Join us for a special audiovisual presentation by ICI member Anitya Hagan about her unique travel experiences in Tuscany.

The price will be $5 per person, 100% of which will go to the ICI Scholarship Fund.

Everyone will order a la carte from the menu.

Sign-up begins NOW! The RSVP deadline is Thursday, January 8.

The Metropolitan opera, live in hd - Vincenzo Bellini’s I Puritani

*This is not an official ICI event, we are sharing information about this opportunity to see Italian opera.

For gorgeous melody, spellbinding coloratura, and virtuoso vocal fireworks, I Puritani has few equals. On January 10, the first new Met production of Bellini’s final masterpiece in nearly 50 years—a striking staging by Charles Edwards, who makes his company directorial debut after many successes as a set designer—arrives in cinemas worldwide. The Met has assembled a world-beating quartet of stars, conducted by Marco Armiliato, for the demanding principal roles. Soprano Lisette Oropesa and tenor Lawrence Brownlee are Elvira and Arturo, brought together by love and torn apart by the political rifts of the English Civil War, with baritone Artur Ruciński as Riccardo, betrothed to Elvira against her will, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as Elvira’s sympathetic uncle, Giorgio. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

To purchase tickets, click on the link below to your closest theater.

Preston Crossing 16

Cinemark Tinseltown USA and XD

Mall of St Matthews

Phoenix New Albany

The Metropolitan opera, live in hd - Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chénier

*This is not an official ICI event, we are sharing information about this opportunity to see Italian opera.

Giordano’s passionate tragedy stars tenor Piotr Beczała as the virtuous poet who falls victim to the intrigue and violence of the French Revolution. Following their celebrated recent partnership in Giordano’s Fedora in the 2022–23 Live in HD season, Beczała reunites with soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Chénier’s aristocratic lover, Maddalena di Coigny, with baritone Igor Golovatenko as Carlo Gérard, the agent of the Reign of Terror who seals their fates. Met Principal Guest Conductor Daniele Rustioni takes the podium to lead Nicolas Joël’s gripping staging, which will be transmitted live from the Met stage to cinemas on December 13. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

To purchase tickets, click on the link below to your closest theater.

Preston Crossing 16

Cinemark Tinseltown USA and XD

Mall of St Matthews

Phoenix New Albany

Join us for an italian-themed holiday evening

Please join the ICI at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 11 at the Hunting Creek Country Club. There will be music, videos, delicious food and wonderful company!

Dinner-Buffet:

Aperitivo:

• Arancini

• Charcuterie skewers with pesto drizzle

Pasta Buffet:

• Sauces: marinara, alfredo, pesto

• Meats: meatball, chicken, grilled shrimp

Other Entrees

• Chicken parmigiana

• Salad with dressings

Dolci:

• Tiramisu

• Italian Cream Cake

Liquor: 2 beverage tickets included for choice of wine, beer, or well cocktails (additional alcohol available at cash bar)

The cost: $99.50 per person

We look forward to sharing a festive evening with ICI members and friends. Ci Vediamo!

The Metropolitan opera, live in hd - GiAcomo Puccini’s LA BOHèME

*This is not an official ICI event, we are sharing information about this opportunity to see Italian opera.

With its enchanting setting and spellbinding score, the world’s most popular opera is as timeless as it is heartbreaking. Franco Zeffirelli’s picture-perfect production brings 19th-century Paris to the Met stage as Puccini’s young friends and lovers navigate the joy and struggle of bohemian life. Soprano Juliana Grigoryan is the feeble seamstress Mimì, opposite tenor Freddie De Tommaso as the ardent poet Rodolfo. Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts the November 8 performance, which will be transmitted live from the Met stage to cinemas worldwide. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe. 

To purchase tickets, click on the link below to your closest theater.

Preston Crossing 16

Cinemark Tinseltown USA and XD

Mall of St Matthews

Phoenix New Albany

Habemus papam (WE have a pope) FilM

The Italian Cultural Institute will be showing Nanni Moretti’s warm and witty comedy We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam) on Sunday, August 10 at the University of Louisville’s Chao Auditorium. The film lasts one hour and forty two minutes and begins at 4:00 PM.  It will be in Italian, with English subtitles. A Pope who never wanted to be Pope disappears, and the cardinals who elected him have to stay in Rome until the situation is resolved. A psychiatrist tries to help. 

All are invited to gather at the Italian restaurant Sarino in Germantown after the movie. Sarino is located at 1030 Goss Avenue, off Eastern Parkway, almost immediately on your left.

Food and drink are not allowed in the Chao Auditorium.

Please RSVP using the form below.

October Lecture with Sante Matteo, Professor Emeritus of Italian Studies, Miami University, Oxford, OH

The ICI is excited to host Professor Sante Matteo, Professor Emeritus of Italian Studies to present "Garibaldi and Pinocchio: Risorgimento with No Strings Attached?"

Abstract:

After decades of agitation and insurgency, known as the Risorgimento (Resurgence), and following two Wars of Independence (1848 and 1859), the patchwork of states that made up the Italian Peninsula finally became a unified nation in 1861.

In 1882, the Kingdom of Italy and the first “Italians” turned twenty-one. What coming-of-age presents did they get for their birth year?

One keepsake that would become known, adopted, and loved throughout the world was a puppet with no strings: Pinocchio, whose adventures were published that year.

Another birth-year gift to the country was the celebration and elevation to the Pantheon of Great Italians of the Risorgimento’s best-known hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi, upon his death in 1882.

As new Italians celebrated the young country’s coming of age, millions of others emigrated, severing their ties to their homeland to start lives elsewhere.

When new states are created, old strings to previous allegiances and identities are severed, and new strings to different conditions and requirements take their place. The Adventures of Pinocchio, along with Garibaldi’s real-life adventures as the Hero of Two Worlds, serve as manuals of how to “create Italians.”

Please join the ICI Board for our sixth annual Progressive Dinner!

Itinerary + Details:

Stop 1: Meet at Bristol Bar & Grille at 5:30 p.m.
1321 Bardstown Road
Antipasti included (two savory meatballs with Henry Bains, an artichoke fritter and green chili wonton)

Stop 2: Secondo and Dolce at ROC
1327 Bardstown Road
Your choice entrée and dessert included

Entrée Options:

• FETTUCCINE BOLOGNESE with a traditional meat sauce

• PENNE CON SALSA VODKA with vegetables

• MERLUZZO AL LIMONE: cod fish fillet with lemon sauce and wilted spinach

• PETTO DI POLLO CON FUNGHI; chicken breast with mushrooms, bourbon sauce, asparagus and mashed potatoes

• SCALOPPINE DI VITELLO AL PROSCIUTTO: veal scaloppine with prosciutto and mozzarella and wilted spinach 

Dessert Options:

• PANNA COTTA ALLA FRAGOLA: strawberry panna cotta with stracciatella gelato

• TORTA “CAPRESE": chocolate and toasted almond cake with whipped cream

• ROC TIRAMISU: with mascarpone cream, lady fingers and espresso

*Cash bar on your own at each venue for beer, wine, spirits and other beverages

FESTEGGIAMO CON DEL CIBO MERAVIGLIOSO!

Please consider getting a Lyft/Uber home.

Cooking at the Cottage

Demonstration and Dinner Event

What: Delicious three-course Italian dinner demonstrated and prepared on site by Italian chef Sandra Gugliotta of Delizie Italiane restaurant

Where: Cooking at the Cottage located at 3729 Lexington Road

When: June 19, Thursday, from 6:30-9:00 pm

Cost per person: $70.00 (includes a three-course dinner, two glasses of wine, and gratuity)

MENU

Antipasti/appetizers:

Panzanella Romana

(bread loaf topped with a garden vegetable salad and soaked with the juice)

Crostini di prosciutto cotto e formaggio

(roasted rosemary ham, taleggio cheese, gruyere cheese, and onion on toasted crusty bread and served warm)

Primi

Fettuccine paglia e fieno con panna piselli e funghi

(spinach infused and traditional egg noodle fettuccine tossed in a rich cream sauce with mushrooms, peas, onions, prosciutto, butter and cheese)

Tortellini con ragu di carne (cheese filled tortellini pasta with a hearty meat ragu)

Dolci

Crostata (lemon butter crust topped with jam - apricot, raspberry, or tart cherry)

Panna cotta con frutta (traditional Italian custard topped with fruit)

Because of great interest in this event (expressed in our recent survey) and a maximum capacity of 36 attendees, MEMBERS ONLY (plus one guest) may sign up for this evening beginning NOW through April 15. If availability remains after this deadline, non-members may then sign up through April 18.

Grazie mille for your responses to our survey. What a deliciously fun evening this will be!

ICI Bookclub: The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler

The Italian Cultural Institute of Louisville now sponsors a book discussion group for dues paid members.  Any member of ICI is welcome to suggest a book. We are looking for serious and enjoyable stories and issues about Italian culture, past and present, and we would very much like the person who suggests a book to attend and facilitate the discussion. The book to be discussed will be announced to members two months in advance of the gathering, which will be at the residence of a host. A facilitator will open the conversation.  

The maximum number of discussants will be ten.  All ten slots need to be applied for in advance.  Should there be more than ten applicants, there will be a waiting list. Discussions will probably run an hour and a quarter, which should leave time for light snacks and socializing. Once a clear list of attendees has been formed, they will be given instructions about how to reach the host’s house.

To get things started,  we want to have a discussion of the highly regarded The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler, by David Kertzer, on Monday, May 19, 2025.  Sal Vicario will host, Tom Van will facilitate, 4:00 to 6:00 pm. If you want to be one of the ten discussants, please contact Tom Van at thomasanthonyvan@gmail.com within the next few weeks.

When:  Monday, May 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Where: Address to be given out to attendees prior to meeting

Cost to sign up:  No cost

The fundraiser is open to ICI, your friends, and all who dine in during the evening – No reservations required

When:  April 28, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Where:  2636 Frankfort Ave

Mid-August Lunch FilM

The Italian Cultural Institute of Louisville will be showing Gianni di Gregorio’s Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto) on Sunday, April 27 at the University of Louisville’s Chao Auditorium.  The film lasts one hour and fifteen minutes and will begin at 4:00 pm. It will be in Italian, with English subtitles.  It is a gentle and hilarious tale about great food and feisty ladies during a very Roman holiday. The movie is free.  Bring your mother or someone else’s mother.

Food and drink are not allowed in the Chao Auditorium.

Please RSVP using the form below.

*This event has been cancelled.

You’re invited to join us for our first Carnevale since 2019!

We’ve planned an evening celebrating Carnevale and the last days of feasting, before 40 days of fasting begins!

When:  Monday, March 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Where:  The University Club on the U of L Campus (free close proximity parking is provided)

Cost to sign up:  $95.00 per person, tax and gratuity included

This year’s Carnevale will be “A Carnevale Costume Cocktail Party”.

You’ll be greeted by a welcoming glass of Prosecco and Michael O’Brian playing Italian music on his classic Italian accordion. Following Michael, you’ll be treated to an Italian concert by the Louisville Mandolin Orchestra, led by Michael Schroeder. All this while mingling with fellow Italian enthusiasts.

Fare will be generous, tabled Italian hors d’oeuvre and a cash bar, credit cards accepted.

If you have a costume or Carnevale mask, come dressed and masked for the celebration! If you don’t have either, masks will be available for your use that evening.

Space is limited to 40 attendees, so make reservations early. Preference will be given to those supporters who have joined as members in the 2025 season. If you haven’t renewed your membership, now is the time. If you don’t know whether you’ve already joined, email at tim.m2115@gmail.com.

RSVP by Monday, February 24

Esperienza’s Emilia-Romagna Presentation

Let’s all get together for food, fun, and a terrific travelogue!

When:  January 26, Sunday, at 12:30 pm

Where:  Parlour pizza restaurant, 2636 Frankfort Ave.

What:  Lunch in the patio room reserved just for us along with a special audiovisual presentation by ICI member Jessica Schumacher about her unique travel and learning experiences with Esperienza in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. You may read about this program at: esperienza.org. 

Cost to sign up:  $5.00 per person (a donation to the ICI Scholarship Fund)

Cost for lunch:  Everyone will order a la carte from the menu.

Signup begins NOW! The RSVP deadline is January 23.

Italian for Travelers 2025

Italiano per Viaggiatori

ICI’s popular Italian language lessons are back for 2025. These ten classes will be taught via Zoom just in time for visiting Italy in the spring!

• January 11, 18, 25

• February 1, 8, 15, 22

• March 1, 8, 15

Saturday mornings from 10:30 am – 12 noon

Fee per student: $195.00

Class format: For study before each class, teacher Francesca Reggiani* will email to the students for printing at home the material to be taught during that session. During class, there will be teacher and students interacting along with PowerPoint. These classes will offer basic grammar and vocabulary along with immersive (in Italian) short phrases and sentences helpful for travel in Italy.

Sign up for these classes begins NOW through January 4, 2025. This date, one week before classes begin, is also the deadline for cancellation with refund! Class size will be set at a maximum of 20 students with the possibility of adding another session, if needed, to follow on the same dates.

To register, please pay online by credit card and also provide your email and cell number as your contact information for Francesca and ICI.

If you need further information, please email:

• Donna McCoy, ICI coordinator, Italian for Travelers

• donna.mccoy52@gmail.com

After enrollment, communication will be direct between you and Francesca. Also, if you have specific questions concerning course content, you may contact her at: francescareggiani@hotmail.com

We’re excited to have you participate with ICI in these fun and excellent classes for travel in Italy!

*Francesca lives in Louisville but is a native of Mantova Italy. She is delightful, fun, and passionate about teaching the Italian language and culture and has a degree in foreign languages and literature from the University of Parma and a master’s degree in teaching the Italian language and literature from the University of Siena. You’ll love learning from her!

BENVENUTI!

“Francesca is fantastic and the content is perfetto. The class is well worth the money. The instructor is Italian (and wonderful) and the material is perfect for a traveler wanting to show respect for the Italian language while in Italy. The Zoom format works well and provides opportunity to interact live with the teacher and the other students.” Rob Garbus, former Italian for Travelers student, 2-17-2024

Join us for a festive buffet with live music!

Please join the ICI at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 10 at the iconic Hurstbourne Country Club, for a scrumptious and festive holiday buffet with music provided by a string quartet comprised of Stephen Taylor, a first violinist for the Louisville Orchestra, and his colleagues at SMT Music.

The Country Club was established in 1966 on what was then Highbaugh Farms. The Clubhouse is the former Lyndon Hall, originally a small farmhouse built in 1864, but remodeled in the 1920s into a 30,000 square foot 60 room mansion.

The Menu:

Selection of Hors d'oeuvres

Liquor: choice of one call spirit or house wine or beer (additional alcohol available at cash bar)

Dinner-Buffet:

Salads:

• Warm Puttanesca salad--crispy prosciutto, herbs, orzo pasta, olives, capers, tomato

• Grilled radicchio salad--crispy prosciutto, blue cheese, apples, crispy pancetta, honey champagne dressing

Entrees:

• Seared salmon fillet-Chilean salmon-lemon beurre blanc

• Chicken Florentine-breaded and seared-lemon spinach cream sauce

Sides:

• Roasted Mediterranean vegetables

• Parmesan Risotto

Dessert: Lemon Panna Cotta-basil, mint, blueberries

The cost: $130.00 per person

Don't miss out on what promises to be a most enjoyable evening!

Buon Natale, Buone Vacanze, Felice Hanukkah!

Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic journey!

When the ICI Board of Directors learned of this Louisville Orchestra Pops Concert featuring Rick Steves, we immediately chose this for our November event and arranged with the LO’s Membership and Patron office to hold 30 group-rate tickets for ICI through October 1, after which they will go on sale to the public for the regular price. These tickets for ICI priced at $44.25 each (a 15% discount with no added fees) are for excellent seating in the Orchestra Front Right on Rows P and Q, seats 41-55. Conveniently purchase your tickets using your credit card by phoning the Louisville Orchestra office directly. (Normally there is an additional fee of 12% for this direct purchase which has been generously waived for ICI.) All tickets are non-refundable.

These tickets are available NOW for purchase only through October 1 by ICI members and any of our welcome guests at ICI events who regularly receive our email announcements. Everyone please limit your purchase to one seat plus one guest.

Phone the Louisville Orchestra office directly to buy your tickets: 502-587-8681. Office hours: M-F, 9am-5pm.

Why not make a night of it with a pre-theater dinner at Vincenzo’s restaurant just across the street from the Kentucky Center! Note: ICI will not organize a dinner for this event. Be sure to phone Vincenzo’s directly to reserve. Vincenzo’s: 502-580-1350 or go to vincenzositalianrestaurant.com to reserve online.

ICI has once again “set the table” for one of our most popular events, the Progressive Dinner, at two of Louisville’s premier Italian restaurants.

We’ll first meet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25, at DiFabio’s (2311 Frankfort Ave.) for an appetizer plate of bruschetta, arancini, stuffed mushroom, and a meatball. A glass of red or white wine is included.

Then we’ll stroll across the street to the private dining room at Volare Italian Ristorante (2300 Frankfort Ave.) for your choice of entrée, a glass of red or white wine, and Tiramisu.

The cost is $105 per person, inclusive of appetizer, entrée, dessert, two glasses of wine (one at each restaurant), and gratuities. Optional cocktails may be purchased at time of event.

Itinerary + Details:

Stop 1: Meet at DiFabio’s at 5:30 p.m.
2311 Frankfort Ave
Antipasti and glass of wine included.

Stop 2: Secondo and Dolce at Volare
2300 Frankfort Avenue
Your choice entrée, glass of wine, and Tiramisu included.

• RAVIOLI VODKA: House made ricotta ravioli, sweet green peas in a creamy tomato vodka sauce

• LASAGNA AL FORNO: Sixteen layers of spinach pasta baked with pork, beef, mozzarella, plum tomatoes, basil, and ricotta

• SALTIMBOCCA DE VITELLO: Veal sautéed with prosciutto, sage, and mozzarella in a white wine butter sauce

• FILETTO DI SALMONE: Cast iron seared Faroe Islands sustainable salmon with a lemon dill compound butter and marinated bell peppers, served over a carrot puree and braised savoy cabbage

• PARMIGIANA DI POLLO: Chicken parmesan Lightly breaded and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella, served with pasta marinara

Mmmm, deliziosa!

RSVP by September 20, 2024 as seating is limited. We look forward to seeing you!

Please consider getting a Lyft/Uber home.

The Terracotta dog Film & Discussion

The Italian Cultural Institute of Louisville invites you and family and friends to view an Italian movie, The Mystery of the Terra Cotta Dog, on Sunday, August 18 in the Chao Auditorium of the University of Louisville Library. The movie will have English sub-titles. It is 1 hour and 42 minutes long and will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m.. We hope that people who want to discuss the movie will join us afterward at nearby restaurant BoomBozz Craft Pizza and Tap House on Bardstown Road, right by Eastern Parkway. (No charge for the movie, but you are responsible for your food and drink at BoomBozz.)

The movie is an episode in the extremely popular television series Detective Montalbano, starring Luca Zingaretti, all of them based on the international best-selling mysteries of the Sicilian writer Andrea Camilleri. It has a plot within a plot. The case begins with the “capture” of an old Mafioso, whose dying words lead Montalbano to an illegal arms cache in a mountain cave, where he also discovers the remains of two young lovers, dead for fifty years and still embracing, watched over by a life-sized terra cotta dog. The full story of that is unforgettable.

Please RSVP by Monday, August 12. See you there!

A Tour Guided by head curator, Dr. Bell, fellow Italophile

We are happy to announce that the Italian Cultural Institute has scheduled a tour of the Cincinnati Art Museum for Saturday, July 13, starting promptly at 2 pm. The museum’s head Curator, Doctor Peter Jonathan Bell, has kindly agreed to lead our tour. Doctor Bell is known in America for his work on Italian Renaissance and Baroque Art. Before coming to Cincinnati, Doctor Bell was a curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is an ardent Italophile.

The tour is $15 for each individual. 

The museum has a snack bar and a pleasant restaurant, both open from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm daily. (The museum opens at 11:00 am and closes at 5:00 pm.) The museum website is excellent, and should answer your immediate questions. There will be no admission charge, and parking is free. If you need a ride, ICI will try to help.

If at all possible, please make your reservations immediately as the ICI expects a strong demand for places on this tour and we will need to give the museum the list of reserved places by July 3.

We hope to see you in Cincinnati!

A Delightful Dinner at Delizie Italiane on June 14!

Ciao a tutti (hello everyone)! Mark your calendar now for dinner at 6:30 pm on Friday, June 14 and reserve for a delightful evening together at Delizie Italiane just up the road in Buckner, KY. This lovely little hidden gem owned by native Italian and chef Sandra Gugliotta has become a destination restaurant near Louisville for delicious autentica cucina italiana (authentic Italian cuisine).

The menu for this private ICI dinner will include a choice from each of these categories: a salad, an entrée, and a dessert. All pasta is housemade, as are other authentic offerings. Included also are non-alcoholic beverages of your choice. Wine glasses will be available for you to “bring your own bottle.” (No alcohol is sold at the venue.)

Primi:

Gamberi (shrimp) al insalata

Insalate caprese

Insalata del Orto (mixed salad)

Secondi:

Pappardelle con granchio (crabmeat) al limone

Tortellini con panna e piselli (prosciutto and peas)

Lasagne (ragu di carne)

Carre’ di maiale (pork) di arrosto

Dolci:

Tiramisu

Torta caprese cioccolata fondente and mandorle (chocolate and almond cake with whipped cream)

The all-inclusive cost (fees, tax, and 20% gratuity) of this dinner per person is $86.00. Click here to reserve and pay by credit card. No food choice is required when reserving; you will choose when arriving for dinner. RSVP deadline is Monday, June 10.

The restaurant is located at: 4300 KY Hwy-146, Buckner KY. This is only a 20 minute drive from Louisville on I-71 N to exit 17. Turn left onto KY-146 E/Lagrange Rd. In 2 minutes you’ll arrive at Delizie Italiane on the right (located in the historic former train station). There is parking beside the building.

We invite you to Google this restaurant and take a look at the Facebook page for photos and details of the above food offerings.

See you soon at Delizie Italiane! Invite your friends to come along!

Join ICI for a truly delightful evening at ROC Restaurant, 1327 Bardstown Road.

We will enjoy delicious Italian cuisine along with a presentation by owner and chef Rocco Cadolini as he recounts his history as a restauranteur in NYC and now at ROC in Louisville. Come for the evening “dressed like an Italian” whether you choose from your Armani closet or the Godfather one (optional but divertente...fun!).

The cost of $82.50 per person will include a salad, choice of entree, and dessert, along with tax and tip. Any drinks will be purchased separately. Please sign up now and indicate your choice of entrée. The deadline to RSVP is April 14.

ROC Dinner Menu

Appetizer:

MISTICANZA of Fresh Greens with shallot-mustard dressing

Choice of Entrée (five options): 

PENNE ALLA VODKA with vegetables

RIGATONI BOLOGNESE with meat sauce

MERLUZZO AL LIMONE - codfish filet with lemon sauce and wilted spinach

PETTO DI POLLO CON FUNGHI – chicken breast with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes

LOMBATA DI MAIALE PARMIGIANA – pork chop parmigiana with broccoli

Dolce:

TRADITIONAL TIRAMISU made with mascarpone cream, lady fingers, and espresso

Join us for a wine-pairing event Wednesday, March 20!

This event Includes Italian appetizers (antipasti) with wine pairings from various regions of Italy to complement the food. Sommelier John Johnson will present specific details relative to each wine, including describing specific grapes and qualities that make each wine distinctive and characteristic.

The cost is $55 per person and all are welcome to attend—so invite your friends and family! Please RSVP by Friday, March 15.

Ci vediamo, See you there!

Dear Friends of Louisville's ICI,

The weather and the ICI go on. ICI is a good bit warmer. Everyone is welcome to an impromptu gathering at Caffe Classico on Tuesday, February 6, at 6:00 PM. We want to be together to thank Adrian Pellegrini for his leadership and planning as President of ICI. He is stepping down, and it will not be easy to replace him, but let’s be together to remember all he has done. It will also be a good time to talk about what we would like to see in future programs, and generally to just “catch up.”  

We will order individually from the menu at Caffe Classico. Please make room in your schedule for Tuesday, February 6th at 6:00 PM at Caffe Classico, and please register on this site, so that we can tell the restaurant who all is coming.  We are all looking forward to a special evening.

Your ICI 2024 ICI Board

*Please remember that ICI dues for 2024 are now due and that your dues make events and programs possible.

ICI Louisville invites you to our year-end celebration!

Please join us at the Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen for a holiday dinner. This year's celebration will be a wonderful dinner with some dancing and a presentation about Italian Wedding traditions and how they differ from American weddings.

The price of $100.00 per person includes a wonderful dinner, two drink tickets*, tax, tip, dancing, and beautiful setting.

*Any additional drinks are available on a CASH basis at the bar. No credit cards will be accepted. As always, please drink responsibly.

MENU

Appetizers & Cocktails

Arancini: Risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella cheese and gently fried

Bruschetta: Toasted Italian bread with diced Roma tomato, cilantro, and Italian spices

Soup

Italian Wedding Soup: A hearty soup with beef and pork meatballs, tender greens, and delicate pasta

Buffet Dinner

Caprese Salad

Caesar Salad

Roasted Herb Potatoes

Roasted Zucchini and Squash

Roasted Asparagus

Seared Chicken with Fennel and Golden Raisins

Branzino Piccata: Mediterranean Sea Bass with a light sauce of Pino Grigio, butter, lemon, and capers

Dessert

Millefoglie: “Thousand Layers” of puff pastry and Italian Cream

We hope to suspend reality for an evening and have a festive and light-hearted celebration of the new year (and hope) to come.

ICI Louisville is pleased to bring back the popular Italian Progressive Dinner!

Cost is $147.50 per person, including tax and gratuity. Any additional requests will be made at the guest's expense. 36 seats are available on the trolley. We cannot accept same-day sign-up or payment so please RSVP beforehand by Sunday, October 15.

Here’s what’s included:
Itinerary + Details:

Stop 1: Meet at ICI President's Home at 5:00 p.m.
Crescent Hill, (address to come later) 
Antipasti and Prosecco included. Trolley will leave around 6:15 p.m.

Stop 2: Primo at Volare (arrive around 6:30 p.m.)
2300 Frankfort Avenue
Your choice one pasta dish and glass of wine

• Gemelli Pasta with Vodka Sauce: house made gemelli pasta with sweet green peas in a creamy tomato vodka sauce

• Pappardelle alla Boscaiola: house made pappardelle pasta tossed with sautéed mushrooms, bacon and a demi-glace cream sauce

Stop 3: Secondo at Porcini (arrive around 7:30 p.m.)
2730 Frankfort Avenue

Your choice one entrée and glass of wine

• Salmone alla Griglia: fresh grilled salmon, honey and blood orange glaze with bed of Tuscan beans, pancetta, sautéed spinach, cherry tomato, and roasted garlic

• Pollo Al Marsala: sautéed chicken breast, Marsala wine sauce, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and fresh vegetable 

Stop 4: Dolce e Caffé at ICI President's Home (arrive around 9:00 p.m.)
Crescent Hill, (address to come later) 
Light desserts and coffee included. 

Please consider getting a Lyft/Uber home.

We look forward to seeing you!

<<This event is sold out>>

Come join us at The Wine Rack for a wonderful evening tasting Italian beverages (and pizza)!

John Johnson will be leading tastings of 5 important Italian beverages. This will include samples of and information about Amaro, Vermouth, Sambuca, the Negroni and the Aperol Spritz. Also included will be charcuterie, Italian of course. The price is $22.50 per person, for the samples and Italian charcuterie.

After the sampling, we plan to migrate next door to Parlour for pizza, to continue the fun. Note there will be separate checks here. Please let us know if you plan to join us for pizza so we can make a reservation ahead of time.

Limited to 30 spots due to space constraints at The Wine Rack.

Craving Italy? Join us for a Grand Tour of Italian Art at the Speed Art Museum, led by our intrepid tour guide and fellow member, Jessica Schumacher, followed by “un bel pranzo” by Wiltshire at the Speed.

The price is $52.50 for both the art tour and lunch. The luncheon includes a Grilled Chicken Antipasto Salad Platter, Olive Oil Cake with Rosemary and Orange Zest and a beverage. Prosecco and Wine will be offered individually for an additional cost.

While the Tour starts at 12:15 pm, we encourage members to arrive at Noon to get settled for a short pre-tour presentation. Please gather around the Italian tour flag between the first-floor elevators to proceed to the presentation and the start of the tour. Follow the flag!

Limited to 24 spots.