Little Italy San Diego Tree Lighting & Christmas Village December 2nd, 2023

 

Little Italy Tree Lighting & Christmas Village

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PHOTOS WITH SANTA

They are here!  Click here to download your picture with Santa, for FREE, from the 2022 Little Italy Tree Lighting & Christmas Village.

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2023 FROM 4:00PM TO 8:00PM

Ho Ho Ho… Can you hear those jingle bells? This year SANTA IS BACK for our annual Little Italy Tree Lighting and Christmas Village on Saturday, December 3rd from 4:00pm-8:00pm!

Transforming into a winter wonderland with Christmas twinkle lights down all the streets, our beautiful urban neighborhood will be adorned with 10-foot tall nutcrackers and kinetic tree holiday displays on street corners, Christmas songs and more. Family, friends, and neighbors are invited to come together to experience true holiday joy at this family-friendly event and enjoy the neighborhood’s festive décor—including two Christmas trees, Joshua Hubert’s Aurora tree at Piazza Basilone and the permanent 25-foot tree at Piazza della Famiglia, seasonal vendors, live music and entertainment, holiday treats, a traditional Italian tree lighting ceremony, and this year SANTA IS BACK to grant everyone’s Christmas wishes!

You can also enjoy... read more here.

Bella Vita Fest: Celebration of Italian Culture, Featuring Chalk Art, Wine, Food, Music and More

 

Bella Vita Fest:  Celebration of Italian Culture, Featuring Chalk Art, Wine, Food, Music and More

October 21 & 22, 2023
11am - 5pm
San Diego's Little Italy

Bella Vita Fest, produced by the ArtWalk San Diego team, has been on the drawing table since 2018.  The festival promises a unique experience for attendees.  View more than 50 chalk art paintings being created live before your eyes on the pavement.  Treat yourself to delicious Italian wines and food.  Enjoy live music with an Italian flair.  Mark your calendar now and plan to attend October 21 and 22 in San Diego's Little Italy.  Tickets are on sale here. 

And read more about it here.

San Diego's Italian Church Holds Annual Festa & Blessing of the Fishing Fleet

 

Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, an Italian National Parish in San Diego will hold its "Marian" or "Our Lady of the Rosary Festa." There is a special Mass where all parish societies and groups carry their banners in the opening procession. In years past the Bishop of the Diocese of San Diego, now a Cardinal, has celebrated the Mass. After Mass they, along with the public who are welcomed to join, process or parade through the streets of the Little Italy neighborhood down to the harbor. There, along the Embarcadero, a boat is blessed, and fireworks are set off. The procession then parades back to the church where there is a benediction and doves are set free signifying peace. Afterwards there is a complimentary luncheon in the Parish Hall.

Our Lady of the Rosary Festa commemorates the October 7th victory of the combined Christian European fleets of the Holy League of 1571 over the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto and was originally called the "Feast of Our Lady of Victory."

Below are photos from past Festas. 

What: Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

Where: Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church

1668 State Street San Diego, CA 92101

(619)234-4820

OLRSD.org

When: Sunday, October 1st, 2023

11:00 am Rosary

12:00 Mass

1:30 Procession

Past Festas:

Festa 2018 Album

Festa 2017 Album

Festa 2016 Album

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Convivio Society of San Diego Announces Endowment Campaign for larger Cultural Center

 

The Convivio Society of San Diego, a nonprofit that celebrates all things Italian and brings art and culture to San Diego's Little Italy, announces its endowment campaign for a new cultural center! 

 For the last two decades, with patronage and guidance from its supporters, the Convivio Society has brought unique, innovative arts and cultural programming:

• It has developed a space in Little Italy that serves as the neighborhood's heritage, event, and visitor center;

• It has established the Italian Archives of San Diego to preserve our cherished artifacts and recount our collective historical narrative, so vital to the development of San Diego;

•  It has published books on the history of Little Italy and San Diego's fishing industry;

• It has brought you concerts, artisan exhibits, presentations and lectures, films, and we have partnered with like-minded groups to further our impact through collaborative programs and projects;

• It has brought Italian consular services to Little Italy to help co-nationals;

• this spring, it will embark on our ambitious documentary series on the Italian heritage and culture of San Diego;

• and it is working to re-establish the much-cherished Sicilian Festival in San Diego 
  

And now the Convivio Society is seeking support to make its vision of a larger cultural center, a home for all of San Diego's Italians, Italians everywhere, and for those that wish they were, a reality! To donate to this worthy cause, and support other worthwhile causes and programming by the Convivio Society, click here: givebutter.com/contribute

2nd Annual Casino di Piazza in Little Italy San Diego FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

 

Casino di Piazza

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PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 FROM 7:00PM TO 11:00PM

The Little Italy Association invites you to join us as we transform the Piazza della Famiglia into an exquisite Italian garden casino experience for this year’s 2nd Annual Casino di Piazza on Friday, September 15th from 7:00pm to 11:00pm.

In partnership with Vici Luxury Rentals, the evening will feature craft cocktails, light hors d'oeuvres, live music, Blackjack, Craps and Roulette under the stars. Dress to impress in your very best cocktail or black-tie attire as you enjoy every detail carefully curated to give guests the most authentic Italian garden casino experience. Upon arrival guests will be transported to the beautiful, manicured gardens of Milan with the beautiful greenery lined walls and classic Italian statues set in the heart of the Piazza della Famiglia.

Casino di Piazza has two admission opportunities including...read more here.. 

Julian Grape Stomp Festa September 2, 2023

 

Julian Grape Stomp Festa

September 2, 2023
11 am to 5 pm – at Menghini Winery

1150 Julian Orchards Dr

Returning in 2023 – Please join us as we celebrate our 26th anniversary of the Julian Grape Stomp Festa! We are excited to be continuing the old-world tradition of kicking off your shoes, rolling up your pant legs and letting tons of blessed grapes squish beneath your feet!

Regular Admission – $25.00

Includes Wine Glass & One Tasting (for those 21+), Stomping & Great Entertainment
Additional Tastings are $1.00 each 
2023 will also include additional shaded seating areas

Children 6-20 $7.00

More here

 

Musicarramba! Presents Rat Pack Reborn

Join us for music under the stars and the intimacy and charm of Amici House as we present the next performance in our Musicarramba! series: Rat Pack Reborn! Come hear some of the timeless tunes from the Great American Songbook interpreted by local crooner Jefferson Schildgen! Read more here.

Fri, August 25

7:30pm - 9:00pm PDT

Amici House

250 W. Date St.

San Diego, CA 92101

House of Italy Lawn Program

 

Dear HOI members and friends,

 

You can view and comment on "HOI Lawn Program 2023 Piadina Romagnola.pdf" at: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:08ec288f-4a3d-4fd1-a336-8ad9a8ed6878

 

We are inviting you, your family and friends to celebrate our traditional Italian festival of Ferragosto on August 6th, 2023.

 

Our chef Mark Pelliccia will prepare a very special and traditional Italian Piadina Romagnola from the Roman Etruscan times.

 

Our friend Rosario Monetti and his wonderful group of musicians, will perform popular traditional songs at the HPR stage.

We’ll provide the words for most of our dearest Italian songs, for you to sing with us.

 

See you in August!

Italian Heritage Night with the Padres!

 

Come together with the Little Italy Association of San Diego, the Italian Community Center, Convivio, the San Diego Italian community, and the Padres for Italian Heritage Celebration at Petco Park. Your Theme Game package includes a limited-edition themed Padres hat, donation to a local community group, and a ticket to the Dodgers vs. Padres game.

This is a special, non-Convivio event so social club member benefits do not apply. More here.

Be part of the dream! Support The Italian Californian and help us unify and share the Italian American community of California!

 Be part of the dream! Support The Italian Californian and help us unify and share the Italian American community of California!

While we at The Italian Californian are a small, little-known start-up online magazine, we do have the critical mission and goal of unifying and representing the Italian-American community in Californian. We at The Italian Californian support this endeavor through the selling of advertising space and the support of you, our beloved and respected readers. So please be part of the dream, add your voice and action to our passion, and support this online magazine by donating any amount. We at The Italian Californian can not thank you enough and know that you will find this action exceptionally personally rewarding. Mille grazie!!

Click here to contribute

-Christopher Forte,

President & CEO & Editor-in-Chief

San Diego's Italian Church Celebrates the Feast of Saint Joseph

SAN DIEGO- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in San Diego's Little Italy is not only a designated Italian National Parish but is also home to a Saint Joseph's Society, thus every year the parish has a big celebration for the Feast of Saint Joseph, also known as La Festa di San Giuseppe, or La Tavola di San Giuseppe, Saint Joseph's Table. There is a special Mass with a presentation from the society afterwards, a procession, and a luncheon in the hall. I could not make it this year however, I am sure it was celebrated with a heavy heart having just lost our beloved pastor, Fr. Louis Solcia (see here). 

History 

"There are several versions of how the Table came to be. Some sources date it to events in 1262 or 1268. One of the most-repeated accounts describes a famine or drought in Sicily leading landowners or farmers to promise St. Joseph that if his intercession brought about rain, they would serve a free meal to the local vergineddi (little needy children) or vicchiareddi (old people). This is reflected even today in the practice of all donations or proceeds from the meal being given to the poor, or a charity." Read More Here.

I am not a professional videographer, but you may still enjoy the cell phone video below of parts of the 2019 St. Joseph's Day Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, San Diego. This is a short clip of the opening procession. You can view the full video here.

There are more photos here. And you can read about St. Joseph's Day here.

Our Lady of the Rosary is located at 1629 Columbia St. San Diego, CA 92101

Email: parish@olrsd.org

Phone: 619-234-4820

Web: OLRSD.org

Grazie! Auguri!

More video here.
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