FEBRUARY 2021

 

President’s Message

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We are off to an exciting start. I am very excited to begin our journey in 2021. Our meetings in 2021 will be hybrid. As I am sure you have learned that hybrid means virtual as well as in-person meetings. Each month please watch your email for full details.

It is very important that every member attend our upcoming general meeting on February 11th. We will be voting for delegates to attend the Grand Lodge State Convention in June.

VOTING PROCEDURE:

You will be voting by computers that will be in St Joseph’s Hall or on your computer while we are having our virtual portion of the meeting. I am looking forward to watching our new way of voting unfold. During the virtual meeting, a chat box will pop up on your computer. There will be a link to click on that will take you to the area to vote.

I would love everyone to come up with some interesting ideas for fun and fundraising. If you have a great idea, please email Jovina or me.

Cordialmente,
President Patricia Russo

Buona Fortuna Lodge

Membership Information

Our next General Membership Meeting will be on Thursday, February 11, 2021, at 6 pm. It will be held in-person at St. Joseph’s Parish Center located at 140 W. Government St, Pensacola and visually through the Zoom video conferencing program. The Zoom link will be emailed to the membership the day before the meeting. For those attending in-person, there will be a $10 charge for dinner. A business meeting will follow at 7 PM.

2021 lodge dues 

The dues are $45 per member for a year.
If you pay by check, please make the check payable to Buona Fortuna Lodger *2835.

Mail a check to
Sons & Daughters of Italy in America – Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835.
P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.

PayPal
We now have a credit payment option through PayPal available.
Here is a link to copy and use on the PayPal site.
buonafortunafinancialsecretary@gmail.com
When you use this option, please choose Friends and Family and not Goods and Services.

Advertise in the Newsletter

Newsletter Ad subscription cost is $36.00. See below under Newsletter Ads for more information. All current ads are up for renewal.vPlease send a check for $36 made out to Vuona Fortuna Lodge and mailed to  Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.

Council Meetings

Grand Lodge

The Grand Lodge’s website: https://osiaflorida.org/

Here is the link to the Grand Lodge’s Quarterly Newsletter. Click on the name The Floridian. 

Charities

If you have a charity that you would like supported by Buona Fortuna, please contact the charity chairperson, Giovanni Mirra, john.mirra@att.net  

Lodge Committees

The current list of committees is located on the Buona Fortuna Officers page on our website. Here is the link: 

https://soibuonafortuna.org/home/buona-fortuna-officers/

Buona Fortuna needs your participation. If you would like to join a committee, please contact President Russo.

Our Italian American Heritage

 

 

ROMANTIC ITALIAN FILMS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY

This list of romantic Italian films includes a mix of both American and Italian films that feature the beautiful landscapes and cities of Italy. They are the perfect companion for Valentine’s Day. Click on each title to find out where you can stream the film.

Only You

In this charming rom-com, we follow Faith (Marisa Tomei), a high school teacher and hopeless romantic who impulsively flies to Venice in order to track down the man she thinks she’s destined to marry. Along the way, she meets the charming and handsome Peter Wright (Robert Downey Jr.) who does everything he can to win her over. You see a bit of Venice, Tuscany, Rome and end up on the stunning Amalfi Coast. Some parts are spoken in Italian but the bulk of the film is in English.

Parlami d’amore (Tell me about love)

Sasha (Silvio Muccino) a twenty-something-year-old is desperately in love with Benedetta (Carolina Crescentini) who doesn’t seem to know he even exists. After colliding with another car, Sasha meets Nicole, a French woman in her forties and living in Rome with her husband in a failing marriage. Sasha and Nicole start a friendship that becomes more sentimental as Nicole teaches Sasha how to seduce and win over Benedetta. Set in Rome,  the director shows you Rome through the eyes of a local. From side streets to popular local hangouts.

Roman Holiday

Who can forget this famous classic from Hollywood’s Golden Era? This 1950s film was nominated for ten Academy Awards and Audrey Hepburn won Best Actress for her role as Princess Ann, a modern-day princess who sneaks out from her country’s embassy to go off and explore Rome on her own. Along the way, she meets Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), an expat reporter who shows her the sights of Rome on the back of a Vespa.

Room with a View

This film is based on a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, Room with a View. Set at the beginning of the 20th century with Italy and England as the backdrop, we meet Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter), a young English girl who visits Florence with her older cousin and chaperon (Maggie Smith), where she meets an eccentric young man named George Emerson. After returning to England, Lucy struggles with her feelings for George and whether or not she should still marry her fiancé, Cecil. There’s a lot of comedic relief in this film which pokes fun at the cultural restraints of English society during the Edwardian Era. If you enjoy Jane Austen, you’ll love this film.

Manuale d’amore (Manual of Love)

This Italian blockbuster follows the lives of four different couples and the different stages of love. From the highs, the lows, to young and older love. Think ‘Love Actually’ but Italian-style. This romantic comedy film was so popular,  two sequels were made, Manuale d’amore 2 – Capitoli successivi (2007), and Manuale d’amore 3 (2011).

Under the Tuscan Sun

Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) takes an impromptu trip to Tuscany after divorcing her husband who cheated on her. In the hope of turning around her fate, Frances impulsively buys a derelict villa in rural Tuscany and sets about renovating her new home and rebuilding her life. During a visit to Rome, she meets Marcello (Raoul Bova) who rekindles her love life. The film is based on the bestselling autobiography by Frances Mayes.

Il Postino (The Postman)

Located on the stunning island of Procida in the Gulf of Naples, the young and unemployed Mario (Massimo Troisi) is hired to be the personal postman to the famous Chilean writer Pablo Neruda who moved to the island and receives so much fan mail he needs his own postman. Soon, a friendship forms between the two men. Pablo teaches the shy and clumsy Mario the power and beauty of poetry which he uses to win over Beatrice, a waitress who works in the village cafe.

 Ieri, oggi e domani (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow)

This is Sofia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni at their very best. This romantic Italian comedy is broken into three parts which tell three stories of three different women and the men they attract. Loren and Mastroianni play all three couples. Starting in Naples, Loren’s character, Adelina, sells black-market cigarettes while her unemployed husband avoids jail by keeping her pregnant. In Milan, Loren plays Anna, a wealthy but bored woman who wears Dior and drives a Rolls Royce. She picks up a writer (Mastroianni) and dreams of running away with him. The final chapter is set in Rome, where call girl Mara causes a young seminarian to reconsider joining the church.

Pane e tulipani (Bread and Tulips)

After missing the bus back home after a family holiday, Italian housewife Rosalba decides to take this opportunity to rebel from her tedious household duties and decides to start a new life in Venice.  Pane e tulipani explores love in all its forms including romantic, family, and platonic relationships.

Scusa ma ti chiamo amore (Sorry, If I Love You )

Alex Belli (Raoul Bova) plays a successful advertising executive who is depressed after his girlfriend leaves him. Niki is a confident 17-year-old girl who collides with Alex on her scooter on the streets of Rome. Despite their 20-year age gap, they begin to fall for each other. The sequel to the film is Scusa ma ti voglio sposare (Sorry If I Want to Marry You).

Tre metri sopra il cielo (Three Steps Over Heaven)

Steven Mancini, nicknamed “Step”, (Riccardo Scamarcio) is a thug with a violent past who falls for Roberta Gervasi aka “Babi”, a model student with a busy social. Destiny brings Babi and Step together where they fall in love. Babi is introduced into a new world and nothing can seem to separate the two. Their relationship is put to the test when a mutual friend passes away.

To Rome with Love

Woody Allen’s film is a comedy that brings together four tales of love set in Rome. We meet John (Alec Baldwin) a well-known American architect who encounters Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) and finds himself reliving his youth as Jack develops feelings for his girlfriend’s friend (Ellen Page). Roberto Benigni plays Leopoldo, an average middle-class Roman who suddenly becomes a huge celebrity. There is a young provincial couple drawn to the city who find themselves caught up in separate romantic encounters. Finally, Woody Allen’s character is a once-famous opera director who tries to revive his career when he discovers a mortician with an incredible voice. Allen shows Rome at her absolute best, under the golden summer light.

 Dieci inverni (Ten Winters)

This film is based on the novel by Valerio Mieli who also directed this film and went on to win the David di Donatello for Best New Director award. Dieci inverni is about Silvestro (Michele Riondino) and Camilla (Isabella Ragonese), who after a chance encounter in Venice, fall in love. Over the next 10 winters, they meet and once again fall back into each other’s arms.

Eat Pray Love

Based on the true story of author Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts), who after divorcing her husband takes a year-long sabbatical to go on a soul searching adventure across three countries, Italy, India, and Bali.

Malèna

Set in Sicily, the story is told through the eyes of 13-year-old Renato as he follows the stunning Monica Bellucci played by  Malèna Scordia, a war widow who was every man’s obsession and the envy of every woman. This film is very moving, well-directed, and acted. 

Valentine’s Day Strawberry Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS

24-30 ladyfingers
8 oz mascarpone cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
½ cup orange juice
3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Directions

In a large mixing bowl beat heavy cream until soft peaks form
Add in the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until stiff, set aside.
Line the ladyfingers in a single layer, in the bottom of a 9×13 or similarly sized baking dish.
Brush half of the ladyfingers with half of the orange juice.
Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers and layer with half of the sliced strawberries.
Repeat the steps again. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight

 

Buona Fortuna 2835 Lodge Officers

Guard Shirley Cotita

Mistress of Ceremonies Liberia Reid

Master of Ceremonies Andy Fricano

Corresponding Secretary Jovina Coughlin

Past Presidents Gene Valentino, Mark De Nunzio, Pete Resedean, Joyce Russo Bollenbacher

Herald  Tod Wilson

Public Relations/Webmaster/Newsletter Editor: Jovina Coughlin

Lodge Chaplain  Giovanni Mirra

Lodge Photographers: Thomas Cacciatore/Shirley Cotita

State & National Officers

Lodge Contact Information:

Sons & Daughters of Italy in America – Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.

Corresponding Secretary/Webmaster/Editor – Jovina Coughlin.  jovinacoughlin@gmail.com

Website Address: https://soibuonafortuna.org/

Visit Us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/sonsofitalybuonafortuna 

Remember Those Who Are Ill

• Vera Fricano
• Joyce Bollenbacher
• Lucy Smith

Birthdays

Kathy Ahlen
Carla Boham
Thomas Cacciatore
Phyllis Cochran
Edward Johnson
Fernando Guedez
Mia Gundy
Sabrina Kaestle
Lisa Moody
Lucy Stolfi
Justine Ward

Italian Cookbook For Sale

Preserving Our Italian Heritage. Cost per book $15.00. Great gift for Birthdays, Weddings, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and Christmas. 

Grand Lodge 2021 Calendar For Sale

Calendars are available to purchase and the program is part of the Cash Three-Evening Florida Lottery Program. Prizes range from $100.00 to Special Holiday prizes for up to $1000.00.  You may purchase a calendar at the General Membership Meeting. Checks should be made out to the Grand Lodge of Florida for $50. Or mail to Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591. Attention: Patti Russo.

Newsletter Article Deadline

The newsletter is published monthly on the first day of the month. The deadline to submit information is the 30th of the previous month. Submit all information to Editor:  jovinacoughlin@gmail.com

Newsletter Ads

Members’ Personal Ads for Selling Consumer Goods cost $3.00 per month. Business Ads cost $36.00 for 12 months and are payable each January. Email a copy of your business card information or your personal ad information and a photo of the item you are selling to  jovinacoughlin@gmail.com . Please make the check payable to Buona Fortuna Lodge and mail it to Buona Fortuna Lodge #2835. P.O. Box 12351, Pensacola, FL 32591.

Community Business Ads