L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURS DAY,   APRIL  18,   2013 PAGE  19 Local spotlight – Convivio Society ANDREW BAGLEY Visitors and residents strolling and rolling north along India street in Little Italy may have found a good reason to cross the street at Hawthorne instead of the customary left turn at the corner after Mona Lisa. Continue north and you'll find Little Italy's newest resident on the block - Convivio Society. A Convivio celebration with soprano Cristina Fontanelli Located in a beautiful brick building on the ground floor with almost 4,000 sq. feet, founder, Tom Cesarini was frantically organizing finishing touches on the newly remodeled space and confirmed it will be ready for its grand opening scheduled Saturday, April 27 coinciding with Art Walk. After almost a year, doors will finally open and visitors are invited to come, browse, peruse and hang out, after all, this is a center and heritage museum to be exact. When asked what Convivio means, Tom responds, "The word itself means coming together, uniting. Enjoying life and enjoying the moment. When I founded Convivio, I focused on the questions, what is missing? What does the community want? And ultimately, it was some sort of heritage, preservation initiative and a roof over our head that we could call home; we were lacking that. A group home that all the community groups can share and that was the vision of Convivio and why I founded it. "It's been ten years since the founding of Convivio, in 2003. We started with projects and programs. We published a couple of books on the local history - Little Italy and the fishing industry. We developed archives with UCSD. These are all firsts for our community and the gaps that we were filling. We just kept on pushing forward till last year we found this space in Little Italy and this is the new home for the Convivio center. "Ultimately, there is a bigger vision. The bigger vision is to have a cultural institute, a large space where we have a language academy, a school, a café, archives, a research room, and a huge event center. Something tied to academia, partnered with the universities perhaps, all the other community groups and make this really a center for the The art of Dutch pop artist Hayo Sol–in San Diego at the Convivio Center Italian population in San Diego. And this is the start for us here in the community. If we have a venue, we can bring some pro- graming down from L.A. and maybe partnering up with the Italian Cultural Institute in Los Angeles." Apr. 18, Thurs. - Tower After Hours Italy - Museum of Man. 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Food, drink, dance, music, cultural knowledge, festive atmosphere. $12 members, $15 students and military, $25 non-members. Includes entrance to the museum, food tastings, beverages, and entertainment. For more information: www.museumofman.org/italy2013 Apr. 26, Fri. - Aida by Giuseppe verdi - San Diego Opera. 7:00 PM. Zandra Rhodes' astounding new production of this Verdi favorite. Featuring rising soprano superstar Latonia Moore. For more information: www.sdopera. com/promo/offer/italy Apr. 27 & 28, Sat./Sun. - The San Diego Wine Show - The Paddock, Del Mar Fairgrounds. Saturday: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM & Sunday: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Sample hundreds of selections from some of the Pacific Coast's finest wineries, including Freemark Abbey, Orfila Vineyards, Wilson Creek and many more. Savor wonderful whites and refreshing reds while schmoozing with sommeliers about all things wining and dining. For more information: www.sandiegowineshow.com Apr. 27 & 28, Sat./Sun. - Art Walk - Little Italy. More than 350 visual artists, 5 musical performance venues, Dance on the Edge curated dance event, art activities for families at kidswalk. Saturday: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM & Sunday: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. For more information: www.missionfederalartwalk.org Apr. 28, Sun. - House of Italy, Annual Lawn Program Balboa Park. 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Celebrate Italy with song, dance, and of course great Italian food! Live entertainment beginning at 2:00 PM on the House of Pacific Relations' outdoor stage. For more information: www.houseofitalysandiego.org

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