As tradition dictates, the evening brought together music, food and a lively atmosphere, celebrating Italian heritage in a warm, festive setting.
The night opened with an original floor show, Cumare Peppina: Psychic Extraordinaire, performed by Rosanna Morales, an actress and writer who has been delighting audiences with a distinctly Sicilian form of popular theatre for decades.
On this occasion, Peppina, joined by her assistant Concetta (played by the talented Cristina Neri and accompanied by musical arrangements by Tony Vilella), entertained the audience with a playful attempt to ward off the evil eye.
Following a warm welcome from club president Sam Portelli and the comic performance, the evening moved into its musical phase with DJ Morena, making her debut at the Carlton North-based association.
She turned the dance floor into a collective jukebox, inviting guests to request their favourite songs and creating a carefully curated and varied soundtrack that kept the crowd engaged.
Catering, provided by The Catering Company, offered a Christmas dinner rooted in Italian tradition, from prosciutto and melon through to classic desserts, with special attention given to Aeolian and Sicilian dishes.
Desserts—among them rich cassate and fragrant traditional biscuits—remain the community’s true highlight, “along with fish, the symbol of Italy’s islands,” explained Janetta Ziino, the association’s tireless events director.
“Italian cuisine is not just food, but a cultural heritage that brings communities together around the world,” Ziino added. “We try to pass on that tradition at every event.”
During the evening, guests were also introduced to writer Italo Toni, originally from Lipari, author of numerous publications resulting from 25 years of dedicated work on local dialect and architecture.
The special dinner concluded with a promise from Portelli: “This is an exceptional year, as we celebrate our centenary. It’s an incredible milestone, and we will continue celebrating it through to August.”
