WHERE DO WE MEET?

Our meetings take place on a Thursday or a Friday evening, typically on the second or third week of every calendar month, at the homes of one of our hosts.  Our meetings have just resumed, provided you are absolutely sure you do not put at risk the health of our members. 

The atmosphere of our meetings is friendly, conversational and elegant. Nowhere else, other than in Italy, can you expose your mind to hours of witty and enlightening conversation with native speakers, news and jokes, facts and chitchat, all of it while tasting delicious, home-made Italian food and regional Italian wines. Every nationality and any level of proficiency is welcome, including true beginners, as long as you make a sincere effort to speak Italian, or listen to it. Attend one meeting: we guarantee you will be hooked! To become a member, contact us or subscribe to our Bulletin on our front page!  To learn more about our club, scroll down.

Dove si incontra Ciancia?

Per consentire ai nostri membri di conversare in un’atmosfera tranquilla, rilassata e familiare, i nostri incontri hanno luogo mensilmente presso abitazioni private. Le nostre non sono feste, ma festive riunioni. Alle riunioni si incontra nuova gente, si chiacchiera del più e del meno o, se lo si desidera, di cose serie. Nel corso della serata, si prendono contatti, si fanno nuove amicizie, ci si informa su novità, leggi, servizi, percorsi turistici alternativi, ricette, pubblicazioni, mostre d’arte e attività culturali sia italiane che locali, il tutto assaggiando prodotti e vini italiani e mettendo alla prova le ottime abilità culinarie di alcuni dei nostri partecipanti. L’atmosfera è rilassata e conviviale. Il nostro club e frequentato in egual misura da italiani, americani e stranieri provenienti da ogni parte del mondo. Il livello di conversazione non è prestabilito e dipende interamente dall’abilità e dall’esperienza dei partecipanti. Agli incontri di Ciancia la conversazione italiana è d’obbligo. Per conoscere il luogo e la data dei nostri incontri bisogna prima iscriversi.

Our Language Policy

Accessibility to our meetings is defined by one simple rule: as long as the participants make a sincere effort to speak Italian, they are welcome to join in. At the meetings we do not speak English or other languages. Thus, while we remain open to new members, it is in the sole interest of our club that Ciancia does not slip into the format of a generic party. In fact, we discourage our members from inviting friends who do not speak Italian. We must also continuously remind ourselves and our members that we meet in private homes, especially when we move around a crowded room with red wine in our glass! Italian thus is the sole language spoken at our meetings! Those few hours of Italian conversation are all the exposure some of us may get in a one-month period. Unless you just cannot find a specific word, speaking other languages is unkind and defeats the purpose of our meetings. Please help us implementing this policy! Beginners need not fear! Carrying a fluent conversation in Italian is not the scope of our evenings, but practicing and learning new idioms and expressions, learning new “modi di dire” is the primary function of our meetings. If you are uncertain, you may always come to listen. Numerous native speakers and the more advanced attendees will help you breaking the ice with conversation.

Our Door Policy

In order to sustain our administrative expenses, we require a small contribution at the door.  Our door fee is $20 per person, if you bring any food and/or drinks (please, no beer, cheap or foreign wines,  and of course no chips or soda – they are so unItalian!). The door contribution for those who do not bring food or wine is $30.00 per person. With our annual Film Festival running cost in the thousands, this is a minimum donation suggested. Generous members have often pitched in more than the minimum required, knowing that we are a self-supported organization. Of course, you may decide to become a supporter and bypass the door fee with a $120 annual donation, which gives you an annual pass that carries numerous other benefits, see support. We consider it a bargain, given the quality of entertainment, conversation and cuisine you get inside! Couples bringing one dish and wine get one person in free; the other persons will be asked for a contribution. We hope that this gives you an incentive to look for some great typical food, or to show us your culinary prowess. Thank you in advance for your support!