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ORDER
Sons of Italy
T R I E S T E
L O D G E
|
President’s Message
D
ear brothers and sisters,
On behalf of the executive
and my family I wish you
all a Happy New Year! I hope you
were able to spend time with family
and friends to celebrate a Buon
Natale. Looking back at 2014 the
Order Sons of Italy Trieste Lodge
has much to be proud of.
Our strong tradition of charity
continues with over $15,000.00
being donated to local charities
and hospitals. Attendance at our general meetings and social
events is up. Our support of Italian culture continued through
our membership’s involvement in Festitalia and the SOI Choir.
We recognized a key community contributor, Rob MacIsaac, in
November as the 2014 Italian-Canadian Citizen of the year. The
SOI Housing and SOI Charitable Corporation continue to thrive
and offer support to those in need and the elderly. We have set up
a Sons of Italy Legacy Fund through the Hamilton Community
Foundation. This allows anyone to make a contribution to our
lodge and receive a charitable tax receipt. Also through the
Hamilton Community Foundation, a scholarship fund has been
set up at McMaster University, where a student in Italian studies
will receive $1,000.00 scholarship. This scholarship will run for
the next five years. The executive and our membership remained
committed to executing and supporting our new key fundraisers
that have become the foundation of our annual charity budget.
Our exciting new Elimination Draw and our Sopressata Contest!
On December 10th, 2014 our annual Christmas tradition of
delivering a small gift to the seniors in our community continued
through a delivery of poinsettias to the 130+ residents of Villa
Italia. Thank you to brothers Mark Sebastianutti and Livio DiNello
for taking this on and for delivering the plants to the Villa.
Our Annual Children’s Christmas Party was held on Sunday
December 7th. The event was a great success with gifts for over
60 Children handed out. Thank you to Br. Lewis Merolli for
H A M I L T O N
JANUARY 2015
organizing this year’s event and his committee. Special thank you
to everyone you helped out that day and the days prior shopping
and wrapping gifts. It truly was a family & team effort.
On December 9th, we celebrated our annual members Christmas
Dinner. I was pleased to see our hall full, and our members
enjoying great food, drinks and fraternity.
As we move on to 2015 I am pleased to announce that Italian
classes will run again this year. I know those of you who had
signed up have been contacted by Zora the instructor. The
starting dates will be confirmed shortly.
In 2015 the Order Sons of Italy Canada will be celebrating its
100th Anniversary! This tremendous milestone will be celebrated
on May 30, 2015 at our Premiere Gala in Niagara Falls. I urge all
members to come and celebrate this milestone. Be proud of your
accomplishments as a member of the Order, share stories and
re-live memories with old friends and family. It truly is a special
time to celebrate. More details will follow.
Also that weekend, the Order Sons of Italy Canada will be holding
its National Convention. Trieste Lodge will be sending delegates
to represent our lodge. If any member is interested in being a
delegate please submit your name to any of the executive for
consideration. Names must be submitted by January 23, 2015.
I look forward to seeing you all at our next general meeting on
Tuesday January 13, 2015. Reminder it is bring a friend meeting.
I urge all members to bring someone who is interested in joining
our lodge.
I wish you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.
Felice Anno Nuovo!
Fraternally Yours,
Lou Filice
President
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Tuesday, January 13, 2015
L I B E R T Y
E Q U A L I T Y
F R A T E R N I T Y
Card Night Briscola
Tournament!
F
riday, January 30, 2015 at 6pm the Sons of Italy will be holding card night at the
Sons of Italy Hall. Admission is $20 which includes a home cooked meal and
$5 to enter the tournament. All are welcome to attend. Contact Brother Lewis
Merolli for details and tickets.
100th Anniversary
Gala Celebration
A
s many of you know, this year we will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary
of the Order Sons of Italy. We would like to extend the graciousness of the
Grand Council, by presenting the opportunity for members interested in
being delegates to represent the lodge at the grand convention. If anyone is interested,
please contact an executive member for more information.
Membership Fees
W
ith the commencement of the New Year, the Executive would just like
to provide a reminder that ALL membership dues are to be paid in full
by MARCH 31st. Please contact the executive if you have any questions.
Grazie Tanto, SOI Executive 2014-2015.
Citizen of the Year
Nominations are Open
I
f you know someone that you believe displays the values of our lodge and goes
above and beyond for our community, please submit a nomination for the Sons of
Italy Citizen of the Year. All nominations can be submitted to Br. Guido DiCesare.
agrozaffiro.com
One James St. South, 4th floor
Hamilton, ON, Canada L8P 4R5
p. 905-527-6877 f. 905-527-6843
Francis A. DeSantis
Ian P. Newcombe
Charles P. Criminisi
Vanda A. Santini
David A. Elliot
Z. S. Pete Volaric
Kathryn A. McKague
Jeffrey E. Naganobu
Julian R.G. Thomas
Nina L. Di Pietro
Jennifer L. Somerville
Paul H. Philp
M. Edward Key
D. Dean Obradovic
James H. Aire
Sabatina N. Vassalli
Devon M. Ryerse
Andrea S. Griese
David J. Henderson
Andrew L. Keesmaat
Christopher P. Klinowski
Kelly A. Dunn
Louis A. Grilli
Jeffrey R. Goit
Jason A. Pilgrim
Monika S. Korona
Bradley M. Remigis
Charles P. Criminisi, LL.B.
Direct Line: (905) 527-6877, ext. 411
Direct Fax: (905) 527-6169 | Email: [email protected]
Sons of Italy Choir Update
A
fter a very busy Christmas
Season, the Sons of Italy Choir
is taking a well-deserved rest
before getting ready for the Spring
rehearsals! The Choir would like to
thank you all for the great support in the
2014 year. The Choir’s 25th Anniversary
CD has been very well received, and we
thank you. We wish all of our fellow
Sons of Italy members, as well as the
executive a Very Happy, Healthy, and
Successful New Year! Br. Angelo Venditti
Elimination Draw
A
s you know, this annual raffle is our major fundraiser for our CHARITY BUDGET. All proceeds collected will be used for
charitable donations.
Elimination Draw Definition:
• A raffle lottery in which all ticket stubs are placed in a drum and pulled out one at a time until the final ticket remains for the
grand prize winner.
• Must use a two-part serial-numbered ticket, with one part retained by purchaser and one part (stub) retained by the licensee
for the draw;
• Lesser prizes are awarded at specific intervals
• 25th ticket wins $100.00 (Date February 10, 2015)
• 50th ticket wins $300.00 (Date March 10, 2015)
• 75th ticket wins $600.00 ( Date April 7, 2015)
• The last remaining ticket in the drum wins the grand prize; GRAND PRIZE $1,000.00 (Date April 23, 2015)
• Total Prizes = $2,000.00
• 300 Tickets will be printed. ( 1 – 300)
• Only purchased tickets are entered into the draw
• Deadline to purchase tickets is January 31, 2015
• Tickets are $50.00 each.
• Winners will be posted in monthly newsletter
For tickets or have any questions please contact Br. Lou Filice at 905-388-5251 or 905-971-0185.
S C A R F O N E
H A W K I N S
LLP
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James A. Scarfone (P.C.), B.A., LL.B.
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Certified Specialist Civil Litigation
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P.O. Box 926, Depot 1
Hamilton ON L8N 3P9
E-mail: [email protected]
Bus: (905) 523-1333
Direct Dial: (905) 526-4376
Fax: (905) 523-5878
Cell: (905) 308-4992
Memories of Tuscany
“La Toscana dove ogni giorno da un occasione di fare elogio.”
“Tuscany where every day offers a chance to give praise.”
A
fter our Toronto-Rome flight
we rented a car and drove
three hours north to Tuscany
to Certaldo Alto, a mediaeval hilltop
town between Florence and Siena. Our
residence in a palazzo at the summit
was spacious set in a tranquil, serene
location with vistas across the valley
below. A funicular to the lower town was
just steps from our door. Our courtyard
was surrounded by fortified walls and
through the huge “portone” was the
spacious Piazza di Sant’Annunziata.
Our Palazzo Stiozzi had three bedrooms
, two baths, living room and kitchen;
our home for five of us for fifteen days at
the cost of 900 Euros which was about
$1350.00 Canadian late in October.
Every step in Certaldo Alto spoke of
Giovanni Boccaccio, author of The
Decameron, a series of a hundred stories
of literary fame in western literature.
Each day was an adventure into the
rolling Tuscan countryside, a day
trip into history, a chance to see the
architecture of the towns, hamlets and
cities; the wine harvest was completed
in the last two weeks of October, full
and plentiful; the rows in the vineyards
displayed yellow and orange in their
orderly ranks right beside the silvery
olive groves. We made three trips into
Chianti country for tastings of the world
famous classic and riserva wines; at San
Casciano to try the Castello di Gabbiano
wines now owned by Beringer Blass
Italia, an international corporation;
at Panzano in Chianti for a private
tasting at the Casaloste Fattoria, a small
family run winery of Giovanni e Emilia
d’Orsi; Finally at Radda in Chianti at
Pointe Vecchio
the Agricole Beretta. We made other
stops in this eastern section of Tuscany;
their names slip with pleasure and
music off the tongue; Greve, Castellina,
Gaiole, Brolio, San Donato in Poggio,
Quercegrossa and tiny Volpaia, with a
population of about 180. One can hear
pride and love in the presentations of
the owners. Praise for Chianti wine.
A drive through the countryside of
Chianti will show the hold of the ages
everywhere: the harmony between
nature’s slopes and valleys and the
diligent work of man to bring marvellous
and fruitful patterns to the land. Here
there is order and proportion which
for ages have shown beauty. There are
cypress trees like green dark arrows on
hilltops, and yellowish stone houses, red
tile roofs, greyish green and silver-leafed
Macelleria Falorni, in Greve in Chianti
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Memories of Tuscany cont’d
olive trees beside rows of red vines and
varicoloured symmetry over every hill.
One day we spent at the “Frantoio
Cooperativo Valdelsano” near Certaldo,
a facility for pressing olives formed in
1974 by local farmers. We saw farmers
bringing in their olives and leaving
deeply saddened and empty-handed
when they were told their olives were
worthless. Worms were readily evident
in the olives. They saw that due to
climate warming, insects (worms) which
usually die off as they move inland from
the Adriatic this year have infected the
olives. We were told the quality and
the quantity of the harvest is poor in
Tuscany in the Sabine Hills near Rome
and as far south as Puglia.
Farmer’s Markets in Certaldo and San
Gimignano are boisterous country
celebrations – busy, loud and colourful.
Farmers readily and proudly talk of their
harvest and produce: soppressata of the
pig’s head, white funghi mushrooms,
castagni (chestnuts), bread round,
BusinessCards.indd 2
golden and solid; pesci – all types
of fish, seafood frutti di mare (some
still moving), home-made sausages,
formaggi (cheese) white and salty. Oh!
To be able to taste one of everything you
see and smell! Much of the interest and
fun comes from watching and listening
to the dialect, the gestures, the yelling
and counting, the smiles and manners.
To spend a few hours here is to learn
of the ancient rhythms of farm life, the
changes and the challenges for farmers
to bring the goodness of the land and sea
to city dwellers.
We spent a day in three small towns to the
south: Montepulciano high on a ridge
famous for its red wine “Il Nobile,” then
Pienza known for its cheese and finally
to Montalcino; praised for its Brunello.
Siena was a day set aside to admire this
mediaeval city – its duomo(cathedral),
its central piazza where the famous
Palio takes place – a bareback horse
race, and then a day in Firenze, fierce
rival of Siena for centuries city of the
Medici and of the Renaissance. Crowds
Castello di Gabbiano
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fax
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2/23/09 12:38:19 PM
of visitors throng to the cathedral, the
Ponte Vecchio along the Arno River with
its glittering shops of gold, its galleries
and museums. These are the towns and
cities of Tuscany that remind us of their
artists and authors: DaVinci, Dante,
Michaelangelo, Vespucci, Galileo, and
Boccaccio who have left us with a sense
of wonder, adventure, fun and creativity.
How does so much beauty and elegance
come from this one region?
The Italians say that when three of four
Tuscans gather, very quickly the supreme
subject is food. Ristorante meals begin
with antipasto – mixed coldcuts, cheese
bits, olives, imaginative creations atop
“crostini” and “bruschetta.” Pasta – the
most common are: pici (a thick, round
spaghetti), pappardelle (wide and flat),
gnocchi, and strozzaprete – Tuscans
smile when they explain the meaning of
this pasta – “choke the priest.” Zuppa di
Certaldo is a delicious, mild red onion
soup. The red onion is found on the
ancient shield of Certaldo and then
there is “ribollita,” a traditional peasant
Casaloste Winery
Memories of Tuscany cont’d
stale bread and vegetable soup. We
come to the famous bistecca Fiorentina,
a specialty T-bone beef steak. Four in
our group ordered this bistecca, 1.3kg
in weight. It is priced at 4 euros per etto
(100g) – that’s about $1.40 Canadian
per 100g. Their spectacular meal was
52 euro; roughly $80 for 4 and they’re
still talking about that special meal.
Dishes of beans and oregano, spinach,
and rosemary potatoes decorate the
table as sides. There are no thin cooks in
Tuscany.
Would you like a pizza? How about
a pizza Margherita, vegetarian,
mushroom, or prosciutto? A ristorante
or trattoria would offer 30-35 choices.
They would be baked in a wood-fried
oven (olive and oak wood) “a forno
a legno” at about 800 degrees Celsius
for 90 seconds. Thin crust, tender, delicious! You can order a “pizza dei
dolci,” a dessert pizza; just picture this:
a thin crust pizza, one half of which is
topped with Nutella and the other with
soft mascarpone cheese, zucchero all
spread over with strawberries.
Ecco il mangiare alla Toscana.
The sunsets in Tuscany were spectacles
for the eye, warmth for the heart,
and wonder for the soul. The sun
went down on the distant hills which
became reddish with streams of yellow
and mists of purple and violet. The
goddess of the horizon spread her gold
across the orderly fields, the cypresses
stood tall in their deep green marking
boundaries of vineyards and woods.
The sun sinking with orange rays across
cloud formations gave the sky splashes
of pink, azure and Etruscan bronze. The
elegant goddess required that you stand
still; that you marvel at the departing
colours; that you admire this evening
spectacle. Tuscan sunsets were ravishing
moments that simply demanded your
silence. The eyes understand the soft and
gently beauty of the sun’s farewell; the
heart is marked with a touch of sadness
and a slightly aching nostalgia and the
soul with a remembrance of a sense of
marvel always searching for words.
If a Tuscan sunset were in a song, it
would be: “Non ti scordar di me.”
In fraternità, Bob Savelli, Nov. 2014 Bob Savelli with Nick Zaffiro’s cousin Salvatore and his wife, Gabriella, in Cortona, Tuscany.
R a l p h O l i v i e r i , B rok e r O w n e r
Cel l 9 0 5 5 1 5 7 7 7 1 | ral ph@ m l it r u p a r t n e r s .c a
C a r m i n e C a l v i s e , CAI B , CR M , B r o k e r O w n e r
cel l 9 0 5 5 1 7 3 0 4 0 | carm i ne@ mlit r u p a r t n e r s .c a
271 Queenston Road, Hamilton, Ontario L8K 1G9
T. 2 8 9 6 6 7 0 0 2 5 | F. 9 0 5 5 4 5 8 1 1 9
w w w. m l i t r u p a r t n er s . ca
It’s Sopressata Time!
O
ur second annual sopressata night is coming up soon. Below is a simple recipe to help you get started. Sopressata is an
Italian dry salami. Two principal types are made, a cured dry sausage typical of Basilicata, Apulia[1] and Calabria, and a
very different uncured salami, native to Tuscany and Liguria
Simple recipe for regular sopressata
1. Remove the bone.
2. Remove the layer of connective tissue (membrane) down to the meat and discard.
3. Cut the meat into strips and grind through a 1/4 inch hole plate. (some may prefer a 3/8 inch grind)
4. Mix in all the ingredients by hand (or machine). Spices can vary according to taste. Modern cure is 93.25% salt, so the total
recipe has 3% salt (30g of salt for 1 kilo of meat). Don’t use more than you need.
5. Casings are well packed in salt. Soak them in a sink and wash with vinegar and lemon juice, fully rinse off all the salt inside and
out.
a. Stuff into beef middle casings into about 32 inch lengths. Portion by tying off about 8 inch pieces with cotton twine. Leave a
loop at one end to hang. It’s helpful to tie with a piece of string in the middle of each piece to maintain shape for drying. Use a
stuffer that can be packed tightly to prevent any air voids in the sausages. Poke holes in casing to allow any trapped air to escape.
6. Hang in your cellar (cantina) for 7-8 weeks until about 25% weight loss. Looking for about 65-70% humidity.
7. After cured, store in jars or pails under oil. Enjoy!
Event Calendar
For those wishing to help with the following events, please see your Executive.
Briscola Card Night
Friday, January 30, 2015
February Meeting – Parent/Child Night
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Rent the Sons of Italy
Trieste Hall Lodge
Available for a variety of social events.
For rental Inquiries please contact DMS Property Management
at 905-524-2985.
Sons of Italy
Executive 2014/2015
President
Luigi Filice
Res. 643-0594
Bus. 388-5251 x23
Past President
Guido Di Cesare
Res. 627-5220
Bus. 523-2360
Vice President
Loris Pilot
Orator
Lewis Merolli
Res. 930-8762
Adm. Secretary Joe Mongiardi
Cell. 905-518-1779
Bus. 664-5088
Res. 385-7845
Recording Secretary
Andrew Monachino
Res. 905-383-1903 Cell 905-902-1483
Treasurer
Livio Di Nello
Chartered Accountants, LL.P.
TONY CIPOLLA, CA
Joseph Monachino, CA
Peter Bartens, CA
Vito SGRO, CA
Sam CipolLa, CA
Res. 389-6930
Trustees
Tony Giardino
Res. 289-389-2917 Bus. 389-6760
Lucas Costanzo
Cell: 905-517-9043
[email protected]
Eugene Catania
Bus. 905-777-1225 x 107
YACHETTI, LANZA & RESTIVO
BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS
A strong business is built upon a
solid foundation of insurance...
ROGER D. YACHETTI, Q.C.
BURLINGTON • STONEY CREEK
TELEPHONE: (905) 528-7534
FAX: (905) 528-5275
Ralph Vitello, RIB(Ont)
VICE PRESIDENT COMMERCIAL LINES
[email protected]
Stoney Creek:
99 HWY. #8, Stoney Creek, ON L8G 1C1
T: 905.664.2266 F: 905.664.3169
Commercial Direct Line: 1.800.461.5083
SUITE 100
154 MAIN STREET EAST
HAMILTON, ONTARIO
L8N 1G9
E-mail: [email protected]
Anthony Chiarelli
Res. 905-388-8957 Cell 905-517-8957
Eugene Stodolak
Res: 905-573-0372 Cell:730-7176
Justin Little Cell 905-745-6518
Donato Cascioli 905-920-5773
www.sonsofitalyhamilton.org