Ligurians in the Bay Area Celebrate Columbus Day

Close to 300 people fought heavy Bay Area traffic to attend the Hands Across the Bay Columbus Day Dinner in Oakland on Friday, October 8, 2010. The Dinner, sponsored by the Ligure Club of Oakland and the San Francisco Chapter of the Associazione Liguri nel Mondo had, as honored guests, 28 members of the Sestieri di Lavagna who had come to participate in San Francisco’s Columbus Day Parade. More information regarding the Sestieri di Lavagna and Ubaldo Albino, the priore reggente of the Sestieri, can be obtained at www.sestieridilavagna.it or at www.tortadeifiesdi.com

The Honorable Fabrizio Marcelli, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, was in attendance as was COM.IT.ES. President, Romana Bracco, accompanied by her husband, John, a Board of Directors Member of the Liguri nel Mondo. Joseph Brignole, former President of both the sponsoring groups was the Master of Ceremonies for the event.

Sons of Italy State President, Maria Fassio Pignati, began the evening with a beautiful rendition of the Italian and American National Anthems. President Joe Scodella of the Ligure Club and his crew did a tremendous job in designing the menu and preparing the hall for the event. The guests enjoyed the prime rib dinner prepared by the Ligure Club’s chefs, and the singing of Genovese songs by 88 year old Tony Vignale, accompanied by his son on the accordion.

The evening was concluded by dancing to George Campi and his band. Although the majority of the attendees were Ligurians, many regions of Italy, from Venezia Giulia to Sicily, were represented. Kudos to all those who worked so hard to make the evening the great success that it was! For more information about the Associazione Liguri nel Mondo, go to www.sfliguri.com or write to Joe Gardella at P.O. Box 29358, San Francisco, CA 94129 or avoxe @aol.com.