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.

Guest Speaker Nathalie Naim: Is Rome the Next Venice? - January 17, 2024

NB Currently full; waiting list only.

Italian-Canadian Nathalie Naim, who serves as a municipal district councillor in Rome, lives in the Monti neighbourhood and has been fighting the severe impact that mass tourism has had on the historic centre of Rome. Is it being Disneyfied like Venice? Buildings given over to short-term holiday rentals, "convenience" shops selling alcohol at all hours, the loss of retail for ordinary locals, and slack governance and security are some of the issues Nathalie will discuss with us. How can we curb these detrimental changes?

Photo of Nathalie Naim by Fabrizio Troccoli/The Globe and Mail

Eric Reguly, the Globe and Mail's European bureau chief, will moderate this talk in English, French and Italian with Nathalie. Light refreshments will follow.

When: Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Residence of CCR members (Via di Villa Patrizi area). Exact details will be sent to registered participants.

Cost: free. As space is limited, current CCR members have priority.

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle by Jan. 15.

Guest Speaker: Q&A on Russia and Ukraine - January 25, 2023

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has cast a dark cloud over parts of Europe. How can we understand its impact and what can we expect in the months to come? 

A former Canadian ambassador to Russia and Poland (following an earlier posting to the mission to the USSR), Anne Leahy will share her insights on this subject. Since leaving her last position as ambassador to the Holy See here in Rome (and being a great friend of the CCR), after decades in the Canadian diplomatic service, Anne has dedicated herself to working with organizations to promote human rights and to being an educator. She currently teaches ‘Catholicism and Public Policy’ at McGill University.

This interview will be moderated by Canadian foreign correspondent and CCR member Megan Williams.

When: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. (Italian time) 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guest Speaker: Violin Maker Bernard Neumann - March 15, 2022

Photo: Chris Warde-Jones

You may know that Cremona is the luthier powerhouse of Italy (and perhaps of the world), but did you realize that one of the city's most famous violin makers is a fellow Canadian? This Q&A with forty-year Cremona resident Bernard Neumann will be moderated by Canadian foreign correspondent and CCR member Megan Williams, who recently interviewed him for the CBC. Our talk will include demonstrations and a special appearance by Bernard's wife Alessandra Pedota, also a renowned luthier!

Send us any questions you'd like answered, along with your reservation.

When: Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Time: 6 p.m. (Italian time) 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guest Speaker: Maurizio Bagarani on Africa, Health and the role of NGOs - February 7, 2022

Dr Maurizio Bagarini will talk to us in Italian and French about the challenges in the global governance of human health in all its aspects. Health has an impact not only on the growth of a nation in terms of ecological and social development but also from a security and stability viewpoint. In order to be more effective, it is essential to coordinate state-run, inter-government organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community associations.

Maurizio Bagarani, former department head and surgery professor at Sapienza University of Rome, has spent the last thirteen years working as a consultant for various private health facilities and volunteering for Doctors Without Borders in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Afghanistan. He is currently the director of the Quality Control and Continuing Education Committee at Hôpital Kira in Bujumbura, Burundi.

When: Monday, February 7, 2022
Time: 6 p.m. (Italian time) 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guest Speaker: Chef Jessica Rosval - January 5, 2022

At the age of 35, Montreal-born Jessica Rosval has been named Chef of the Year by L’Espresso 2021 and her Take It Easy Sunday Brunch was recognized as Best Brunch 2022 by 50 Top Italy Luxury. Jessica is Chef the Cuisine at Casa Maria Luigia, the guesthouse that Chef Massimo Bottura and his wife Lara Gilmore opened in the Emilian countryside, while remaining in charge of the kitchen for events through Osteria Francescana, Bottura’s three-Michelin-star restaurant in the heart of Modena. Rosval also finds time to help migrant women develop new job skills for the Italian market with the Association for the Integration of Women, which she co-founded at the beginning of 2020.

This Q&A session will be moderated over Zoom by Rome-based Canadian foreign correspondent Megan Williams. Please send your questions for Jessica to us in advance so that we can organize them appropriately.

 
When: Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Time: 6 p.m. (Italian time) 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote interactive talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guest Speaker: Photographer Cindi Emond - November 3, 2021

CCR member (and prior CWAR president) Cindi Emond has in recent years displayed her talent as a fine photographer in a series of successful solo exhibitions. She'll speak to us about her latest online show, For All The “I Love You's” We Forgot To Say, part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival Toronto. Her stunning and often poignant images capture scenes of lives abandoned after the 1915 earthquake, of communities torn by war and migration, and of the ongoing pastoral economy in the verdant mountainscapes of Abruzzo.

Cindi has a background in Art History and Fine Arts Photography, and holds a BFAH as well as a degree in Marketing & Communications, both from York University, Toronto. 

The presentation and Q&A session will be moderated over Zoom by Rome-based Canadian foreign correspondent Megan Williams. If you'd like, please send your questions in advance. 

When: Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. Rome time 
Meeting Place: wherever you are -- remote interactive talk on Zoom.
Cost: free
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Takeaways from our talk with Roberta from Air Canada – by Anna

To tell you the truth, I was surprised to learn so much from “The Future of Air Travel: A Talk with Roberta of Air Canada” on Thursday, December 10th, 2020. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic I’ve read a lot of news, especially reports on scientific studies and national containment measures, and I’ve thought long and hard about my protracted, involuntary absence from Canada and when/how I can travel to Vancouver again. I’m sure many of you understand how much I miss it!

Due to a technical glitch, the meeting didn’t get recorded, so I thought I’d share some of my notes with all of you. Roberta Cavallini gave us a very clear overview of all the bio-safety measures that have been implemented by Air Canada, including advanced technologies like electrostatic disinfection, HEPA filtration, and contactless protocols for checking in, luggage tagging and in-flight service.

The biggest take-away for me, personally, was that Air Canada will continue to waive all rebooking fees for its customers into 2021. Having heard from others that the dates, times and routes of booked flights have repeatedly been changed – if not completely cancelled – by airlines this year, I kept wondering how I could book anything in advance, like I used to. I’ve always looked for the best price possible for my trips, which meant taking a risk on dates far into the future and worrying about the need to pay if I had to cancel or change the date for some reason. Roberta encouraged us to make bookings early and take advantage of any airfare sales that come up, because Air Canada will honour that price even if you need or just want to make changes later – provided the seasonality of the fare is respected. As most members know, Air Canada Italy has been a CCR sponsor for many years. This doesn’t just mean we get a discount if we book through Roberta. It means we get personal assistance with any issues that may come up, now more than ever, so make sure you write to her at infoitaly@aircanada.ca. But remember you have to be a current CCR member to qualify for discounts.

Roberta also had great news for people travelling to Ontario and Quebec as she confirmed Air Canada will resume regular direct flights from Rome starting the 1st of March. There will be 4 weekly flights to Toronto and 3 to Montreal.

Readers of the CCR newsletter will probably have noticed the information from the Canadian embassy that we’ve included in the last few weeks regarding new requirements for travellers to Canada, including the use of the ArriveCAN app. As one person told us, her recent experience shows how important it is to successfully submit all your details in advance through the app. Otherwise you’ll have to spend a lot of time making daily calls to government health authorities to report on your condition throughout your quarantine.

Speaking of the “self-isolation” period required in Canada, Roberta mentioned that in September the airline partnered with Toronto’s Pearson International Airport to carry out the biggest experiment in the world testing incoming passengers on-site and at 7- and 14-day intervals afterwards. The findings supported proposals that quarantine be reduced from 14 to 7 days, as have those from a more recent study at Calgary Airport. Fingers crossed!

Air Canada has also recently partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide rapid COVID-19 RT-PRC tests, currently only available at store locations in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Due to concerns about their reliability, these rapid tests are still only accepted by certain travel destinations, but let’s hope continued improvements will convince authorities on both sides of the Atlantic to use such methods to streamline travel for all passengers.

Thanks again to Roberta for talking the time to speak to us directly at such a busy and tiring time for everyone working at Air Canada Italy. When introducing her, Paul read a message sent directly to the Canadian Club of Rome by Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu that emphasized what a great resource she has been for the airline in Italy for an amazing 29 years of service, and we totally agree! Thanks also to Marielle for coordinating with Roberta and hosting this event via Zoom.

If you are as interested in scientific and public health issues related to COVID-19 as I am, you won’t want to miss another opportunity to learn more during our Q&A with Dr Allison McGeer on January 19.

Guest Speaker: COVID-19 Q&A with Dr Allison McGeer - January 19, 2021

Here's your opportunity to get answers on COVID-19 directly from one of the top experts in the field in Canada!

Dr Allison McGeer is a professor in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and a senior clinician scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of the Sinai Health System in Toronto. Her research interests are in the prevention of healthcare associated infection, the use of epidemiology to reduce the burden of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance in adults, and adult immunization. She has worked on outbreak investigations for SARS COV-1 in Toronto and MERS in Saudi Arabia, and on infection prevention for the World Health Organization during the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Since January, 2020, she has been working on research related to understanding the clinical features and epidemiology of COVID-19.

You may submit potential questions in advance when booking your spot.

When: Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Time: 7 to 8 p.m. Rome time (1-2 p.m. Toronto time)

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

Cost: free

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle.

Guest Lecturer: Museums and Digital Culture in Italy - January 5, 2021

CCR members and friends are really missing their usual cultural activities as the pandemic has shuttered so many museums and monuments in Italy. Yet, now more than ever, some may have discovered there are countless opportunities to learn and explore online. 

Author of "Musei e cultura digitale: Fra narrativa, pratiche e testimonianze" (published by Bibliografica) and a teacher of museum management and multimedia transformation at a number of institutions including the Brera Academy, Maria Elena Colombo will be giving us a talk in English about the exciting transformation currently underway in many of Italy's famous museums. Part of her focus will be on exactly what it takes to tell the stories behind works of art -- online and off!

Her academic background in the preservation of cultural heritage, museology, museography and cultural management, along with a research focus on digital communications, produced a career studded with fascinating highlights. These have included supervising the development of the web site, social media channels and digital products and services of Milan's Museo Diocesano.

When: Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Time: 6 p.m.

Where: remote interactive talk by Zoom

Cost: CCR members free, non-members €5

RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Mariele.

Guest Speaker: Canadian Wheat for Italian Pasta - February 26, 2020

Jennifer Fellows, the Trade Commissioner for agriculture, processed foods, fish and seafood at the Embassy of Canada in Italy, will provide us with a short overview of the ups and downs of the century-old pasta relationship between Canada and Italy, including some current controversies.

There will be a Q&A opportunity, followed by light refreshments.

When: Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Where: Office of the Canadian Embassy to the Holy See, Via della Conciliazione 4-D
RSVP: canadarome@gmail.com ATTN Marielle by Feb. 25 COB. Please provide your full name for security purposes and have photo ID on the day of the event in case it is requested.