Lindsay Marie Morris

With up to 500,000 residents of Italian origin, Toronto has one of the largest Italian populations of any city outside of Italy. Most immigrants came in the years following the second World War, adding to the significant sum who had already settled within the city's three Little Italies. 

As this large influx began to age, community members sought a way to address their changing needs. In 1971, a group of Italian-Canadian Torontans formed the Italian Canadian Benevolent Corporation. Five years later, they opened Villa Colombo Toronto, a long-term care facility for seniors.

 

Today known as Villa Charities, the organization has expanded its mission to fund, develop, administer, and coordinate health, social, cultural, and educational projects. The group honors both Italian and Italian-Canadian culture, recognizing that the two have evolved in parallel over time. In addition to its Columbus Centre amenities, the organization hosts a wide range of events and activities, including classes for toddlers, book launches, art exhibitions, concerts, and dance programs. 

I spoke with Villa Charities Executive Director of Cultural Programming Giulio Recchioni, who shared more about the organization, its offerings, and its aims. 

 

What inspired the founding of Villa Charities, and how has its mission evolved over the years?

It was founded by a group of community leaders who put together their willingness to leave a mark in town and have a structure where Italians could gather and be at home away from home. The first structure that was born was Villa Colombo, which is currently a nursing home for seniors.

 

In the beginning, when the bulk of the migrants were here and aging like everybody else, there was this idea: What do you do once you reach an age when you're not independent anymore? Are you going to be dispersed through the English-speaking nursing homes throughout Ontario? 

They decided to create something that was not there before, a structure that could be the reference point for the entire Italian community here in Toronto. And 50 years later, this is still what we do. Today, the Columbus Centre is the largest Italian cultural center in Canada, and we're still quite well respected within the community. We are still the center of what happens to the Italian-Canadian community.

 

Villa Charities hosts a Summer Sagra event outside of its Columbus Centre.

What makes Villa Charities unique in what it offers?

Several organizations work with Italian culture in Toronto. Some of them are government-owned. But what really makes us different from everybody else is that we deal not only with Italian culture but also Italian-Canadian culture.

 

We not only recognize Italian culture but also try to bring modern, contemporary Italian culture to the public's attention while also catering to Italian Canadians and representing their culture and values. It's a culture that crystallized in the fifties and then evolved on its own, far away from the culture of Italy.

 

Progress in technology allows us to be close to Italian culture nowadays, but up to 30 years ago, what we see today to watch Italian television, take a phone, and speak to our people in Italy was kind of unusual, if not unthinkable or very expensive. So, the Italian-Canadian culture grew and became something different—looking at Italy but from far away.

 

Members roast speducci at a Summer Solstice event.

 

Tell us more about your events and activities.

We have a wide range of events, as we have to cater to the biggest number of people possible. We truly have an approach from cradle to rocking chair. We have events for toddlers; we have Italian classes for toddlers where the teacher sings so that the toddlers get used to the Italian language. We have book launches, and we manage an art gallery, so we have art exhibitions. We work with musicians to do concerts. We have a dance school.

 

We offer quite a wide variety of programs. The Columbus Centre has a gym and swimming pool with a variety of activities typical of a community center.

 

During summertime, we have large events outside. They're inspired by the idea of the sagra in Italy. So we have chosen in the past an aspect of Italian cuisine. For example, in July, we have what in Canada is called speducci [grilled meat skewers], originally in Abruzzo, they're called arrosticini, so we celebrate those in July. Then, in August, we celebrate Ferragosto with a very large outdoor party.

We make tomato sauce with our seniors in September and distribute it to the public. We also offer a plate of pasta to complement the tomato sauce. Then, in October and November, we have events that speak to the art of wine making. So we press grapes in October together with a local Italian-Canadian winery. And then, in April, we have a little taste of the wine we made ourselves.

 

We echo some of the most popular Italian holidays and make them our own. For example, we have a Sagra della Castagna in November, when in Italy it's a tradition to have vino novello e castagne [new wine and chestnuts], because that's when you bottle the first wine to see how it is and you get to taste it. We can't quite do the same because Canada's alcohol laws differ from Italy's. But we did keep the part of the castagne. So we cook castagne and distribute them for free to the community during the event.

 

Food really attracts people more than anything else, so we have these events as a community-building exercise. They're quite fun to attend, so it's a pleasure to keep presenting them and offering them to the community.

 

Members celebrate the preparation of their own wine.

 

What do you hope to share with members and the community?

Italian culture in Toronto is quite lively. A wealth of Italian activities and organizations are bubbling up. It's wonderful when people see what's happening and attend.

 

As a person who organizes events, it's nice when you spend so much time and energy creating something and you see a lot of people recognizing the event coming and having a good time. At the end of the day, Italian culture is all about changing life for the better, and that's what I would invite them to do. Just come out and participate in what's happening in the city. There is a lot of Italian stuff going on. 

 

 

 

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When Southern California native Christina Cavallaro landed in Portland, Oregon, one of the first things she did was seek out an Italian American organization. Remaining rooted to her family's heritage with connections to Adelfia in Bari, Italy, and Cesaro, in the province of Messina, Sicily, was important to her. (That history even inspired two cookbooks.)

She found a group, but when it went defunct, she teamed up with another Italian-American Portlander, Tonya Russo Hamilton, a fellow author, who was in the early stages of laying the groundwork for what would become Italian Portland in 2015.

"We try to present the history and culture of Italians because we know from experience as Italians that traditions are falling apart and food and recipes aren't being passed down from generation to generation," Christina says. "And when people come to our social group, they're hungry for that. They say that's what they miss the most. People share, 'Nonna used to cook this,' and 'We want to learn to do that,' or 'Nobody speaks Italian anymore,' and 'We want to learn the Italian language,' or '"We are interested in traveling to Italy. What suggestions or steps do we take to make this trip a reality?'"

 

Italian Portland strives to provide solutions for Italian American Portlanders with various events and programs, including monthly social meetings, Italian language classes, a book club, and cultural activities like cooking classes and limoncello tastings. They've helped feed the homeless at a nearby church and partnered with experts to help people navigate dual citizenship and research genealogy. Members have shared their experiences of visiting Italy to provide valuable insights for individuals planning their own trips. That firsthand knowledge and tips can help travelers make the most of their time in Italy. The organization also aims to be inclusive, publishing a monthly newsletter with events from all local Italian organizations. 

Christina shared more about Italian Portland's offerings, upcoming initiatives, youth outreach, and goals.

 

Italian Portland's limoncello-tasting event
 

What activities and events does Italian Portland host?

We have quite a bit to offer the Italian community and the public. So many people love Italians, the culture, and the food. We even have people who aren't Italian at all who join us!

 

We have a book club and a monthly social club. We also offer an Italian conversation group and two Italian language classes online and in person. 

We enjoy brainstorming innovative topics and speakers that appeal to the group. For example, the Italian consulate from Portland talked to our social group. We've had cooking classes, and a Portland State professor talked about Americans in Italy during the war. Our programs continue to interest people in the social club and the general public.

 

The biggest event we have coming up, that we've never done before, is a vendemmia. In Italy, it's the big celebration at the end of the harvest, with dinner in the vineyard. We're going to have tables down the rows of the vines, and we're providing an Italian dinner, Italian Opera singers, and an auction.

 

We are hosting this event in early August instead of the usual September or October timeframe due to the fact that wineries and vineyards in the area will be busy picking and crushing grapes for wine during those months.

 

This event is a fundraiser. Its goal is to raise funds through donations and an auction to support the Italian community, including the Portland State Opera and Scuola Italiana di Portland. The talented students from Portland State Opera will perform at the Vendemmia event.

 

We're excited about this event and hope it all comes together well. 

 

Tell us more about your book club.

Our book club meetings are held via Zoom to ensure that everyone located close by or far away can participate. The member who recommends the book leads the discussion. After the discussion, we rate the book on a scale of one to five cannoli. The last book received a rating of three and a half cannoli. Our meetings are enjoyable and provide an hour of cultural enrichment.

 

 

Guests enjoy "My Big Fat Italian Wedding."

 

How are you reaching younger generations?

A couple of years ago, we had an event called "My Big Fat Italian Wedding." We put it on just like the movie. We hired a hall and had a lasagna dinner, music, and dancing. At every table, we had little confetti.

 

We were fortunate to have two generations in attendance at that event. We featured two couples: a young pair embarking on the journey of marriage and a couple celebrating their impressive 45th wedding anniversary.

 

We taught the young people traditions like the tarantella, dancing all around the parking lot. And they loved it.

 

Many young individuals are attending our social club to explore various activities and interests. We frequently engage in tombola games, offering opportunities for participants to play Italian bingo and win prizes. Our club strives to incorporate programs that cater to the interests of young and old. By aligning our offerings with their preferences, we aim to attract a larger audience of young individuals.

 

What are your goals?

When we first embarked on this journey, we faced significant obstacles. We lacked the necessary resources—both financial and human capital. 

 

Establishing a board of directors and forming a nonprofit organization proved challenging, particularly given our lack of legal expertise. As a result, we enlisted the help of an attorney to guide us through the process.

 

Despite these challenges, our perseverance paid off. We successfully obtained nonprofit status, allowing us to further our mission and attract support from donors and sponsors. As a result of our efforts, our organization has grown, necessitating a move to a larger meeting space to accommodate our expanding audience.

 

Through dedication and strategic planning, we have transformed our initial struggles into triumphs, positioning our organization for continued success and impact in the community.

 

Italian Portland Social Club 

 

What do you hope to share?

We want to share our love and passion for bringing Italians and people who enjoy Italian culture together while enriching, cultivating, and educating. If someone wanted to start an organization like this somewhere, we would tell them to appeal to the interests of the community. Number one: Don't give up and ask for help. Number two: If you build it, they will come. 

 

 

 

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