Join us for an Italian for Travelers language lesson followed by lunch and wine on the patio at Balistreri Vineyards.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

One of the simple pleasures of visiting Italy is to use a few Italian phrases here and there to communicate with local Italians.
They love it when we try to communicate with them in Italian, and you will be quickly adopted into life in Italy.

Dream Italia , Balistreri Vineyards  and Italian Language Institute  have teamed up to offer you a fun and easy basic conversation lesson centered around food vocabulary to get you ready to dine out in Italy. Native Italian-speaking teacher, Maria Chiacchio, of the Italian Language Institute will provide the lesson, followed by a tasty Italian style lunch with a glass of wine, on the patio at Balistreri Vineyards. You’ll get to practice what you just learned in ordering your food, as well as learn a bit about the culture of Italy, and interact with your class.

 And if you are ready for your trip to Italy, contact Dream Italia, for a fabulous and custom experience with any of our tours. 

 Please join us if you would like to brush up your basic Italian!

 Date:     Saturday, September 12, 2009

                   10:00 AM -11:00 AM – Italian for Travelers Lesson

                   11:00-12:00 PM- practical conversation over lunch and wine

Location:      On the patio at Balistreri Vineyards
                              1946 E. 66^th Ave.
                              Denver, CO 80229

                             Tel: 303-287-5156

Purchase Tickets:         $35.00 Reserve now-Seating is limited!

                                                 BY PHONE: Balistreri Vineyards – 303-287-5156

What is included:   

• Practical basic Italian conversation centered around food vocabulary and how to order food in Italian
• Glass of Balistreri wine and antipasto style lunch 

Teacher:                Maria Chiacchio of The Italian Language Institute 

 Class Content:

• Food vocabulary and how to order food in Italian.
• How Italian people enjoy their food/dinner in Italy; how many courses (aperitivo, antipasti, primo, secondo, contorno, frutta e dolce) and talk a little about this cultural aspect.
• Quick and easy way to order in a restaurant in Italian
• Practice in Italian on what you just learned and also interact with the class
• Questions and answers about the class and or/Italian culture.  

 Further inquiries on Italian lessons:maria@ItalianInstitute.com   

 Further inquiries on Italian travel: elizabeth@dreamitalia.com

 Purchase Tickets

 Bring your dancing shoes and join us for our 4th year of live blues performed at Balistreri Vineyards!

Are you ready to party?

Many of you know that we at Dream Italia help our local public jazz station, jazz89 KUVO, to raise funding through co-sponsoring their Signature jazz event, Blues at the Vineyard.  

Music by Sam Mayfield’s Blues Revue.
Mr. Mayfield will be joined by vocalists, Eugene Haywood & Mr. Wonderful, Jim Ayers-keyboards, Kevin Reed-bass, Scotty Rivera-drums, a horn section, and a special surprise guest!

Purchase Tickets

 The winemakers at Balistreri Vineyards will unveil the 2009 KUVO Signature Wines and host their superb wine tasting. Gourmet delights will be served up by The Pine Catering, Gumbo’s, Dazzle Restaurant, Dream Dinners Wash Park, Brother’s BBQ, Dream Italia and D’s Daily Dish.
It all takes place Saturday, August 8 at Balistreri Vineyards!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Wine & Movie Night at Balistreri

Vineyards “Under the Stars”

PURCHASE TICKETS

Join us under the stars for a private screening of the Academy Award winning Italian film, Cinema Paradiso (1988); directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

Synopsis: A famous film director returns home to a Sicilian village for the first time after almost 30 years. He reminisces about his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso where Alfredo, the projectionist, first brought about his love of films. He is also reminded of his lost teenage love, Elena, who he had to leave before he left Rome. Written by Graeme Roy (gsr@cbmamiga.emon.co.uk)

Sit outdoors (tent provided) and view the film on the big screen.
Enjoy Wine, Wood Fired Pizza, Antipasti, Gourmet Italian Popcorn, and Gelato made with Balistreri Wines.

Date: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Time: 7:30 PM for wine and light movie snacks  9:00 PM Movie Begins
Location: Balistreri Vineyards
1946 E. 66th Avenue
Denver, CO 80229
Tickets: $35 in advance, non-refundable, limited seating
Tickets include: Film showing, movie snacks and a glass of wine.
More Information: Call Balistreri Vineyards at 303-287-5156

PURCHASE TICKETS

This event is presented by: Balistreri Vineyards & Dream Italia Tours

Dream Italia: A Journey of the Heart

With the season underway, and my Dream Italia guests already enjoying the Amalfi Coast, Rome and Florence, I find myself inspired to work on my book. I am writing a coffee table book of photos of Italy and personal stories and memories that chart the path of my love affair with Italy. The working title is Dream Italia: A Journey of the Heart.

L'Aquila, Italy

Dream Italia extends our heartfelt condolences and well wishes for everyone touched by the devasting earthquake that hit L’Aquila, the capital of the Abruzzo region, early this morning, approximately 3:00 AM Italy time.  My memories driving through this region play in my heart and mind. We are with you in spirit, and deeply saddened at your loss.

Elena and Federico at the Avalanche game

While Elena and her fiance, Federico, have traveled to many exotic and adventurous locales, one place they had not yet visited was Denver! Normally you can find them diving in the Maldives or exploring Egypt or Mexico during their winter vacation. So Denver was a little bit different…in February! Especially for non-skiers. But we do have the sun and the cobalt blue skies year round!

Some of the highlights were attending a Colorado Avalanche and a Denver Nuggets game. We visited LoDo, Larimer Square,

Elena and Fede at Sushi Den

Cherry Creek, ate at Sushi Den, visited Balistreri Vineyards, went to Boulder and of course went to all the fun places  to shop in Denver. We had a really wonderful party  at our house with lots of fun people attending, many of them past Dream Italia travelers whom Elena hadn’t seen in some years. We celebrated both Federico’s and Elena’s birthdays here.

Elena and Fede in Napa

We also went to San Francisco, Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. Believe it or not, the weather was warmer in Denver than the week we went to California. We toured some vineyards and Elena and Fede had fun seeing the differences in the California vineyards and those in Tuscany. We ate at Chez Panisse while visiting friends in Berkeley, and also visited firiends in the city.

All in all we had so much fun and decided it would be a good idea to also bring Italian people to tour the American West in addition to taking Americans to Italy. We’ll be putting our heads together and exploring those ideas!

Elena in Montefioralle, Tuscany

My Italian partner, Elena, arrived in Denver yesterday for her first visit to the USA! She arrived to a small snowstorm, which means our warm springlike weather took a holiday. We are going to take in the fun activites Colorado has to offer in winter, including visitng Balistreri Vineyards, some of Colorado’s microbreweries, the  mountains, Sushi Den, going to a Colorado Avalanche game and lots more. She will get to meet some of the the Dream Italia travelers who have traveled in Tuscany with Elena & me before, as well as new people eager to meet her.

Words by Michelle Fabio, Italy Magazine

Although in other countries, you might begin to hear Christmas carols at the end of November, in Italy, holiday celebrations begin on 8 December with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary or L’Immacolata Concezione della Beata Vergine Maria.

The day is marked with beautiful, elaborate, and emotionally charged processions throughout Italy. Moreover, as 8 December is a public holiday with most people off from work, it is also the day when many Italians put up Christmas trees and other holiday decorations.

Click here to read the entire article and view several videos of Festival processions. http://italymag.co.uk/italy-featured/guarda/immaculate-conception-start-christmas-season-italy 

And be sure to check out Cherrye Moore’s Celebrating Christmas in Italy series over at My Bella Vita http://my-bella-vita.com/2008/12/10/celebrating-christmas-in-italy-christmas-day-menu-traditions/, where she writes about the Procession:

You might be interested to note that it is the conception OF Mary, not Mary’s conception of Jesus that Catholics celebrate on this day.

According to FishEaters.com the day refers to the conception of Mary in her mother, Saint Anne, by Mary’s father, Saint Joachim. The reason her conception is immaculate isn’t because she was conceived by the Holy Spirit like Jesus was, but because she has been filled with the grace of God since her conception.

Immaculate Conception of Mary Procession

Autumn in Italy is spectacular, with the grape vines changing color in a tapestry that evokes thoughts of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, the upcoming olive harvest, and the tasting of the new wine not far behind. The scents that linger on the cooling breeze speak of autumn Italian meals;porcini mushrooms, artichokes, truffles and chestnuts. Festivals abound to celebrate the season for each specialty. Italy is the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement, the antithesis to the fast food culture. Italians relish the season a food is harvested and gear their menus around the bountiful crops. Foods are normally consumed  in the region they are grown. This is why from one region, or one town, to the next, you will find menus handed down through generations that reflect their own unique harvest and are sometimes unknown in other regions. Wine is a food group in Italy and the wines produced in each region are meant to complement the foods grown there. One way to understand a people and their culture is through their food. The rich diversity within Italy is reflected in the festivals and harvests of each region, and is well worth exploring from this point of view. Here at Dream Italia our tours, http://www.dreamitalia.com/escorted_tours.html provide just such an experience. Come with us to taste the flavors of the real Italy.