As usual we’ll celebrate the season with the traditional Italian game of tombola – a kind of Italian Bingo for those not familiar with the game. There are several prizes to be awarded so you might be a winner! It’s lots of fun for all.
Bruce Leone will be our tomboliere this year.
And of course we’ll have Italian Christmas music. Be prepared to sing as Joyce Ramee will lead us in a few Italian Christmas songs.
Traditionally the Festa meal is a potluck. In the spirit of the Italian love of food, please bring along a main course, antipasto or dessert. And a bottle of vino to share is always a good addition. The microwave and oven are available if any of the dishes need to be heated up at the last minute. You can always count on a lot of great food to add to the holiday merriment at our Festa.
And to toast the spirit of the season, there’ll be a few bottles of prosecco to start things off in style.
If you plan on attending, please indicate by:
- registering online here or,
- calling our Reservation Line at our NEW number, (206) 289-0419 or
- emailing your request to our NEW reservation email, [email protected].
And let us know how many are in your party.
Festa will take place in the Parish Social Hall at St. Patrick’s Church, 815 East Edgar Street, on the North side of Capitol Hill.
Parking is available in St. Patrick’s parking lot, off E. Edgar street. The meetings take place in the Parish Hall, located in the basement of the church which is entered from the West side of the church from the parking lot.
To reach St Patrick’s from the North, follow I-5 S. Take exit 168A for Boylston Ave toward Roanoke St. Merge onto Boylston, turn left at light onto E Roanoke St. Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave E. and then take the first right onto E. Edgar Street.
To reach St. Patrick’s from the South, follow I-5 N. Take exit 168A for Lakeview Blvd E. Turn left onto Lakeview Blvd E, and continue onto Boylston Ave E. Turn right at the light onto E Roanoke St. Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave. E. and then take the first right onto E. Edgar Street.
The festivities officially start at 6:30. Your help setting up before the meeting (and especially in cleaning up afterwards) is always appreciated. So come early to start celebrating.
A presto –
Dan DeMatteis,
Presidente,
Dante Alighieri Society of Washington
Gabriella Vagnoli was born in Pisa, Tuscany, home of the famous Leaning Tower. She grew up in a multicultural family thanks to her Brazilian mom and remembers teaching Italian for the first time as a child to her Brazilian cousins. She obtained a Laurea in English and Spanish Language and Literature at the Università degli Studi di Pisa and during her college years spent a year in the University of Reading, UK, studying mainly the works of Shakespeare. After obtaining a Certificate as a Teacher of Italian (DITALS II) at the Università per Stranieri di Siena, she has taught in a full immersion school in Florence, a children's full immersion program in Chicago and a Community College in Illinois.
Tiziana was born and raised in Sardinia, a beautiful Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. She has always been passionate about foreign languages and cultures, and studied French and German at the Scuola Superiore Interpreti e Traduttori in Milan, where she obtained her first Foreign Languages and Interpreter BA degree. She then pursued her MA in English and German Language and Literature at IULM, one of the most prestigious universities in Milan, Italy for Language and Communication studies.
Nicla is a native of Napoli, Italy. She has a Laurea in Materie Letterarie (degree in humanities) and a Laurea in Pedagogia (degree in Education) from the Università degli Studi di Cassino. She earned her M.A in Italian and her PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington. She has published articles and book chapters on gender and theater as well as politics and religion in Counter-Reformation Italy and in the last years, has been teaching Italian literature, language, and culture in different institutions. In addition to teaching in our program, Nicla is authorized to cover the role of esaminatrice and intervistatrice in our PLIDA Examination Board.
Born in the fabulous 80’s, Isabella was raised in Rome where she got her Degree in Teaching and Translation in foreign languages at the University ‘La Sapienza’.
Eric was born and raised in Como by an American mother and an Italian father. He holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from Bocconi University in Milan and a Master’s in Corporate and International Finance from Durham University in the UK. His international background led him to pursue a business career in the United States, ultimately settling in Seattle, where his wife grew up.