In April, the Associazione Molisani di Ottawa hosted a banquet to celebrate a springtime tradition that dates back to the mid-800s, called la Carrese. The successful multigenerational event was a hopeful sign that the fate of this small Italian social club has turned a corner.

For half a century, the St Anthony of Padua Church Choir has been a source of pride for the Italian community in Ottawa. The choir’s inaugural performance took place on Christmas Eve in 1973 and marked the birth of what would become an enduring tradition of dedication and service.

During the long winter months of 19th century Italy, women gathered in rural villages to spin wool, exchange stories, and sing songs. This tradition inspired the creation of the not-for-profit community organization called Ottawa Italian Women’s Filò. Building on the concept of women gathering per filare la lana, this group seeks to preserve and celebrate the thread that binds us from one conversation to the next and from one generation to the next.

On a clear, crisp, and sunny September afternoon, about a dozen men are gathered in Ottawa for quattro chiacchiere and a card game. They reunite behind the Marconi Centre, arriving on foot, by car and surprisingly one gentleman rides in on his motorcycle. They are members of the Golden Age Club, better known as L’Età D’Oro.

For over ten years now, seniors belonging to the Italian-Canadian community in Ottawa have looked forward to regularly scheduled social activities at the Marconi Centre on Baseline Road. After a long pause during the multiple waves of COVID-19, the Marconi Centre opened its doors again to the community in July 2022.