News and Past Events

SPSCA members met for a morning of gardening and planting at Piazza Perugia (aka Julia Lee's Park) . Located in the Madison Valley neighborhood of Seattle, Piazza Perugia is an outward symbol to our fellow community members of our city's special connection to the city and people of Perugia, and we love to keep it spruced up.

Thanks to the efforts of member Karen Rosatti, the City of Seattle Parks & Recreation Department supplied us with hosta plants selected for the park's landscaping. The City is now also working on the plumbling and electrical to get the watering system back on track, and they have committed to adding the park to their watering rotation.

A heartfelt grazie mille to CEO Joe Fugere and the amazing team at Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria for welcoming SPSCA members to their Culinary Innovation Hub in SODO! We had an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how this local gem crafts more than 40,000 pizzas a week, along with many classic Italian favorites—pasta, salads, and tiramisu—using only the highest quality ingredients, all while honoring the Neapolitan tradition of being fatto a mano (made by hand). We saw the three Italian pizza ovens named after Fugere's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother that produce all those pizzas.

It was fascinating to hear the stories of how Tutta Bella pivoted during the pandemic to provide restaurant-quality food initially to local supermarkets, and how the business has grown since. It’s truly inspiring to witness such cutting-edge innovation rooted in authentic Italian craftsmanship, right here in our Seattle community. Tutta Bella lives up to its name -- “Everything is beautiful” -- by sharing their delicious creations across more than 30 states nationwide!

On Saturday, January 18th (National Soup Swap Day!) from 1-3pm, SPSCA participated in the first ever Seattle Sister Cities Soup Sampling. We served Zuppa di lenticchie, a hearty vegetarian lentil soup often found on Umbrian tables in wintertime, made by member volunteers. The soup sampling was a pilot project aimed at introducing the Seattle public to our sister city organizations and the culinary cultures of our sister cities. This free community event drew some 300 attendees, 50% more than projected! Other sister cities participating represented Cambodia, Cameroon, Indonesia, Israel, Hungary, Kenya, and New Zealand. Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers who helped us celebrate Italian culture through sharing the foundational meal of soup.

A mix of SPSCA members and Horizon House residents gathered on December 15 to learn about Perugian holiday traditions and sing Christmas carols in Italian at the holiday version of our popular Incontro Musicale sing-along events. SPSCA Board Member and native perugina Elisabetta Valentini regaled us with remarks in Italian and English on her memories of Christmas in Perugia, then SPSCA member pianist Karin McCullough played traditional Italian holiday music for the audience to sing along to. One highlight was a moving solo performance of "Ave Maria" by a professional tenor. "You brought Christmas to us!" one delighted resident commented. Another participant said it had been her favorite holiday event each month. We hope you will join us at an Italian sing-along in 2025!

What a marvelous time SPSCA members had celebrating Natale together with fellow Seattle Italian associations Dante Alighieri Society and Il Punto! The celebration was held at Greenwood Senior Center and included Italian wine, an extraordinary selection of tasty dishes brought by participants, live music, and two rousing rounds of tombola (Italian bingo) with tantalizing prizes.

This event, the first of its kind in this location and as a collaboration with Dante and Il Punto, was completely sold out, indicating that there is an eager appetite for socializing among our membership. It will hopefully be the first of many!