Wednesday, September 2, 2026
A COOLER OUTDOOR SEPTEMBER
Dear members of Ciancia,”
Some of you might have braved these scorching temperatures and went on vacation by some breezy shore. I am glad I did not go to Italy, as my friends informed me about extreme three-digit temperatures over there. We have been luckier here in Atlanta, with plenty of rainfall and no crazy storms. Hopefully, September will be gentler to our upcoming outdoor club meeting.
The first ofn these is a free event at Piedmont Park, this coming Tuesday at 7:30. Arrive earlier for better seating (on the grass).
The second even is our traditional Club Meeting,taking plc e privre home on Saturday, September 12 – scroll below, for details. Speaking of which, I apologize to our members for not having a club meeting last month. It was a combination of lack of suitable hosts and being too busy to think of an alternative. Yet we are looking for hosts for the remainder of the year. Please, contact us at agpirrone@mindspring.com if you can host Ciancia in October or November!
Italy lost a great musician in August, a true myth of Italian ciulture – scroll below, for the article.
A warning: our website is down! We are having it repaired or entirely relocated.
Our language group will continue to meet at the Three peaches café – scroll below, for details. Thnak you for staying abreast of our activities! AGP
In this issue:
The Atlanta Symphony at Piedmont Park
Our September Club Meeting
Distracted Pedestrians
An new opportunity to practice your Italian
A great loss for Italian music
Our remaining Book Library
Looking for Hosts
OUR SEPTEMBER CLUB MEETING!
Our September club meeting is taking place at the house of a new member. This is the first time he is hosting Ciancia.
The proud grandchild of immigrants from Eastern Europe, Daniel came to Atlanta from the northeast at 20 years old to seek his fortune and worked at first as a waiter. He attended Georgia Tech and worked in the communications industry and, later, changed career and became a nurse and nurse practitioner. After becoming bored with retirement, he returned to Georgia State University as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and part time faculty at Georgia State School of Nursing. Daniel is also a medical volunteer at Grace Village Medical Clinic in Clarkston, which serves the refugee community. In fact, he is asking to bring any gently used stuffed animals or other toys to donate at the party.
Fortunate to begin French language study in public elementary school, Daniel later learned Spanish at university and also practices Portuguese and Italian. In semi-retirement, Daniel enjoys travel and just came back from a trip to Budapest, Vienna and Prague with his wife Ann.
Host: Daniel Geller
Date: Saturday, September 12
Time: 5 pm - 10 pm
Address: 1770 Marlbrook Dr, NE,
Atlanta, GA 30307
Tel: 404-423-6176
East of Little 5 Points, the house is at the end of Leonardo Ave.
Plenty of street parking.
Go to the left side of the house and pass to the backyard.
Additional lawn chairs would be appreciated.
NOTE: Please bring any gently used stuffed animals or other children's toys to donate. No puzzles or games with small pieces, please. Books are better donated to your local Little Free Library. You do not need to go out and buy something new. Thank you!
DISTRACTED PEDESTRIANS
Among the season's curiosities, the Italian government is debating a highway code amendment to fine distracted pedestrians €75 for using phones or tablets while crossing the street, perhaps unaware that most Italians do the sign of the cross, before they venture into the pavement.
As crosswalks don’t mean a thing in Italy, but perhaps a decoration, if you want to get to the other side of the street, you need to throw yourself into the incoming traffic, hoping that God is watching and may want to protect you.
Allegedly, pedestrians will still be able to have hands-free conversations while crossing the road and can use their phone in case of a true emergency, such as their mother having an anxiety attack because there is no bread at home, and it is almost siesta time.
A NEW OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE YOUR ITALIAN
Our smaller conversation group continues! This is a place where you can get together on an ongoing basis with members who are interested in honing their language skills, for actual conversation in Italian. We never truly had such a place for quietly practicing Italian. Being open to anyone, our general club meetings often end up splitting in smaller groups that converse in various languages, including English. The idea of gathering independently from our regular meeting to exclusively speak Italian is more conducive to learning. We decided that meeting at a cafè works best. All beginners are welcome!
Since this is a self-managed gathering, the participants may decide to schedule this group more often. Given that Atlanta’s traffic has become an ominous obstacle for those traveling from afar, we scheduled these meetings off rush hours. Unlike our regular meetings where we collect funds for our expenses, there is no door charge at these conversation meetings. Furthermore, this cafè serves some of the best coffees and Italian gelato in Atlanta! We hope you like this idea. All dates below are effective, and you may pick any or all:
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location:
Three Peaches Gelato Coffee
985 B Monroe Drive NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
Parking Warning: Parking in the front lot is limited, and security is tightly monitored by cameras. If you park and leave the lot or go somewhere else after the meeting your car will likely be booted.
A GREAT LOSS FOR ITALIAN MUSIC
This one was for me a sad news. A couple of weeks ago, a true legend of Italian music, the prolific poet Francesco Guccini, a singer-songwriter without peers, passed away. In the sixties and seventies, he was a beacon of truth, an existentialistic reference for all, indeed a true legend. Guccini would deserves a book or a treaty by himself, for he was an inspiration to two generation of thinkers and philosophers like us. One ballad in particular, let a deep trace in me, as, among other things, I missed my best friend who still lives in Italy: Canzone per Piero. If you never heard of Guccini, you may want to read his profile on Wikipedia. Here is a link to one of his best and most nostalgic ballads – the lyrics are stunning!
OUR REMAINING ITALIAN LIBRARY
In the past few months, our Italian book library has been distributed to members who are interested in Italian literature and ficltion. Starting the upcoming September and October, we decided to display and make the last 50 titles (actually portrayed in this image), at our meetings, all free! You may grab as many as you like. Please, remember to take advantage of this great opportunity.
If you would like to pick them up earlier, please email us at: agpirrone@mindspring.com.
LOOKING FOR HOSTS
Ciancia gatherings are fun and an easy way to practice Italian! However, they require the support of our members. If you have room in your house for 30-40 people and are willing to host one of our gatherings, please, contact us at agpirrone@mindspring.com We will help you with the set up, even with cleaning. Given that our most recent meetings are potluck gatherings, you don’t have to provide but one dish, some picnic supplies and a couple of starter bottles of wine. We would gladly handle the rest. We are currently looking for hosts for October and November 2026, and for January and February 2027.
Here is our current team:
Arturo Giancarlo Pirrone, President
Dawn Ilardi, meeting and door coordinator
Alessio Medda – Committee Planning & Special Events
Stefano Grossi, IT Team, website design
Claudio Di Persia, Atlanta's Italian Film Festival director
QUESTIONS, IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, ARTICLES?
Most questions regarding the format of our meetings are answered on our website at www.ciancia.org. If you are trying to contact us for ideas, relevant subjects, forthcoming cultural events, hosting an event, advertising, or publishing relevant material and articles that are related to Italian culture, you may contact us at agpirrone@mindspring.com. We look forward to hearing from you!