono Lisa, Kosmos, and Harry.

Once again, CCR has secured an excellent price for this event! Priority for CCR members in good standing. 

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 
Time: 9 p.m. 
Where: Teatro Brancaccio Via merulana, 244
Cost: CCR members €27, non-members €30
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Diana by November 15

CCR Walks: Feeding the Empire - September 27, 2015

Join us on a visit to "Feeding the Empire," an exhibition at Ara Pacis Museum (closing on November 15th, 2015). As part of Rome's role in supporting Milan's food-themed EXPO 2015, the Roman show looks at food production, supply and consumption in Rome and Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis, including virtual reconstructions of some of the most recent excavations of the docks at Portus, the satellite port city which eclipsed bustling Ostia and is now being rediscovered. Its themes include the social aspects of food consumption, the gradual changes in production and distribution, and the hard choices facing Emperors towards the end of the Roman Empire to ensure food security for the Roman people.

There will be a related and follow-up walking tour called "The Empire’s Crumbs: feeding what was left of the Empire" on October 18th. 

When: Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015
Time & Meeting point: Rocca Snack Bar on via Tomacelli at 9:45 (for coffee), ready to start off at 10 a.m. sharp. 

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 non members for the guided tour, plus exhibition (only) admission: regular €11, reduced admission of €9 for art students with ID, Rome residents with Carta d'Identità, metrebus (Rome transport pass) and other categories (check Ara Pacis website and here). Please bring exact change, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone. RVSP required by Thursday, Sept. 24th:  ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Season Closing Fête - June 17, 2015

The gorgeous setting of Hotel Palazzo Montemartini will welcome our fabulous fête to close the 2014-2015 season of the Canadian Club of Rome. We will also be honoured by the presence of the Ambassador to Italy, Peter McGovern, and Madame Sharon McGovern, along with the new Ambassador to the Holy See, Dennis Savoie, and Madame Claudette Savoie, at this gala evening.

The five-star Palazzo Montemartini's luxurious spaces, which are both contemporary and classic, surround sections of the ancient Servian Walls. Our delicious buffet, designed by executive chef Simone Strano, will be served in their stylish "Senses" restaurant and lounge. 

Menu:

Nori salmon with salmon roe and green apple foam
Cous-cous with vegetable confetti, almonds and Mediterranean spices
Mini beef burgers with mustard and leafy greens
Mini salmon burgers with cocktail sauce and Belgian endive with orange
Crunchy breaded shrimp lollipops
DOP parmigiano reggiano crisps
Classic panzanella (bread & tomato salad)

Sicilian vegetable caponata
Eggplant Parmigiana
Mini rice balls with saffron, peas and Primo Sale cheese
Mini rice balls with veal ragù and mozzarella
Crêpes with Cantabrian Sea anchovies
“Cacio e pepe” (pecorino romano & pepper) crêpes
Mini focaccia sandwiches with prosciutto crudo and rocket greens
Bread sticks with fennel seed and sesame
Vegetable tempura with sweet & sour sauce
Mini tartares with “Chianina” variety beef, with caper flowers and anchovy filets

Sicilian cannoli with sheep’s milk ricotta and nuts
Mini fruit salad with mint and lemon
Assorted maccarons
Passion fruit mousse and coconut crisp 

Water, white & red wines, prosecco, non-alcoholic cocktail, coffee

When: Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Time: 7:30 p.m. 
Where: Palazzo Montemartini, Largo Giovanni Montemartini 20 
Cost: CCR members €45, guests/non-members €60 (NB: event costs are partially sponsored by the CCR); advanced payment required. 
RSVP & Advance payment completed no later than June 12th 3:00 p.m. to canadarome@gmail.com.
Suggested attire: Best cocktail/elegant informal.
NB: You are financially responsible for your reservation: advanced payment required. Open seating -- no assigned seats except for CCR guests of honour.

Looking Rosy at Zia Rosetta's - May 20, 2015

Off we go, exploring another Roman tradition with a contemporary twist. We're going to have an unusual and informal aperitivo meet-up, checking out Zia Rosetta, a fusion of the classic Roman bun -- the rosetta -- with the latest trends in street food traditions and organic, quality ingredients, at a very cute spot in the historic Monti district. We might also sneak in some artisan ice-cream nearby afterwards!

The ideal way to explore the delicious combinations dreamt up by owner Alessandro Verderosa (he even has a rose in his surname!) is by selecting a number of "mini rosette" along with your beverage of choice. The tiny sandwiches include such mouth-watering combinations as swordfish-guacamole-cherry tomatoes-mint, chicken-green apple-endive-yogurt sauce-chives, and hummus-sundried tomatoes-avocado. Besides classic beverages such as wine by the glass and craft beers, Zia Rosetta also offers the super-healthy (and very cosmopolitan) option of freshly-blended fruit and vegetable juice drinks.

When: Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Where: Via Urbana 54 (near Cavour metro stop)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Mini rosette are €2 to €3 each, drinks and other food choices depending on your choices!
canadarome@gmail.com

CCR Book Club - June 5, 2015

The CCR Book Club's last meeting of the 2014-2015 season will be at a delightful location for an early summer talk and dinner, and the book chosen is both intriguing and thought-provoking. 

British author Chris Cleave's 2008 novel "The Other Hand" (also known as "Little Bee") is, according to the Guardian, "an ambitious and fearless gallop from the jungles of Africa via a shocking encounter on a Nigerian beach to the media offices of London and domesticity in leafy suburbia. Part-thriller, part-multicultural Aga saga, the book enmeshes its characters in the issues of immigration, globalisation, political violence and personal accountability."

When: Friday, June 5, 2015
Time: 7:30 p.m. 
Where: Piazza Cavour area -- exact address sent to confirmed participants by email. 
Potluck Dinner: Please RSVP letting Nicoletta know what dish you will be preparing for 6 people.
Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Nicoletta Barbarito

CCR Walks: A Day at the Baths - May 9, 2015

The month of May brings with it a number of ancient Roman festive days, rituals and ceremonies, now the subject of a special exhibition at the Chiostrino Ludovisi inside the Baths of Diocletian (Terme di Diocleziano, built in 306 AD), which quietly opened in September for the first time in 30 years to reveal the restored “Natatio” (cold bathing pool), and wonderful 3D reconstructions of its original appearance. We will be exploring the baths' different areas as well as the exhibition, and their afterlife as a major Christian Basilica, a Carthusian Monastery, a Papal Granary, a museum and a hospice for blind paupers, and a cinema, amongst others.

Entrance tickets: 7 euro full price. The entrance ticket allows you to visit Palazzo Altemps and Palazzo Massimo and Crypta Balbi within the following three days! 

When: Saturday, May 9, 2015 
Time: 10am. 
Exact meeting point: to be sent to confirmed participants by email 

Cost: €10 for CCR members, €15 non members (maximum 20 participants), plus museum entrance fee. Please bring exact change, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone.
RVSP required by Wednesday, May 6th:  ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation.
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

CCR Book Club - May 21, 2015

The CCR Book club will be reading "My Brilliant Friend" - an Italian novel that has met with unprecedented success in Italy and abroad. The New York Review of Books recently ran a long, enthusiastic article on Elena Ferrante, who has now published several novels.

Ferrante has never been seen or heard in person and refuses to be interviewed; whether the name hides a man or a woman author is also a well-kept secret. Her novels, set in  Naples, deal with the lives of two friends, Elena and Lila, in and against a rough social context. Elena is the narrator. 

Word is that Ferrante's last novel may be one of the books running for the 2015  PREMIO STREGA, the most renowned literary award in Italy.

One of the covers used for "My Brilliant Friend"

When: Thursday, May 21, 2015 

Time: 7:30 p.m. 
Where: Via Aurelia area -- exact address sent to confirmed participants by email. 
Potluck Dinner: Please RSVP letting Nicoletta know what dish you will be preparing for 6 people.
Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Nicoletta Barbarito 
NB: Feltrinelli International sells this novel both in Italian and in English (translated by Anne Goldstein).

Now You're Cooking Under Pressure Again! - April 22, 2015

Ribs rubbing you the right way? Believe it or not, a pressure cooker takes the heat out of cooking barbecue ribs and our latest instalment on the secrets of pressure cooking will prove it. Less cooking time + great taste = more time to socialize and share a few beers with your friends.

This evening's lesson and menu will feature barbecue pork ribs with homemade pressure cooker hot sauce. They will be accompanied by bean salad and lots of cold beer. For a sweet close, we'll have pressure-cooked Apple and Ricotta Cake and pressure-cooked Upside-Down Cake.

What more convincing do you need to believe that a little bid of pressure may be exactly what you need? 

Please bring paper and pens to take notes. Space is limited to 10 participants, so book right away. Current CCR members will have priority. 

When: Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Time: Lesson starts at 7 p.m., meal at 8 p.m. 
Where: CCR member's private residence in the Prati area. Exact address will be sent to confirmed participants.
Cost: CCR members €15, guests €20. Includes meal.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Diana by Friday, April 17. CCR Members have priority booking.

CCR at Rome's Comedy Club - May 29, 2015

We're going to get our fill of belly laughs at the last show of the season for Rome's Comedy Club. Started in 2008 as a small band of English-speaking expats willing to risk face and build a local space for comic performances, the Comedy Club has grown out of various smaller venues and is now hosted at a proper dinner theatre club and attracts stand-up comedians from all over the world, in addition to the faithful local crew.

CCR members and friends will have their own table in prime position to enjoy their last show of the 2014-2015 season. Those who wish can order dinner à la carte, while others may simply have a drink with the show admission.

The line-up for this show will include two visiting comics from the UK:

- Gary Sansome
- Daphna Baram

plus the classics:

- Marsha De Salvatore
- Ryan Costello
- Gabriel Gougsa
- Liz Knight
- Francesco De Carlo

When: Friday, May 29, 2015

Time: We will start gathering from 8:30 on, show starts at 9:30 p.m. and reserved seats not claimed by that time may be reassigned by the venue. Dinner service (à la carte) starts at 8:30.
Where: Teatro Skenè, Via Francesco Carletti 5 (walking distance from Piramide metro stop). 
Cost: €15 for a drink + the show, plus food à la carte for those who wish (dinner service starts at 8:30).
NB: Strong language and explicit content may be used by some comics.
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Anna by Tuesday, May 26th.

Yoga for our CCR Charity - April 15, 2015

A special yoga session will be offered to CCR members and friends by two yoga masters visiting from Canada as part of fund-raising efforts for our charity this year, the Lieutenant Governor's Summer Reading Camps for Aboriginal Children. Shanta and Raj Dubey have been practicing yoga for almost 40 years and teaching for over 30 to people of all ages (children to seniors) and at different levels of health and flexibility (including recovering accident/surgery patients). Shanta also teaches Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese health care approach that incorporates postures, breathing techniques and focused intention. Our session will focus on yoga (breathing and some light moves/stretches), Qi Gong and meditation. Light Indian snacks will be provided by our kind hosts. An informal potluck will follow the lesson for those who wish to stay on.

Space is limited to 10 participants so book right away! 

When: Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Time: Session 6 to 8 p.m.; potluck 8 to 9 p.m.
Where: CCR member's private residence in the Vittorio Emanuele area. Exact address will be sent to confirmed participants. 
Cost: By donation (minimum suggested €10 -- all funds will be donated to this year's charity), includes light snacks during the session; for those staying for the potluck, please bring a sweet or savoury dish. 
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com by Saturday, April 11.

CCR Wine-Tasting: Wines from Veneto - April 25, 2015

From elegance to block-buster! We have a special tasting lined up of wines from the Veneto, located in the north eastern corner of Italy and one of the largest wine-producing regions of the country. We’ll be tasting both whites and reds and, as always, we will share a light dinner and enjoy ‘les fonds de bouteilles’ at the end of the tasting.

Where: Residence of CCR members (Corso Trieste area -- details will be sent to registered participants) When: Saturday April 25, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Cost:  €25 for members (€35 for non-members)
RSVP to Linda and Paul at canadarome@gmail.com. Please note that you are financially responsible for your reservation. 

Each session is given in French and Italian and focuses on a specific theme related to Italian wines.

Daniele Maestri, well-known Italian sommelier and a favorite among CCR members for his knowledgeable and lively presentations, will again lead this lecture and wine-tasting. For those interested in ‘wining and dining’, Daniele is one of the editors of “Bibenda – Vini d’Italia” -- a guide to Italian wines produced by the Italian Sommelier Foundation.

CCR Book Club - April 23, 2015

In April our adventures in reading will lead us to ponder the legal and moral dilemmas of "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake. The New York Times review says the author "has coaxed forth a book that hits hard and pushes buttons expertly... galvanizing social issues in the service of a well-wrought tear-jerker," and that the novel is "crammed with talking points," which is precisely what we love in the CCR Book Club!

When: Thursday, April 23, 2015
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Via Giulia area -- exact address sent to confirmed participants by email.
Potluck Dinner: Please RSVP letting Nicoletta know what dish you will be preparing for 6 people.
Further info & RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Nicoletta Barbarito

CCR Walks with Olivia: Underground at Santa Sabina on the Aventine Hill - March 29, 2015

 NB: Change of  date & time.

The Basilica of Santa Sabina, a beautiful early Christian church on the Aventine, nestles quietly among the orange groves today but was once the scene of Medieval aristocratic struggles for power and first saw the arrival of the Dominican order and the changes this order helped make to urban living in Europe. We will delve under the church to see lesser-known areas not normally open to the public as we chart the area's amazing history.

Special permit. Limited number of participants.

When: Sunday, March 29, 2015
Time: 11 a.m., meeting point at 10:45 a.m.
Meeting point: to be sent to confirmed participants by email
Cost: €15 for CCR members, €20 (maximum 20 participants). Please bring exact change, as this will greatly facilitate the process for everyone. 
RVSP required by Thursday, March 26th:  ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com. You are financially responsible for your reservation. 
NOTE: Please bring correct change, familiarize yourself with the meeting place ahead of time and make sure you are ready to depart promptly.

Fishy Business at the Filettaro - March 18, 2015

Since the 1950s, the "Filettaro" near Santa Barbara Church has been serving delicious Roman-style fried cod. Join us for a take-away  filetto di baccalà followed by a stroll through the sights and sounds of the historic centre. We'll surely find a cup of ice-cream and a drink along the way!

When: Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Where: Largo dei Librari, 88
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: €5 for a very large fried cod filet, other costs depending on your choices!
canadarome@gmail.com

CCR Talk with Olivia: How did the Italian language start? - March 13, 2015

‘SAO KE KELLE TERRE…’  We take a trip back in time and start with the first halting words of a 10th century farmer bearing witness regarding contested lands, and chart the development of a new language, forged by use, but especially by lawyers, notaries, troubadours, poets and powerful, visionary writers such as Dante. No knowledge of Italian is necessary.

Maximum 12 participants. 

When: Friday, March 13, 2015

Time: 7 p.m. lecture begins; slideshow; refreshments during break.

Where: Via Tagliamento area. Exact address will be sent to participants upon confirmation.

Cost: CCR members €10, non-members €15 - plus potluck contribution.

RSVP: by Wednesday, March 11, ATTN Peter at canadarome@gmail.com or Olivia at oliviaercoli1@gmail.com. Please confirm what you will be preparing for the potluck with Peter or Olivia when you reserve.

Death by Chocolate! - March 11, 2015

Here it is! Our much anticipated "Death by Chocolate" event! Let the scent, sight and taste of the divine cocoa bean lull you into a state of bliss.

The airy loft atmosphere of "Fabrica" restaurant will be the venue for our aperitivo embraced by the food of the gods. This historic pastry factory was founded in 1923 by the Calisto family and has more recently been converted into a hip, slightly retro food venue.

Food tasters: 

Mushroom & Sage Tartlets 

Soft Chocolate & Mozia Salt Buns 

Eggplant, Chicken & Cocoa Bundles 

Mini Mud Cakes 

Chocolate & Cinnamon Truffles 

Mini Chocolate-Glazed Banana Cakes 

Mini Chocolate, Pear & Orange Zest Crumbles
Chocolate Ganache & Strawberry Cups

Beverage – choice of one of the following:

Tomka Mule (alcoholic cocktail with ginger & chocolate)
Red Daiquiri (alcoholic cocktail with chocolate & berries)
Dark Bounty (alcoholic cocktail with chocolate & coconut)

Inca Chocolate Tea (black tea with chocolate & spices)

Chocolate-Orange Roibos (roibos tea with chocolate & orange zest)

Chocolate-Ginger Roibos (roibos tea with chocolate & ginger)

When: Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Time: 7 p.m.

Where: Fabrica Industria Dolciaria 1923, Via Girolamo Savonarola 8 (Prati/Andrea Doria area) 
Cost: €10 euro for CCR members, €15 for non-members; includes an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, plus savoury and sweet tasters.

RSVP: to canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Diana by Monday, Mar. 9, 2015. You are financially responsible for your booking.