Casual Closing Cheer & Chow! - June 17, 2021

What an unprecedented year and club season we've had. Though we're happy we're starting to see light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, we still can't pull off one of our traditional season closing parties just yet. But we don't want to pass up the chance for an end-of-season Salute! toast before the summer break.

In keeping with this exceptional year, we're going to meet informally at a spot in an iconic location that never used to be frequented by Roman residents. On the spectacular and super-spacious Piazza Navona, in 2020 a new generation transformed "Camillo" from being one of the typical tourist traps plaguing the square into a casual but quality eatery catering to locals. It features normal drink prices and small plates combining local Roman fare and international fusion elements, as well as an art installation.

Keeping this send-off casual and respecting current risk reduction measures, we'd like to invite each individual or party to book their own table (all seating is outdoors, under umbrellas or not, right on Piazza Navona). If you're still uncomfortable with sitting down for drinks and snacks with others but would like to say hello, we'd encourage you to simply take an early evening stroll in the historic centre and wave or say hello to others from the abundant space of the square. Nothing is stopping us from getting up from the table to safely exchange greetings.

When: Thursday, June 17, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. on

Where: Camillo a Piazza Navona dal 1890, Piazza Navona 80

Cost: soft drinks €3, cocktails, wine and beers €4-10; bar snacks €3-6, shareables/small plates/sandwiches €5-9, veggies & salads €6-12, sweets €5-7. No host; everyone will be responsible for their personal bill.

Reservations optional: Book a table if you'd like, at +39 06 565 8161 (also WhatsApp). Or look for the "usual suspects" if you're just passing by!

CCR Book Club - June 24, 2021

For the last meeting of the club season, the CCR Book Club has chosen "Red Island House" by Andrea Lee.

This is the story of a Black American woman and her Italian businessman husband at their vacation home in Madagascar, which the Chicago Review of Books calls "part novel, part collection, part epic. Lee shows us a new setting, its natural beauty and stark class divisions, and its rich culture and settler exploitation."  

When: Thursday June 24, 2021
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: by Zoom
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Luigi.

CCR Walks: Parco degli Acquedotti - June 12, 2021

People who come to Rome hear a lot about the aqueducts but don't get to see them much. This is your chance! The Roman aqueducts still stride across the Roman Campagna, and their story comes to life in a little-known, wedge-shaped park ensconced between the Via Appia Nuova and the Via Tuscolana. Once a no-man's land dotted with abandoned stolen cars and dubious activities of all kinds, it is now an attractive park, a paradise for jogging, cycling, and enjoying the landscape. Come join us as we explore its rather interesting history!

When: Saturday, June 12th

Time: 10:00 (09:45 if you would like to meet for coffee before the walk starts)

Meeting Place: Confirmed participants will be informed by email.  

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

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Wednesday, June 9, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

CCR Book Club - May 27, 2021

In May the CCR Book Club will be discussing "The Dictionary of Lost Words" by Pip Williams (Australian). This book is an amalgam of truth and historical fiction. Esme, a young girl, is witness to the writing of the first Oxford English Dictionary. She notices that many words are discarded and clandestinely starts a collection of those lost words. As  The Guardian states, “when the word falls off a table in the Scriptorium….(Esme) pockets it. Then she starts collecting more words that the editors exclude or lose. Eventually, she includes these and others heard on the streets (knackered, latchkeyed, … and dollymop) in her own manuscript, Women’s Words and their Meanings.” 

When: Thursday May 27, 2021

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: by Zoom

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Luigi.

CCR Online Wine Class: The Many Faces of Aglianico - May 15, 2021

Our sommelier Cynthia Chaplin has put together a special series of online wine classes. This is an exceptional opportunity to discover, enjoy and learn about Italian wine and culture from the comfort of our own homes. There will be something new for both novices and for those familiar with Italian wines. We’ll let Cynthia know in advance who is joining so that she can best meet the needs of the participants.

 

Each class will cover a specific theme and include a bit of history, information about grape varietals, soil, climate, location, and how all those elements affect the final result in the glass. And then we will taste a wine (or two) based on the theme presented. Prior to the class, Cynthia will recommend a selection of wines, allowing participants to purchase whichever ones they wish to taste. She will suggest the type of wine and the region it is from.

The Fifth Class – The Many Faces of Aglianico

 

We’ll deep dive into a single grape and discover how one grape can vary from place to place, how it expresses each location differently and why. How does the hand of man change the outcome and personality of various wines made with the same grape? Explore the variety of wine styles the Aglianico grape can produce and learn about the aging potential and prices points across the range. We'll uncover the history and movement of this grape, as well as how styles have changed from early wine making days to the present.

When: Saturday, May 15, 2021

Time: 6-7:30p.m.

Where: on Zoom

Cost: €10 for members, €12 for non-members; advance payment required to confirm your place. 

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Linda by Wed. May 12, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation. Book soon, as the number of participants is limited for this interactive class.

 

Cynthia Chaplin, professional sommelier, editor and writer for Infowine.com, member of Le Donne del Vino and professor of Italian wine and culture will give the classes. In Rome she works with embassies, corporations and private clients, creating and presenting tastings, events, seminars, and in-depth courses. Cynthia is a wine writer and a judge at international wine competitions.

CCR Talks: Let's discover German art - May 4, 2021

This year marks the 150th anniversary of German Unification. Let's take the opportunity to look at Germany's amazing history through its artists, their relationship to political power, and their unique contributions to Europe's vibrant artistic legacy in the 20th century.

Die Internationale by Otto Griebel, 1928

When: Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Time:  18:00 (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Where: on Zoom

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

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, May 1, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

Guest Speaker: Alex Himelfarb on the long-term effects of COVID-19 - May 18, 2021

Former Canadian Ambassador to Italy, Alexander Himelfarb, will talk to the CCR about the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-19 on social disparities and behaviour, climate changes and the world economy.

In addition to his term as ambassador, Alex Himelfarb's stellar career as a Canadian civil servant and academic has included nine years as a professor of sociology at the University of New Brunswick, authoring numerous articles and books, four years as Clerk of the Privy Council, three years as the deputy minister of Canadian Heritage, and five years as director of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs at York University. He was one of the founders of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness and has been on the boards of a number of federal committees and NGOs.

When: Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. Rome time 

Where: on Zoom.

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

CCR Book Club - April 27, 2021

The reading group's choice for April is "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig. In this novel, Nora Seed, 35 years old, loses both her job and her cat. Depressed, she follows the wise counsel of a librarian who recommends books that open different doorways to alternate lives. The plot is reminiscent of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” in which the main character sees an alternate reality in response to the question “what if…?” The New York Times states: “The narrative throughout has a slightly old-fashioned feel, like a bedtime story. It’s an absorbing but comfortable read, imaginative in the details if familiar in its outline. The invention of the library as the machinery through which different lives can be accessed is sure to please readers and has the advantage of being both magical and factual.”

When: Tuesday April 27, 2021

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: by Zoom

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Luigi.

CCR Online Wine Classes: Sicily Past and Present - April 17, 2021

Our sommelier Cynthia Chaplin has put together a special series of online wine classes. This is an exceptional opportunity to discover, enjoy and learn about Italian wine and culture from the comfort of our own homes. There will be something new for both novices and for those familiar with Italian wines. We’ll let Cynthia know in advance who is joining so that she can best meet the needs of the participants.

 

Each class will cover a specific theme and include a bit of history, information about grape varietals, soil, climate, location, and how all those elements affect the final result in the glass. And then we will taste a wine (or two) based on the theme presented. Prior to the class, Cynthia will recommend a selection of wines, allowing participants to purchase whichever ones they wish to taste. She will suggest the type of wine and the region it is from.

The Fourth class – Sicily Past and Present

The emergence of this region as a true cutting edge leader of Italian excellence for the future and its success in the fight against the challenges of climate change. A bit of history, a look at the most important grapes, the newest trends and successes, wines to watch over the next few years, producers who are movers and shakers. 

 

When: Saturday, April 17, 2021

Time: 6-7:30p.m.

Where: on Zoom

Cost: €10 for members, €12 for non-members; advance payment required to confirm your place. 

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Linda by Wed., Apr. 15, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation. Book soon, as the number of participants is limited for this interactive class.

 

Cynthia Chaplin, professional sommelier, editor and writer for Infowine.com, member of Le Donne del Vino and professor of Italian wine and culture will give the classes. In Rome she works with embassies, corporations and private clients, creating and presenting tastings, events, seminars, and in-depth courses. Cynthia is a wine writer and a judge at international wine competitions.

The classes will be given in English.

CCR Talks: Let's go to... Istanbul (not Constantinople)! - April 13, 2021

The last of the Emperors died on the ramparts of Constantinople in May 1453. Under the Sultans of the Ottoman Turkish dynasties who followed them, the city evolved once again. Let's follow the footsteps of some of the visitors and writers whose accounts help bring the city back to life, as we take a look at modern Istanbul, and the way its history has shaped its amazing skyline.

When: Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Meeting Place: on Zoom

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

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Sat., Apr. 10, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

Guest Speaker: Q&A with Piano Star Angela Hewitt - April 19, 2021

One of the most famous classical pianists in the world and recipient of numerous honours, including the Order of Canada (CC) and Order of the British Empire (OBE), Angela Hewitt is a fellow Canadian with deep connections to Italy. In addition to having performed and recorded for over 40 years throughout Italy, she is the artistic director of the Trasimeno Music Festival, which she founded in 2005. Her very deep attachment to Fazioli grand pianos, crafted in northeastern Italy, was also demonstrated in a series of tumultuous events and emotions during the first year of the pandemic (read The Guardian's account here).

The Q&A session will be moderated over Zoom by Rome-based Canadian foreign correspondent Megan Williams. Please send your questions in advance so that Megan can streamline the organization of this interview with Maestra Hewitt. 

When: Monday, April 19, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. Rome time

Where: on Zoom.

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle; please submit your questions for Angela Hewitt by Apr. 16th at the latest.

Guest Speaker: An Insider’s View on Raphael’s Transfiguration - April 6, 2021

Achim Gnann has spent years studying Raphael's drawings, both as a university professor and as curator of Italian drawings at the Albertina Museum in Vienna. He has pieced together how the artist created his masterpieces, often under intense pressure to work fast, coordinate a large workshop and ensure the highest quality work. In this online lecture from Vienna, he will use Raphael's preliminary drawings to illustrate how Raphael's celebrated last, great altarpiece, "The Transfiguration," now hanging in the Vatican, reveals how Raphael's mind provided and discarded solutions, and finally reached the layout we see today, only to be thwarted by sudden, unexpected death in April, 1520.

When: Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. Rome time 

Where: on Zoom.

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guest Speaker: Megan Williams on the Ndrangheta - March 30, 2021

Picture this: a trial with more than 300 suspects, 900 witnesses and a thousand or so lawyers, judges and others. Even with many appearing via video due to COVID-19, the Calabrian town of Lamezia Terme had to transform a vast call centre into a courtroom with long cages. Almost all of the defendants were arrested in late 2019, the peak of a three-year investigation into Italy’s most powerful organized crime network, the Calabrian Ndrangheta. Rome correspondent Megan Williams will take us into the dark heart of the Ndrangheta, explaining its roots, its rules and its role, not only in the economy of Italy, but in that of the world.

When: Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Time: 6 p.m. Rome time 

Where: on Zoom.

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Megan Williams is a Rome-based Canadian foreign correspondent and writer who has been covering Italy, Europe and the world for more than 20 years, mostly for the CBC. She has won numerous prizes for her reporting and radio documentaries, including a James Beard Award, and is the author of the story collection "Saving Rome," now being turned into an audio book.

CCR Book Club - March 24, 2021

The next online meeting of the CCR Book Club will  discuss "The Friend" by Sigrid Nunez (American, Winner of the National Book Award 2018).

This is a marvelous book about friendship, love, grief, healing and the magical bond between a woman (formerly a cat woman) and a dog. Set in New York, this novel relates the story of a woman who unexpectedly loses her friend and mentor and finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own suffering is intensified by the mute suffering of the Great Dane, traumatized by the inexplicable loss of his master.

When: Wednesday March 24, 2021

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: by Zoom

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Luigi.

CCR Online Wine Classes: Wine and Women - March 13, 2021

Our sommelier Cynthia Chaplin has put together a special series of online wine classes.  This is an exceptional opportunity to discover, enjoy and learn about Italian wine and culture from the comfort of our own homes. There will be something new for both novices and for those familiar with Italian wines. We’ll let Cynthia know in advance who is joining so that she can best meet the needs of the participants.

 

Each class will cover a specific theme and include a bit of history, information about grape varietals, soil, climate, location, and how all those elements affect the final result in the glass. And then we will taste a wine (or two) based on the theme presented. Prior to the class, Cynthia will recommend a selection of wines, allowing participants to purchase whichever ones they wish to taste. She will suggest the type of wine and the region it is from. 

The Third class – Wine and Women

International Women’s Day is celebrated in March and we will mark the day with a ‘wine celebration’ showcasing women wine producers in Italy. More and more women are joining the ranks of a new generation of innovative Italian wine makers. And although still in a minority, women are taking over the business of some of Italy’s top vineyards.

When: Saturday, March 13, 2021

Time: 6-7:30p.m.

Where: Your Place! Online meeting platform: Zoom.

Cost: €10 for members, €12 for non-members; advance payment required to confirm your place. 

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Linda by Wed, Mar. 10, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation. Book soon, as the number of participants is limited for this interactive class.

 

Cynthia Chaplin, professional sommelier, member of Le Donne del Vino and professor of Italian wine and culture will give the classes. In Rome she works with embassies, corporations and private clients, creating and presenting tastings, events, seminars, and in-depth courses. Cynthia is a wine writer and a judge at international wine competitions.

 

The classes will be given in English.

Guest Speaker: Toronto Artist Carlina Chen - February 11, 2021

February 11, 2021 is Lunar New Year’s Eve. It is one of the most important dates in the lunar calendar. Tonight families around the world will gather to celebrate the last day of the Year of the Mouse and welcome the arrival of the Ox!

 
To join in the festivities, we’ll celebrate it with Carlina Chen, an artist and staff member at the OCAD University in Toronto. Born in Taiwan, Carlina came to Canada to study art and decided to stay. Carlina has curated exhibits and her art has been shown in a multitude of exhibits in Canada and Taiwan. Her dual cultural experience has enriched her work
 
Carlina will talk to us about the significance of the Lunar New Year, and she’ll speak about her personal experiences celebrating it in Taiwan and Canada. She'll highlight some of the current practices and traditions in Asian countries as well as local practices in Toronto’s Chinatown.
 
When: Thursday, February 11, 2021
Time: 6 to 7:00 p.m. Rome time 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote interactive talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

CCR Talks: Let's go to... Constantinople! - March 16, 2021

This month our CCR Lecture will visit a city which started out as a flourishing Eastern Greek colony, Byzantium. After it was refounded by Constantine in 324, the city came to see itself as the sole, real capital of the Roman world. A flourishing, cosmopolitan city, with a stunning heritage, the glory of Constantinople lives on today in a multitude of ways. Into the city we shall wander and an imaginary walk through its streets awaits!

When: Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Time: 18:00 (lecture duration is approx. 75 minutes)

Meeting Place: Your Place!!

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

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Joe by Saturday, March 13, 2021. You are financially responsible for your reservation.

Guest Speaker: Opera Star Roberto Frontali - March 5, 2021

Roberto Frontali and Susanna Branchini in Verdi's Macbeth

We're thrilled to have another outstanding speaker -- this time from the world of opera and belcanto. Roberto Frontali, who is considered one of the greatest baritone voices of our time, has performed in the most important theatres of the world, including the Royal Opera House, the Met, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, La Fenice, and the Wiener Staatsoper, among many others. He performed the role of Montfort in French for "Les vêpres siciliennes" at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera in 2019. One of his current projects is a live stream of "La Traviata" in February 2021.

He will tell us about important moments and fascinating anecdotes along his career path, as well as the impact COVID-19 has had on his work and that of his colleagues. The opera world, like many other cultural fields, attempted to provide comfort and beauty for everyone during the initial lockdown in 2020 and has sought to be resilient in the months that have followed. 

In Italian and English.

When: Friday, March 5, 2021

Time: 6 to 7 p.m. Rome time 

Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote interactive talk on Zoom.

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

CCR Book Club - February 24, 2021

For their February discussion, the CCR Book Club has chosen "Resto qui" ("I’m Staying Here") by Marco Balzano (Italy, shortlisted for the 2018 Strega, translated into English in 2020). This is a wonderfully told story about a town in northern Italy that was turned into a  hydro dam and the fight by the town’s citizens to keep it from happening. The time period covers Mussolini, WWII and the aftermath.

When: Wednesday February 24, 2021

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: by Zoom

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Luigi.

Guest Speaker: Baker Entrepreneur Giselle Courteau - February 18, 2021

Co-owner of the hugely popular Duchess Bake Shop and Duchess Atelier in Edmonton, Canada, and author of award-winning cookbooks.

How do you open a successful bake shop? Write an award-winning cookbook?

At 30 years old, Giselle decided to take her love of baking and convert it into a business -- a business that started with 3 employees and rose to 75, pre-COVID. It is the bakery with the most Instagram followers in all of Canada, and the only Canadian patisserie to make it on the BuzzFeed list of “23 Bakeries Around the World You Need to Eat at Before You Die.” In 2018 hers was the only Canadian team chosen for a French reality cooking show for professionals.

Giselle admits that they did not play by the normal business rules. She will talk about what went right and what went wrong along the way, and what she has learned from her 11 years of experience in growing the bake shop into a successful business and in writing two award-winning cookbooks, Duchess Bake Shop and Duchess At Home.

Giselle is a self-taught baker who has been cooking and baking her whole life. She is passionate about real food made from scratch with no mixes, preservatives, or shortcuts. Her cooking is inspired by her French and Quebecois heritage and her Franco-Albertan upbringing.

For those of us with a sweet tooth, Giselle will share one of her favourite recipes with us.

When: Thursday, February 18, 2021

Time: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Rome time 

Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote interactive talk on Zoom.

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.