NIAF's 44th Annual Gala Chair, Joe Lonardo Shares Gala Highlights with CiaoDC!

CiaoDC chats with The National Italian American Foundation’s Board Member and Gala Chair, Joe Lonardo on the 44^th Annual Gala coming to Washington, DC this weekend November 1^st-3rd at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.  Learn about Celebrity Dinners; Expo Italia events; Gala honorees and more! Listen to interview here. 

Join NIAF at the premiere celebration of the Italian American here in Washington, DC Kick off the weekend with an Aperitivo for young Italian Americans to include cocktails, small bites and gelato by local Dolci Gelati!  

For an elegant dining experience, join TV Host/Celebrity Chef, Mary Ann Esposito at an elegant Molise inspired dinner dubbed, An Evening with Mary Ann Esposito.  Saturday, November 2, enjoy FREE events at Expo Italia and learn more about Italy.  Talk movies with a meet and greet of the renowned The Avengers directors The Russo Brothers; travel to Italy with tours and gifts from Italy on display; get your gelato on with a live demonstration by Gianluigi Dellaccio of Dolci Gelati; a Cooking demonstration by Chef Amy Riolo; Italian Lunch tastings; a Book Signing and meet and greet with Chef/TV Host, Mary Ann Esposito; and more!  Saturday evening will begin the gala dinner honoring prominent Italian Americans to include Fox Business Host of Mornings with Maria, Maria Bartiromo who will also serve as Mistress of Ceremonies.  This weekend promises to be a star-studded Italian American extravaganza that will have every Italian and non Italian singing That's Amore!  Hope to see you there!  For more information click here.

Celebrity Chef, Author, TV-Host Mary Ann Esposito Gets Cooking in Washington this Fall!

CiaoDC Chats with Mary Ann Esposito on cooking in Washington, DC this Fall; Culinary Tours in Italy and Recipes for the holidays!  Listen here.  Enjoy the delicious recipes of the longest running cooking show, Ciao Italia with TV Host, Mary Ann Esposito at "An Evening with Mary Ann Esposito, " during the 44th Annual National Italian American Foundation's (NIAF) Gala weekend.  Enjoy flavors from the celebrated Molise region served over a three-course dinner, plus guests will receive a complimentary book of Mary Ann's latest cookbook, Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy!  Seating is limited, tickets may purchased here. Vegetarian and Gluten Free options are available.  If you can't make it to the dinner, you can also meet and greet Mary Ann Esposito at a book signing from 2-3 at the Expo Italia on Saturday, November 2.  For more information on these exciting events via www.niaf.org.

An Evening with Mary Ann Esposito

Friday, November 1, 2019

7:30 p.m. Cocktails

8:00 p.m. Dinner

Omni Shoreham Hotel

Holiday Recipes by Mary Ann Esposito: Panettone

Holday Recipes by Mary Ann Esposito:Cappelletti

Join CiaoDC's Verrocchio Tour & Lunch at National Gallery of Art!

Verrocchio Tour & Lunch:

Take a lunch break to Renaissance Florence, Italy with CiaoDC as we explore the masterpieces of Sculptor and Painter Andrea Del Verrocchio (c.1435-1488.) Private guided tour and Italian box lunch offered. Prices vary, limited registration and more information here.

About the Artist

Verrocchio dazzled Florence with his mastery of one medium after another. Trained as a goldsmith, he achieved fame as a sculptor, creating works in marble, clay, silver, and bronze, while also excelling as a painter and draftsman. Verrocchio nurtured younger artists, including his prize pupil, Leonardo da Vinci. Verrocchio's works are remarkable for their variety, namely the huge copper globe that crowns Florence Cathedral.

Florence's booming economy in the fifteenth century kept artists very busy filling great demands for sculptures and paintings to adorn churches, homes, and civic buildings. Verrocchio's skill and ingenuity won him the patronage of the wealthiest and most powerful family in Florence, the Medici, who came to dominate the city's political and cultural life.

The exhibition is the first in the United States devoted to Verrocchio's career. It includes works by his students and collaborators - Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Leonardo da Vinci - attesting to his profound impact on the art of the Renaissance.

This exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art in collaboration with the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence.