Wow, what a year! Busy, but full of fun and some great experiences. Here's a quick sketch of our Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association activities and projects in 2010:
In November, along with N.I.C.E. of Florence, Italy, and the Seattle International Film Festival, SPSCA sponsored our 2nd annual New Italian Cinema Festival. Terrific films this year, and bigger crowds every evening, including a sellout the last night.
During the Festival and before we sold raffle tickets for our annual Trip to Italy for two, and drew the name of the winner, Chuck Cady, just before the final film
Earlier in the summer (June), as always, several of our members staffed the Seattle booth in Perugia for the annual Sister City Market in Piazza d'Italia. We always make new Italian friends, and this year we had at the table calendars, snacks, T-shirts, maps, and lots of information about Seattle.
We are there, as every year in September, at Festa Italiana, the Seattle Italian Community celebration of all things Italian. It's always colorful, and we love to add new names to our Seattle-Perugia friendship.
We started a new tradition a couple of years ago - an annual summer picnic with lots of food, dancing, a setting in the country, and an accordion to help us through "O Sole Mio." Wine wasn't bad, either.........
Another new tradition: A Taste of Italy, organized with Tom Kelly of Small Vineyards, Ritrovo Imports, Caffe` Umbria, Volterra and SIFF, is a showcase of Italian foods and wines, with a focus on Umbria. We'll do this again next year!
Earlier in the year, Tom Kelly gave us a great wine tasting evening with some vivid wines from the north and south of Italy. The wine tasting is always one of most popular member events. No surprise........
In October, SPSCA President Mike James traveled to Rome to accept an award from Fondazione Italia USA, an Italian-American friendship organization based in Italy.
The Premio America is given to individuals who have advanced or helped maintain positive relations between Italy and the United states. Mike accepted the award for the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association, for its dedication to maintaining the strong friendship between Perugia and Seattle.
Later in October, we had meetings in Perugia with Mayor Wladimiro Boccali to discuss a possible visit to Seattle in 2011. We also discussed, with members of his family, mounting a work of Perugia artist Artemio Giovagnoni in Seattle as a symbol of the friendship between our two cities.
In February of 2010, Linda Easterling of the UW gave our members a vivid look at Renaissance Art, focusing on a beautiful piece of sculpture in the Church of Trastevere in Rome. 
In 2010 we also started a social evening, third Wednesdays, at Tutta Bella Westlake, and continued our twice-monthly Italian Table - a chance to speak and practice Italian for two hours on Sundays. SPSCA also sponsors an Italian film every year at the Seattle International Film Festival (we usually find a way to eat before or after!).
In 2011 we'll continue work on identifying and developing a small park in Seattle, celebrating the culture and history of Perugia and the region of Umbria.Perugia, as you know, is one of the treasures of Italy, a striking hill town in the green heart of Umbria. We hope to see you there, near the grand Fontana Maggiore, one day soon!
A presto,
Mike James, President - - Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association (Below: Corso Vannucci - main street of the Old Center, and Director Ferzan Ozpetek "Mine Vaganti," "La Finestra di Fronte," etc.)
