NEW CULTURAL EVENTS
- Ballo Liscio
- Carnevale 2026
- Strings of Italy
- Women of Jazz
- "The Other Half of the Apple"
- Wine Tasting Event
- Sounds of Spring
- “Neapolitan Ice Cream”
- “Francesco Pasinetti: Soggetti e Sceneggiature"
- Arrosticini Summer Festa
- Ferragosto
- Tomato Sauce-Making Festival
- Festa della Ciambella
- Grape Pressing Festival
- Chestnut Festival
Ballo Liscio
Social Dancing Nights
- Wednesdays, January 14 – April 29,
6:30 – 8:30pm
The Italian tradition of Ballo Liscio continues every Wednesday at Villa Charities. Join us for these popular social dancing nights featuring music by popular Italian DJs and musicians.
Price:
A ‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN’ EVENT
(Donations welcome at the door.)
Limited seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
Strings of Italy
Festa Popolare
- Friday, February 27, 7:00 – 9:00pm
The talented Italian-Canadian musicians of Festa Popolare perform folk music from across the Italian peninsula and islands.
Featuring both centuries-old and modern instruments, the concert showcases the iconic sounds of the mandolin and violin alongside the guitar, mandola, chitarra battente, and more. From the charmingly simple to the stunning and virtuosic; from familiar favourites to surprising styles seldom heard outside Italy, this ensemble will bring the country’s rich musical heritage to the Columbus Centre for one unforgettable night.
Price:
$25.00 (Adults) / $20.00 (Seniors/Students)
Cash bar available.
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
Women of Jazz
International Women’s Day Concert with Joanna Majoko
- Friday, March 6, 7:30 – 8:30pm
Celebrate International Women’s Day with an intimate live concert honouring the legendary women of jazz, alongside a contemporary repertoire.
Featuring award-winning jazz vocalist Joanna Majoko accompanied by guitarist Andrew Marzotto, the evening features a thoughtfully curated program highlighting iconic artists and composers such as Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, as well as others who shaped the jazz tradition.
Price:
$25.00 (Adults) / $20.00 (Seniors/Students)
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
“The Other Half of the Apple”
Presentation by Konrad Eisenbichler
- Tuesday, April 7, 7:30 – 9:00pm
Hear about the experiences of Julian-Dalmatian immigrants in Canada through “The Other Half of the Apple: Conversations with Julian-Dalmation Immigrants in Canada, the USA, and Italy”, a book by Rosanna Turcinovich Giuricin documenting her meetings and conversations with members of this community. Originally published in Italian as “Esuli due volte”, the work reflects on themes of exile, identity, and belonging through personal stories shaped by migration and resettlement.
The evening will feature a presentation by Professor Konrad Eisenbichler, who translated the book into English, with remarks from Daniela Chiasson, President of the Club Giuliano Dalmato di Toronto. A Q&A will follow, with book copies available for purchase while supplies last. Light refreshments will be served.
Price:
$5.00
Location:
Columbus Room,
Columbus Centre.
In partnership with the Club Giuliano Dalmato di Toronto.
Wine Tasting Event
- Wednesday, April 8, 5:30 – 6:30pm
The wine from our autumn grape pressing is ready for tasting!
Coinciding with our popular Ballo Liscio event, join us for this community event to taste the wine produced during our traditional grape pressing demonstration last year. Sample our latest unique vintage while you enjoy live music by DJ Bruno Nesci and complimentary cake, courtesy of Villa Charities!*
Price:
FREE
*First-come, first served, while supplies last.
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
Sounds of Spring
- Tuesday, April 14, 7:30 – 9:00pm
Welcome spring with a live concert featuring the Columbus Concert Band, the Columbus Jazz Band and special guest soprano Taylor Frisina. Under the direction of Annamaria Mazzaferro, this special performance will feature an ensemble of musicians presenting a lively program of popular band classics including selections from “West Side Story,” music by The Beatles, and works by Giuseppe Verdi. Experience a delightful and uplifting musical evening perfect for all ages, sure to brighten your spring!
Price:
$15.00 (Adults) / $10.00 (Seniors/Students)
Tickets also available at the door.
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
Presented in partnership with Columbus Concert Band.
“Neapolitan Ice Cream”
The Musical
- Friday, April 17, 7:30 – 8:45pm
“Neapolitan Ice Cream: The Musical” is an unforgettable blend of soaring soprano, intimate guitar, and a powerful immigrant story inspired by true events. Audiences journey from the sun‑washed streets of Naples to the storm‑tossed Atlantic through the voice of Caterina—a young woman whose courage, longing, and heartbreak resonate across generations.
Each classic Italian song opens a new emotional chapter, creating a performance that feels part concert, part confession, and part cinematic narrative.
This two-person jukebox musical is told entirely through Caterina’s perspective, weaving iconic Neapolitan and operatic selections into live narration performed by soprano and guitar. Themes of immigration, love, resilience, and reinvention shape a story that is both deeply personal and universally familiar.
At the turn of the 20th century, a young Italian woman sets out from the port of Naples to join her fiancé in Canada, but a betrayal at sea leaves her stranded on the rugged shores of Scotland. Armed with little more than a few belongings and a pouch of her Nonna’s precious cocoa, she begins making ice cream, transforming her struggles into sweetness. Embracing the rich cream of her new home and a humble offering of strawberries from a kind-hearted young fisherman, Caterina must decide: can she churn heartbreak into hope?
Inspired by true events of immigrants diverted in deceit and woven with world-famous Italian melodies, “Neapolitan Ice Cream” is a cheeky, uplifting tribute to resilience, cultural fusion, and the joy found in unexpected places, through music, memory, and even a simple scoop of ice cream.
Price:
$40.00 (Adults) / $35.00 (Seniors/Students)
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
Presented in partnership with Loreworks Ltd.
A printed program will be provided to all audience members—and to celebrate the shared experience, everyone leaves with a scoop of ice cream.
“Francesco Pasinetti: Soggetti e Sceneggiature”
Book Launch with Alberto Zambenedetti
- Thursday, April 23, 6:00 – 7:30pm
Italian filmmaker Francesco Pasinetti (1911-1949) was one of the country’s first film scholars and an accomplished teacher, best known for his work as a film critic and documentary filmmaker. This presentation by Prof. Alberto Zambenedetti brings to light many of his unpublished and unrealized projects.
“Francesco Pasinetti: Soggetti e Sceneggiature” (Scenarios and Screenplays), the new critical edition edited by Zambenedetti is a collection of previously unpublished scenarios, screenplays writings and film projects preserved at the Archivio Carlo Montanaro in Venice, offering fresh insights into Pasinetti’s extraordinary creative vision.
The evening will include a 16-minute screening of Pasinetti’ short documentary “Venezia Minore” (1942), followed by a Q&A and light refreshments. Copies of the book will be available for purchase while supplies last.
Price:
$5.00
Location:
Columbus Room, Columbus Centre
Presented in Partnership with the University of Toronto Department of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese & Latin American Studies
Sponsored by Cinema Studies Institute & Emilio Goggio Chair in Italian Studies
Arrosticini Summer Festa
- Sunday, July 26, 11:30am – 1:30pm
Join us for our summer community event to enjoy some delicious arrosticini, pasta, dancing and live musical entertainment. Plus, shop our new Market Square featuring a variety of local vendors.
In the event of rain, the event will be moved indoors.
Price:
$10.00
Location:
Anthony Fusco Sr. Courtyard,
Columbus Centre
Ferragosto
- Sunday, August 16, 11:00am – 3:00pm
Celebrate the height of summer and commemorate Ferragosto, the annual Italian summer holiday! Enjoy an afternoon filled with family-friendly fun featuring live musical entertainment, children’s activities, raffle prizes, authentic Italian foods including traditional porchetta, pasta and fresh pizza, and a licensed patio at Caffe Cinquecento.
Plus, shop our new Market Square featuring a variety of local vendors.
Price:
$10.00
This is an outdoor event. We encourage you to bring your own chair.
Location:
Anthony Fusco Sr. Courtyard,
Columbus Centre
Presented in partnership with CIBPA Toronto.
Tomato Sauce-Making Festival
Festa del Pomodoro
- Sunday, September 13, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Celebrate this annual Italian tradition with us and enjoy a plate of pasta, live musical entertainment and a complimentary jar of fresh tomato sauce to take home! Plus, shop our new Market Square featuring a variety of local vendors.
In the event of rain, the event will be postponed until further notice.
Price:
$10.00
Maximum 1 jar per person.
Location:
Anthony Fusco Sr. Courtyard,
Columbus Centre
Festa della Ciambella Verolana
- Sunday, September 20, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Join us for a live demonstration by the Veroli Cultural Society as they showcase the art of making ciambelle, the traditional anise-flavoured bread from the City of Veroli, located in the province of Frosinone in Italy’s Lazio region. The event will also feature musical entertainment by Gianni Mignardi. Wine, biscotti, and light refreshments will be served.
Price:
$10.00
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
Presented in partnership with Veroli Cultural Society.
Grape Pressing Festival
- Sunday, October 4, 11:00am – 1:30pm
Join us for this outdoor community event and experience the Italian tradition of grape pressing with a live demonstration. Learn how fresh grapes are pressed into barrels to begin the winemaking process. Plus, enjoy light refreshments, musical entertainment and raffle prizes.
In the event of rain, the event will be moved indoors.
Price:
$10.00
Location:
Anthony Fusco Sr. Courtyard,
Columbus Centre
Chestnut Festival
Festa della Castagna
- Wednesday, November 11, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Join us for our annual community festa to enjoy complimentary roasted chestnuts* in celebration of San Martino. This FREE event coincides with our Ballo Liscio night, with social dancing and music.
Price:
FREE
*First-come, first served, while supplies last.
Location:
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery,
Columbus Centre
For more information, please contact:
Mirella Tersigni
Cultural Manager, Cultural Programming
Email: mtersigni@villacharities.com