L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY ing five pairs of coach tickets on its new Seattle-to-Rome nonstop flight. Raffle draw- ings will be held during the film festival. A m b a s s a d o r P e r o n a c i began his visit to the West Coast in San Francisco on November 5, where he was s c h e d u l e d t o a t t e n d t h e Marconi Awards, an event celebrating Guglielmo Mar- coni's legacy and the contri- butions of Italian innovation to science and technology. Visits to northern California tech companies and busi- nesses rounded out his agen- da. In addition to the Casa I t a l i a n a r e c e p t i o n , P e r - onaci's itinerary in Seattle i n c l u d e d a m e e t i n g w i t h Mayor Katie Wilson, and vis- its to some of the region's leading industrial and tech- nology companies, such as B o e i n g , A m a z o n a n d Microsoft. Since 2021, Casa Italiana has cemented its reputation days, the festival will show- case 12 curated Italian films, an opening night party, spe- cial visits from a handful of Italian directors and actors whose films are featured, and opportunities for area film lovers and Seattle's Ital- ian community to meet and connect. For the second year, this e a g e r l y a w a i t e d c u l t u r a l event will be presented by two volunteer-driven non- profit associations, Il Punto and Seattle Perugia Sis- t e r C i t y A s s o c i a t i o n . When these groups reached out to the local Italian and Italian American communi- ties for financial, volunteer a n d i n - k i n d s u p p o r t , t h e r e s u l t s w e r e i m m e d i a t e . D o n a t i o n s f a r e x c e e d e d expectations. One of the major donors to the film festival is Alaska Airlines. As a presenting sponsor, the Seattle-based airline made a financial con- tribution and is also donat- a s a p l a c e w h e r e I t a l i a n nationals can celebrate their I t a l i a n h e r i t a g e , m a k e friends, and represent their country thousands of miles from home, while its full cal- e n d a r o f p r e s e n t a t i o n s , exhibits, language classes and events helps spread the culture among local Italian A m e r i c a n s a n d I t a l i a n enthusiasts. The work of its board and volunteers, and the generosi- ty of donors, have enabled the center to add two new event halls, including the Desimone Hall on the sec- ond floor where the Peronaci reception was held. Casa Italiana also houses a l i b r a r y w i t h m o r e t h a n 3,500 items; a small café called Rizzo Piazza where visitors can order espresso drinks, pastries and light meals; and the office of the Honorary Consul of Italy. Casa Italiana is located at 1 3 0 2 8 1 s t A v e n u e S i n Burien, Washington. event, Massimo Carnelos pointed out that, after San Francisco, Seattle has the largest and most interesting economic system among the West Coast states under his j u r i s d i c t i o n , a h u g e g e o - g r a p h i c a r e a t h a t c o v e r s Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Mon- t a n a , O r e g o n , U t a h a n d W a s h i n g t o n a s w e l l a s northern California and the t e r r i t o r i e s . I t s s t r a t e g i c importance has spurred Car- nelos to visit Seattle more frequently in the past year. Continuing to emphasize the theme of collaboration and networking, Elisabetta Valentini praised Seattle's Italian community for its o n g o i n g s u p p o r t o f l o c a l events. "Coming together is our superpower," she said. "Together we make a team." As a case in point, Valen- tini noted that November 18- 22 will be the dates for the C i n e m a I t a l i a n S t y l e 2 0 2 6 , n o w i n i t s 1 8 t h year. Over the course of five I n the five years since i t o p e n e d , C a s a I t a l i a n a h a s emerged as the pre- ferred gathering spot f o r I t a l i a n s a n d I t a l i a n Americans in Puget Sound. It came as no surprise, then, that the community center, located in Burien, was the site of a reception on November 7 honoring the arrival of Marco Peronaci, Ambassador of Italy. It was a momentous occasion, marking the first official visit of an Italian ambassador to Washington state in 14 years. Event hosts that evening were Elisabetta Valentini, Honorary Consul of Italy in Seattle, and Massimo Carnelos, Consul Gener- al of Italy in San Francis- c o . A brief program with remarks was followed by a dinner buffet provided by r e s t a u r a n t s a n d f o o d i m p o r t e r s f r o m t h e l o c a l community, including Due' Cucina, Big John's PFI and N d u j a B e l l a . A c a p a c i t y crowd of 130 guests turned out to enjoy the festivities. Peronaci, appointed Ital- ian ambassador in Septem- b e r 2 0 2 5 , c e n t e r e d h i s remarks on community, col- laboration and Italy-US part- nerships – a concept taken to heart by the Italians and Ital- ian Americans who gathered that evening. "There are many talents among Italians that are help- ing drive the future," said Peronaci, a career diplomat who was born in Pavia and speaks five languages. "To ensure that Italian business- es can accelerate this collab- oration, we must have more contact with local communi- ties such as yours. You are strategic to our country's growth." Peronaci went on to note t h a t t h e W e s t C o a s t h a s e m e r g e d i n t h e p a s t f e w d e c a d e s a s a n e n g i n e o f innovation and economic growth, and that Italy needs to tap into that strength and energy. "The future is being built in Seattle," he said, "whether in aerospace, artifi- cial intelligence or digital infrastructure. We need to b u i l d a s t r o n g e r n e t w o r k here that we can utilize. Sup- porting companies on the W e s t C o a s t i s c r u c i a l t o Italy's economic growth, par- ticularly in technology." A t t h e C a s a I t a l i a n a C a s a I t a l i a n a h o s t s i n a u g u r a l v i s i t b y Italian Ambassador Marco Peronaci RITA CIPALLA Left: during his remarks at Casa Italiana, as Consul General Massimo Carnelos and Honorary Consul Elisabetta Valentini look on, Ambassador Marco Peronaci stressed the importance of community, collaboration and cross-cultural partnerships (Photo: Dale Smith); right: events such as the annual Cinema Italian Style bring together the local Italian and Italian American communities; this year's film festival dates are November 18-22 (Photo: Il Punto)

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