News and Past Events

Association members Marylin Bard and Cynthia Updegrave, lecturer in the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Washington, will be traveling to Perugia in September to continue their educational outreach efforts with students and local residents about the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Bard and Updegrave will make presentations at several locations in Perugia, including Circolo Amerindiano, San Matteo degli Armeni Library, Academy of Fine Arts and two schools.

There will also be events staged at the Sister Orca sculpture. This original sculpture by well-known local Native artist Marvin Oliver was installed in 2008 as a tangible reminder of our sister city friendship. The large bronze sculpture of an orca fin is on permanent exhibit at Porto Nova, one of the gateways to the city of Perugia, where it’s viewed by thousands each year.

Activities are being supported and promoted by the City of Perugia and its Office of International Relations. The event, called "Hands Up! Hands Up! We are the People of Chief Seattle," runs from Sept. 13-29.  This amazing full-color poster (left) is on display at locations around Perugia.

Join city officials, members of the Italian and Seattle community and fellow sister city members at the dedication of Piazza Perugia on Saturday, October 14 at 10 a.m.

Michele Fioroni, vice mayor for economic development, will be traveling from Perugia to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. He will be met by representatives from Seattle's city government and other dignitaries. There will be music, speeches, light refreshments and more.

Ceramic tiles made by L'Antica Deruta, a ceramic arts studio outside Perugia, will adorn the space and be a beautiful permanent reminder of our long-standing sister city friendship. Giorgio Moretti, owner of L'Antica Deruta, will be attending the festivities as well.

Piazza Perugia is part of Julia Lee's Park in Madison Valley, at East Harrison and Margin Luther King Jr. Way South.

See you there!

Remember: We have moved up our application deadline for our scholarship program. The new application deadline is October 31. Take the time to apply now!

Applicants must be an SPSCA member in good standing, at least 18 years of age and a U.S. citizen. You must also have a basic knowledge of the Italian language.

The chance to learn Italian at the famous Universita per Stranieri in Perugia is too good to let slip through your fingers! Go to our scholarship page now to read more about it.

Download your application form today! The October 31 deadline is just two months away.

Now you have one more reason to attend this year's Members' Picnic and Meeting. Raffle tickets have been printed and will be available for sale. At $5 per ticket, it is certainly one the area's best raffle deals.

The grand prize winner wins round-trip airfare to Rome for two (not to exceed $1,350 round-trip per ticket); a week's stay for two at a historic hotel in Perugia’s city center, and transfers between Rome and Perugia.

This year, there's an extra bonus for the winner: A four-hour Taste Perugia food tour! This cultural experience takes you behind-the-scenes to a variety of tasting locations in historic Perugia, including a chocolate shop, spice merchant, wine shop, gelateria and more!

The drawing will be held the last night of Cinema Italian Style in November. Read the small print here.

Second and third place raffle prizes will be a selection of Italian wine and a five-week Italian language course, donated by Seattle's premiere Italian language school, Percorso Italiano.

We thank this year's raffle sponsors, Taste Perugia Food Tour and Percorso Italiano.

This year's picnic is on Aug. 13 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The address is: 33801 SE Courtney Road, Ravensdale, WA 98051. More information in the newsletter and on previous posts. See you there!

We have a busy two months coming up. Don't miss a minute of it!

Whether you're interested in our members picnic on August 13 or the dedication of Piazza Perugia on October 14, you can read about these happenings and more in Il Grifone July 2017 here.

If you're not a member yet, it's easy to join. See more details here. Open doors to international friendships, cultural exchanges and networking opportunities.