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Welcome to the Colorado Italian American Heritage WebsiteClick to enlarge




Deadline Extended for Plates —The deadline on the special Italian American license plate has been extended to July, 2016. This means that we have another four years to reach the goal of 3,000 plates issued for the special Italian American license plate to become permanent. Since we only need for another 500 or so of these special plates to be issued, we should easily reach this goal. But we need your help. If you haven't gotten your Italian American license plates, go here to learn more.

Home Sweet Home! — The Italians of America have a new home and are proud of it. Their new, spacious Event Hall is located at 9540 W. 58th Ave., in Arvada (map). The main room has seating capacity for up to 75, two regulation size, indoor bocce courts, and plenty of parking for events. Rental of the hall is available for all types of events: birthday parties, wedding receptions, meetings, bocce play or tournaments, and so on. For more information call Tom Ligrani at 720-299-8325.

Let's Go to the Circus — Yes, the Zoppè Italian Family Circus will be in town this summer! Don't miss this authentic European circus. The Zoppè family has been entertaining young and old all over the world since 1842 and they will be in Wheat Ridge August 17th through 26th. Watch the calendar for details.

A Brief History of Potenza Lodge — In 2005 the North Denver Tribune featured an article tracing the history of Nativi di Potenza Basilicata and how it fit in with the cultural societies that were a feature of the Little Italy community in Denver and other Italian American communities around the state of Colorado. Carmela Zarlengo (Tirolesi-Trentini del Colorado) found the paper among some old newspapers she was disposing of and passed this edition of the Tribune on to me. Thanks to her we now have a scanned copy of this article on our Resources page. Click here to read a brief history of the Potenza Lodge.

Scavenger Hunt! — It's time to pay a visit to the garage, to the attic, and to the basement and look for copies of those old Colorado Italian newspapers that you have saved in boxes and trunks. Dr. Rebecca Hunt hopes to preserve these newspapers by scanning and then archiving them here in Colorado. To learn more visit our new webpage devoted to this valuable and worthwhile project and how you might help.

Denver Little Italy Project — Our web site now has a page devoted to the Denver Little Italy project spearheaded by IABA president, Mary Lombardi Dye, and architect/designer, Tony Polisi. Learn about the dream and inspiration of an Italian piazza in "The Bottoms" and follow the progress towards making this dream a reality. The Denver Little Italy page is located at Our Italian Heritage/Denver Little Italy in the navigation menu or click here.

Andiamo has a new owner — We are pleased to see Andiamo, the newspaper of the Italian American community of Colorado, continuing to be published now under the new and capable ownership of Jenna Capra. Although Jenna has been publishing the new Andiamo since August, many of us saw our first issue (September) when Jenna spoke at the Colorado Italian American Forum on Saturday, August 27th, 2011, and distributed copies. The new Andiamo features many interesting and useful features in it's colorful format, such as "A Page in Time" with old photos and "Parliamo un Po" with its mini Italian lesson complete with an Italian riddle. So be sure to watch out for Andiamo, available free in many locations throughout the region. Andiamo is also available by subscription for $30 a year delivered directly to your home or business. Visit the Andiamo web site at www.andiamocolorado.com where you will find the locations where it is distributed for free as well as subscription information and more.

Parli Italiano? — If not, get to the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver web site subito. They are offering a wide range of Italian classes from beginner to advanced and even an immersion class for those who already speak the language well. There's also a class in Italian for travelers. All the classes are held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. For more information about the Italian language classes and their full range of Italian cultural classes visit the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver web site.

 

 

 

  • Play Bocce — Get that team together and join the Sons of Italy Lodge 2075 in a tournament. Check the calendar for details.

  • Rev Up Your Engines —....and head out to the Rodder's Ball in May. Check the calendar for details.

  • Expo, Expo! — IABA is holding their annual exposition for Italian businesses. Check it out and grab some great eats as well. See the May calendar.

  • Shotgun Annie — Great out that old shotgun and join the Sons of Italy New Generation for a shotgun competition. See the May calendar for details.

  • Andiamo — The April issue of Andiamo is now available. Visit the Andiamo website to find out how you can get the latest Andiamo.

  • Ride the Plains — See places like Welby and Platteville. Eat well. All with the Sons of Italy New Generation. See the May calendar for details.

  • Prima Domenica — Mass in Italian at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on the first Sunday of the month. See the calendar for details.  
  • Newsletters— Fiori d'Italia's February newsletter is out now and can be viewed here. Visit the Columbus Day Parade Committee web site for the April newsletter....The February newsletter for the Dante Alighieri Society of Denver is now online. The April Bulletin for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church is available online.

 


  • Time to Clean Out the Garage — Swap meet/garage sale with the Italians of America. Check out the June calendar.

  • Flapjacks Anyone? — Support the Columbus Day Parade by eating breakfast with them in July. Check out the calendar.

  • Show Your Stuff — A car and bike show. A charitable event in support of the Tennyson Center for Children. See the July calendar.
  • Zoppé — The Zoppé Family Circus is coming to town. Watch for more information in the future. In the meantime, check out the August calendar and this story and video from Tucson.