News

What an amazing evening of art history – specifically that of Pietro Perugino, il Perugino – presented by Rebecca Albiani, art historian and board member of SPSCA, at Horizon House in Seattle on May 30, 2023. Pietro Perugino (c. 1446/1452 – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. This lecture, along with a stunning exhibit of his work at Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria Perugia, celebrate the 500th anniversary of the passing of Il Perugino. The exhibit in Perugia continues until June 11, 2023.

Rebecca’s passion for - and expertise in – art history, and her lively, emotive presentation style delivered a fantastic lecture to our members and Horizon House residents in attendance.

May 21 was a special day in Umbria, the last day of the third annual “Civic Week,” Settimana Civica, which culminated in the March for Peace (La Marcia PerugiAssisi).

SPSCA is proud to have had two members of our organization participating in the 24km march from Perugia to Assisi: German Rodriguez, our president and longtime member, and member Winson Law, our May scholar, studying Italian at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia. It was a beautiful day and an important cause!

A short promotional video on La Marcia PerugiAssisi.

The 49th annual Seattle International Film Festival runs in person May 11–21, 2023 taking Seattle moviegoers on a cinematic odyssey at venues across the city, followed by a week of select films streaming on the SIFF Channel May 22–28. This year five Italian films are featured. Click here to learn more.

For information on all films and to purchase tickets go to: www.siff.net We hope to see you at the movies!

Grazie mille to those who joined us for a fun afternoon of wine tasting and antipasti at Casa Italiana Italian Cultural Center. We enjoyed sampling seven Italian wines from all over Italy, delicious appetizers provided by Board member and former restauranteur, Karen Binder, and great conversation. Among our guests at this sold-out event were long-time as well as new SPSCA members and special guests from Perugia, Sandford & Gosti, whose art was featured at our Migration Exhibit last fall in Perugia.

If you missed this one, we hope you will join us for future events.

Meet the President of the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association, Germán Rodriguez! Elected in 2021 and now serving his second year as president, many of you already know Germán from his 16+ years on the SPSCA Board doing work in our membership outreach, fundraising, De Poi and l'Universita per Stranieri scholarship committees, and the Sister-City market scheduled each fall in Perugia.

Germán retired in April 2021 from geriatric social work with Washington State, having done that for 25 years. He was born in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and began studying Italian in college. He came to Seattle in 1983 and continued to take Italian lessons, and has overseen our La Tavola Italiana bi-monthly Italian conversation group for many years. He also studied at l'Universita per Stranieri on SPSCA scholarship in 2013, and claims to be one of the descendents of Christopher Columbus himself!

President Rodriguez looks forward to the future and our continued relationship and sister city-hood with Perugia, Italy, all thanks to our members' support. "The cultural enrichment between the two countries is what you get with donating [to our organization], the ability of getting to know people from all over the world. Having experienced Perugia, I've met and kept in touch with people and places I didn't even know were in existence. It really opens your mind. I give thanks to the organization," commented President Rodriguez.

We look forward to Germán's leadership and all that we have on the horizon, stay tuned!