Author: admin

Italian Club Valentine’s Dinner Dance – February 14

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Italian Club at our Annual Valentine’s Dinner Dance on February 14th at the Clubhouse!

Enjoy a magical evening of Hearts and Flowers, celebrating amore with your loved ones and friends. The night features a wonderful dinner menu and live music by David Martin’s House Party—a high-energy, nationally known band with an incredible variety of music that keeps the dance floor full all night long.

✨ Details at a Glance:
📅 February 14, 5:00 @the Clubhouse
🍽️ Dinner & Dancing
🎶 Live Music: David Martin’s House Party

This is a members-only event, and each member may invite one guest.
Not a member yet? Join today and sign up for this special evening!

Don’t wait—this beloved event fills quickly. Join us for a night of great food, music, dancing, and romance! 💃🕺💖 Sign up by clicking the flier below:

Bob Iacopi Remembered

Linda Planting and Bob Iacopi

Bob Iacopi was a long-time member of The Villages Italian Club, which began with fewer than 100 members in 2000 and has now grown to over 500 members. He became President of the Club in 2006 and served in that role until 2014, when he stepped down to care for his ailing wife. He remained on the Board until his recent passing. Bob’s vision of providing quality, affordable events that celebrated Italian culture helped shape the club into one of The Villages’ most popular and successful organizations.
Continue reading “Bob Iacopi Remembered”

The 25th Anniversary Italian Club Festa!

The Italian Club held its 25th Anniversary Fiesta on Saturday, October 11th at Cribari. An enormous undertaking, the Italian Club Board worked on this event for over 10 months, pulling everything together beautifully. And of course, we can’t forget our many volunteers — too numerous to name, but absolutely essential to our success!

The three-hour celebration brought together more than 300 members and guests for an afternoon of food, fun, and festivities. Designed as a member appreciation event, it was our way of saying “thank you” for your support over the years. The Cribari Plaza and Center were beautifully transformed with Italian décor, making guests feel as though they’d stepped into a lively festival in Italy.

There was something for everyone –

  • Gift bags filled with items celebrating our history – 25th anniversary napkins and coasters, imported Italian candies, and biscotti.
  • Music by J.B. Webb, whose Sinatra tribute had people wondering if “Ol’ Blue Eyes” himself had returned.
  • A performance in the Auditorium by Bill Likens and friends, where members could sit and relax inside.
  • Spencer Grey, our roaming magician, amazed guests with tricks that left everyone asking, “How did he do that?”
  • A cooking demonstration by Joe Civello that had everyone’s mouths watering.
  • A fortune teller who stayed busy the entire afternoon — perhaps inspiring a few lottery ticket purchases later!
  • A photo booth for lasting memories (we can’t wait to post the pictures online).
  • Games galore – a cornhole challenge, a golf pitching battle royale, and a “guess the corks in the jar” contest – where the number guessed exactly!
  • And, of course, incredible food by Chef John: fresh pizza, meatballs, two kinds of pasta, Caesar and Caprese salads, garlic bread, and a tricolor Italian cake — all perfectly paired with wine. No one left hungry!

If you couldn’t join us, stay tuned for our Christmas Party on December 13 and a full slate of events for 2026, to be announced at our January 10 Members Meeting.

Click here to see event photos!

 

2024 Valentine’s Day Party
Buon San Valentino

What a setting for a Valentine’s Day Party!  Thanks to Penny Barcellos and Noel Lancot and their team of hard working volunteers, the Clubhouse Banquet room was transformed into a lovely setting.  Did you notice the napkins were even folded into a heart shape?  And who cut out all those tiny hearts and hung them from the centerpiece foliage – what a pretty table it made!   After a lovely dinner, we were serenaded by Sargon on his guitar and as you can see members had a great time dancing.

Click on either photo to go to the complete Smugmug file of photos of the event; thanks to Pi Silverstein for his great  work as the event photographer.