This year, 2018, marks the 90th anniversary of San Francisco’s premier Italian cultural club, Il Cenacolo. This impressive and important milestone was celebrated on December 7th with a stunning Christmas Gala at the St. Francis Yacht Club. In attendance were members, their spouses, and several notable guests including San Francisco Italian Consul General Lorenzo Ortona and San Francisco Supervisor, Catherine Stefani. It was a glorious evening celebrating nine decades of community service and camaraderie for its members.
Founded in 1928, Il Cenacolo has been the preeminent men’s Italian cultural club in San Francisco. The Club supports various opera and Italian language organizations throughout the Bay Area and annually awards scholarships and stipends.
And now, beginning April 2018, Il Cenacolo can add yet another milestone to its remarkable history by welcoming women as members for the first time. I am proud to say I am one of the first women to be accepted for membership, something I’ve wanted to do since my own presentations to the Club.
The Club’s weekly meetings are held across from picturesque Washington Square in the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club’s building located at 1630 Stockton Street. These weekly meetings offer members a wide variety of speakers on topics of interest, such as the arts, music, San Francisco history, food and architecture. The meetings also include a delicious Italian luncheon and a generous helping of genuine camaraderie.
Since its inception, Il Cenacolo has sought to achieve these goals: promote socio-cultural exchange among members; stimulate friendly relations among Italians and Italian-Americans; promote activities of Italian culture; encourage the study and speaking of the Italian language; honor those who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields; support worthy cultural causes including scholarships for students of the opera, Italian language, literature, arts and culture. The Club’s motto, Itala gente dalle molte vite, is translated literally as “Italian people of the many lives,” or, more poetically, “Many-lived Italian people.”
Historic accounts reflecting the Club’s history and mission reveal the following facts: in 1928, a group of Italian professionals, some recently arrived, some already well established in San Francisco, began meeting at Camp’s Restaurant on Geary Street to enjoy good food and conversation on the arts, music and literature. It was these thirteen men that originally founded a supper club that was eventually given the name Il Cenacolo. The meaning is literally a supper room where a group of close friends are united in their interest in culture. The name was also an allusion to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper, known in Italian as II Cenacolo.
One of the earliest accounts of Il Cenacolo was written in 1932 by Colonel Giovanni Masturzi, a travel writer, who describes the club in this way: “Il Cenacolo is a most congenial club composed of the elite of our colony (un circolo simpaticissimo formato dalla classe più eletta della nostra colonia). Besides exquisite social luncheons, irrigated—in spite of Prohibition—with the best Italian wines, luncheons, which are held every Thursday in an atmosphere of carefree good humor and cordial friendship, the members’ families often meet in the evening for an impromptu dance, to listen to music or a lecture.”
Over the years, II Cenacolo has built a valuable library of Italian culture, including the great and authoritative Italian Encyclopedia and some rare early editions of the great Italian men of letters. The club’s guest book is a veritable treasury of autographs of illustrious guests and visitors, men of world renown.
L’Italo-Americano was pleased to meet with Il Cenacolo’s current President, David Giannini, who shared the following:
As the current President, what would you like our readers to know about Il Cenacolo?
“We are a 90-year-old Italian Cultural Club of men and women members from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally based in the North Beach Neighborhood, we support and promote the Italian Arts, language and culture, concentrating on the SF Opera and various language programs throughout schools in San Francisco. Our history and legacy can be seen from our website, www.ilcenacolosf.org.”
Do you envision particular goals/successes/challenges for the coming year?
“Yes, meeting and fulfilling the challenges, financial and membership, in continuing our mission of presenting interesting cultural presentations for our members’ Thursday luncheon meetings and special events throughout the year. Our membership, not restricted to any nationality, religion or culture, finds a rewarding common interest in Italian arts and language.”
A club that has flourished for over 90 years is quite an achievement. What strikes you as the primary reason for this success?
“Essentially, the camaraderie between our members. They love to visit and participate with their fellow friends during the weekly luncheon presentations at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. Most have become life-long friends, finding a commonality of interests in their life experiences, work and cultural recreation.”
From all accounts, it seems Il Cenacolo will continue its legacy quite successfully with a new generation of Italophiles well into the 21st century and beyond.
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