Convivio

In our fast-paced world, how do you take time to genuinely slow down to enjoy the moment, the company and the conversation within the community? As you journey through San Diego’s Little Italy, you’ll find a sense of vibrant diversity paving way for new possibilities in the midst of tradition. From the owner sweeping the sidewalk before business ensues, the bocce ball players arguing in Sicilian dialect, to the up-and-coming artist belting Sinatra at the Amici House concerto. Convivio is a state of mind that invites you to embrace a love of life, of culture. We invite you on an international journey of the senses, connecting the old world to the new through coffee, historical conversations, speakeasies, films al fresco, heritage excursions and more. Come break bread the old-fashioned way and fill your cup with compassion and community. Whatever you choose to bring to the table, we’ll always have a spot for you. Welcome to La Famiglia!

Join us for FREE coffee as we celebrate the launch of our coffee bar!
July 1 – 3 • Soft Opening
7am – 3pm

Find us at the dog park in Little Italy (Date and Union Streets)

Get a free cup of freshly brewed coffee when you stop by to say hello.
Bring your friends and help spread the word of our new coffee bar in Little Italy’s Amici Park!

JOIN OUR LOYALTY PROGRAM!

Join for free and earn great discounts and rewards!

Another Italian-themed, hat-giveaway night with the Padres has come and gone, but not without its share of excitement and emotion as the Padres met the Rockies. To start the day, the U-19 Team Italy softball squad, playing this weekend in Irvine for the U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup, paid a visit to Amici House after a practice session at SDSU and before a stop at Petco Park for the captains to throw out the first pitch. Italian American singer Grace Giordano beautifully delivered the national anthem with culminating cheers from the 20,000 fans in attendance. Our thanks to Mona Lisa Italian Foods in Little Italy for the support and great food for the team’s reception. Thanks to the San Diego Padres for hosting Team Italy! For photos, please follow the link to our Facebook page.

Italian Heritage Night Photos >

Follow Team Italy News >

THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018 @ 6:10PM

PADRES VS. MARLINS

The Little Italy Association and Convivio are proud to partner with the San Diego Padres for the 2018 Italian Heritage Night on Thursday, May 31.

Come celebrate with us for an evening of special guests and programming. Purchase your tickets today to have a chance to receive a limited edition commemorative San Diego Padres Italian Heritage Night hat and an option to upgrade to a VIP experience. The first pitch will be at 6:10 p.m.

SPECIAL GUESTS

National Anthem
Rosario Monetti

First Pitch
Nico Garbella // Team Italia
Giovanni Garbella // Team Italia
Erika Piancastelli // Team Italia (Softball)

TICKETS

VIP Admission*
Location: Pacifico Porch
Cost: TBA
Includes: Admission into Petco Park, seating in VIP section, commemorative San Diego Padres Italian Heritage Night hat, hot food (1-hour before and 1-hour after first pitch), free flowing Pacifico beer/water/soft drinks (1-hour before first pitch until 7th inning), and more.

(Tickets Coming Soon)

* Limited seats available.

General Admission
Location: Field Pavilion Upper Half
Cost: $29-$30 each**
Includes: Admission into Petco Park and commemorative San Diego Padres Italian Heritage Night hat.

** Subject to fees.

GET TIX!

Join us as we honor Stephen Ferruolo, Dean of the USD School of Law, and we present him with the 2017 Convivio Communitas Award for Leadership. The awards luncheon will be held on May 23 at the University of San Diego, Institute for Peace and Justice.

May 23, 2017
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Room CD

For tickets, please follow the link. We look forward to seeing you!

About Our Recipient – Stephen Ferruolo

Stephen C. Ferruolo is the 10th dean of University of San Diego School of Law. He assumed his duties on August 1, 2011.

Before joining USD , Ferruolo served as the founding partner and chair of the San Diego office of Goodwin Procter LLP, an international firm with 850 attorneys in nine offices in the United States, Asia and Europe. In addition to his continued service as chair of the office, Ferruolo was a member of the firm-wide executive committee since 2009.

Ferruolo’s practice focused on transactional work, with a special emphasis on corporate finance and governance and mergers and acquisitions. Much of his practice involved representing technology and life science companies in San Diego, nationally and internationally. In 2011, Ferruolo was elected vice chairman of BIOCOM/San Diego, the largest regional life sciences association in the world, which represents more than 550 member companies. From 2003 to 2011, he served as vice president and general counsel of BIOCOM.

Prior to joining Goodwin Procter in 2007, Ferruolo was a partner and co-chair of the Corporate/VLG Practice Group at Heller Ehrman LLP in its Palo Alto and San Diego offices. At Heller Ehrman, he also served terms on the firm’s Policy Committee and Compensation Committee and served as the Co-Chair of the Life Sciences Practice Group.

Ferruolo is a 1971 graduate of the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University where he earned a Masters in Philosophy in 1973. Ferruolo received his MA in 1975 and PhD in 1979 in History at Princeton University, then served on the faculties at Bennington College and Stanford University. His book, The Origins of the University: The Schools of Paris and Their Critics (Stanford University Press, 1985) has been widely cited and remains the authoritative work in the field.

Ferruolo graduated with honors from Stanford Law School in 1990. Upon graduation from Stanford Law School, Ferruolo clerked for the Honorable Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Join us once again at our Cultural Pavilion where we will be showcasing historical images of the Italian community of San Diego!

And this year we are privileged to have Frank Sivero (Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, The Wedding Singer) join us in our pavilion! Stop by to say hello to Frank, purchase some personalized photographs, and chat with this iconic actor about some iconic films!

Convivio and Barbusa Present…

A Night in Sicily

A Dining and Cultural Experience Benefitting Meals on Wheels San Diego

October 18 | Seating begins at 5:00 PM with two-hour time slots

Barbusa, Little Italy
1917 India Street, 92101

$85 per person (not including gratuity)

Three course family-style cuisine with wine pairings

CHOOSE YOUR TWO-HOUR TIME SLOT when purchasing tickets:
5:00 pm, 5:30 pm; 7:00 pm, 7:30 pm; 9:00 pm, 9:30 pm

The lights dim, the near-capacity crowd begins to settle, and on the screen above the stage where the musicians are poised for greatness, the Paramount logo materializes, and then…the solo trumpet begins its wail and the credits appear. You know the tune…The Godfather Waltz…dark, foreboding, and unforgettable. Thus, the San Diego Symphony’s The Godfather Live event begins–quietly, without fanfare–and an evening of pure magic follows. A cinematic capolavoro. A musical masterpiece. And another testament to Italian and Italian American influences on cinema and music, as well as the artistic merits of our own San Diego Symphony.

The event was brought to you by the San Diego Symphony, CineConcerts, and the San Diego Symphony conductor Justin Freers. You can read more about the event, the score restoration, and the conductor here through the Film Music Society.

Convivio is privileged to have been a part of this special evening, and we look forward to more San Diego Symphony events celebrating the masterful Italian film scores accompanying some of the silver screen’s greatest achievements by Italian filmmakers.

For more information on the San Diego Symphony, please visit the San Diego Symphony online.

As part of its Fox Theatre Film Series, the San Diego Symphony will perform the iconic score to The Godfather while patrons watch the film. The San Diego Symphony will also host a pre-film “Mafia party.”

In response to recent criticism from professional friends and city neighbors of the San Diego Symphony’s “The Godfather Live” event on April 24, we feel compelled to share Convivio’s position:

We empathize with the sentiments that have been expressed. Many community members assert that any “celebration” of the Mafia stereotype reflects poorly on Italian Americans. Some viewpoints have urged that the event be cancelled and our support withdrawn. But this suggestion, often framed as an imperative, raises serious concerns.

Others in our community choose different lenses through which to view Italian American cultural identity. Moreover, the apparent perceptions about the origin and planning of the event, the intentions of the event organizers, and the reactions to the event are elements that should be explored further—without a rush to judgment.

We support the San Diego Symphony and are happy it continues to raise vital funds for its important programs. We look forward to further opportunities to partner with the San Diego Symphony on more programs highlighting the broad and rich artistic contributions that Italian Americans have made to American culture.

Given our organization’s mission, vision, and values, Convivio will be organizing an event (coming soon) around the appropriation of Italian culture so that our community can have an open and useful conversation—not a debate—about these relevant issues. Many viewpoints exist, and this is a time that calls for reflection and deliberation rather than reaction and ethnic defensiveness, in order to work even more harmoniously as a community—and further educate others in San Diego about our vibrant and special culture.

In our view, the issue is initially about the Mafia party and event. Upon further scrutiny, it is also about the Italian American experience writ large, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Because Convivio is devoted to providing opportunities for dialogue around how our truest values and rituals continue to enrich American culture, we intend to conduct a forum in which these relevant issues can be explored. Questions should address the degree to which negative depictions of Italian Americans continue to persist; the effects of these images on people of Italian descent; the goals of protests (as a mechanism for response); and why, arguably, there has not been more of a focus (as a collective) on fostering alternative images of Italian Americans. What we propose is to consider this issue in a broader context. Overall, what does this current dynamic mean in the larger context of Italian Americana today?

The word Convivio itself conveys our commitment to dialogue, and so we invite the San Diego community to consider that space be offered to other viewpoints. That is a key priority for our organization, in addition to promoting positive Italian-cultural programming in San Diego, of course. Indeed, an obvious example is the Convivio Communitas Award for Leadership launched this year (and the celebration of our inaugural recipient, Joe Panetta, CEO of Biocom). We see this as an important initiative for the Italian community of San Diego, one that promotes the great elements and individuals in our local academic, business, and civic communities.

Ultimately, Convivio, through its mission, promotes all the great aspects of Italian culture, establishing many innovations that have been lacking or absent in San Diego regarding Italian culture and heritage. Our commitment is to continue to do this important work while also emphasizing the cultivation of fellowship and dialogue.

About Convivio

Convivio cultivates community and fellowship while celebrating all things Italian, advancing Italian cultural identity through education, community engagement, and innovative programming. For more information, please visit www.conviviosociety.org.

Convivio is thrilled to help promote this unique event! The Godfather LIVE brings Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece film to concert halls for the first time. Winner of three Academy Awards and countless other honors, The Godfather remains one of the greatest films in the history of cinema. Nino Rota’s iconic score (accompanied by the film’s traditional Italian folk music and jazz) is performed live by the San Diego Symphony while the film is simultaneously shown in High Definition on the big screen. An exciting and unique concert experience for music lovers and film-goers alike!

Friday, April 24, 2015 @ 7:30 PM
Copley Symphony Hall

Purchase Tickets >

It was a grand celebration as we honored Biocom CEO, Joe Panetta, on March 12, at the Lafayette Hotel!

Our gratitude goes to all our guests, with special recognition for our host, Carlo Cecchetto, and Jerry Sanders, CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Guest speakers, a congressional proclamation, the divine Sacha Boutros, exemplary Point Loma Nazarene opera students, a video tribute, letters from the Italian towns of the honoree’s parents, and Mr. Panetta singing New York, New York with the band were some of the touchstones as we honored a leader in the biotech industry.