The Beginning

During the late summer and fall of 1988, John Visco contacted a number of Italian-Americans, mainly through the St. Bede directory, to assess interest in forming a local Italian-American club. He invited 24 people to attend a meeting at the Williamsburg Regional Library on November 14, 1988 and 14 attended.

The small group discussed the feasibility and desirability of forming an Italian-American organization in Williamsburg with mainly social objectives. Extensive discussion resulted in definite interest in forming such a club. A goal of 20 male members of Italian descent set the basis for chartering such an organization.

John Visco proposed that the group present be the nucleus of the club and with Vince Petraglia acting as  President pro-tempore, Pete La Rosa, Vice President and Ed Esposito, Secretary.   Thus, November 14, 1988 was the Founding Day of CIAO.

In May 1989, a Statement of Purpose was written, discussed, finalized and adopted, as were the Club Bylaws:

The purpose of CIAO is to provide Americans of Italian descent an organization through which they can come together to form enduring friendships, positively contribute to the local community and promote a greater understanding and appreciation of our Italian heritage both among members and the community at large.

On June 1, 1989, membership reached 21 and those individuals were designated as being The Charter Members. At the same time, the name of the club was determined to be CIAO - Colonial Italian American Organization. 

The first full slate of officers and Board members was elected on June 26, 1989 as follows:

   President Lou Napoleon

First Vice President Fanco Triolo

Second Vice President Mike Bucci

Treasurer Mike DiFulgo

Historian John Visco

Board Member-At-Large Ed Esposito

Board Member-At-Large    Vince Campana

The newly elected Board of Directors took office on July 1, 1989 replacing the pro-tempore officers who served during the CIAO start-up phase. This marked the beginning of the CIAO fiscal year. On November 28, 1989, the organization logo, designed by Dr. John Lanzalotti, was officially adopted.

Shortly thereafter, at the December 5, 1989 meeting, it was resolved that CIAO would remain an independent club and would not seek national affiliation, with a concentration on social and educational benefits for it’s members first, with civic involvement to follow. In 1989, the first fundraiser dinner and the first family picnic were scheduled and the first charitable donations were made by CIAO.

In January 1990, the by-laws were modified to permit and encourage membership of women and spouses of those of Italian descent. That year, the first Galileo Awards (highest grades in math and science) were made to local high school seniors  and the first dinner for members was held at the Bray Dining Room in Kingsmill.

On July 1, 1991, the first female Board Member took office. Carla De Cao Moses was elected as Second Vice President.

Education Grants

The Galileo Awards ended in 1996 and were replaced in 1995 though 1998 with awards made to William & Mary students who were pursuing studies in Italian language, art, etc. Also during that time, CIAO, donated storybooks written in English to elementary schools in Italy to assist  those students in learning English.

The Education Fund was established in 1997 and the first “scholarship awards” to high school seniors were made in 1999.

Fund Raising

The last Italian Dinner fundraiser was in the year 2000. In 2001, our fundraiser was a silent and live auction with wine-tasting and Italian hors d’oeuvres at the Williamsburg Winery. There was no fundraiser in 2002 so that we could plan for CIAO’s first Italian Festival in 2003. The first Festival was a rousing success. Despite inclement weather on the first day, about 3,000 people attended the two-day event. Under the direction of CIAO member and past president, Joe Finelli, the Italian Festival became an annual event, and for the next eleven years was held on the second weekend in October (Columbus Day). In August 2014, Joe passed away and the Board suspended the Festival for 2015, with the intention of reinventing and restarting it in 2016. However, due to a lack of sufficient numbers of volunteers to support its implementation, the Festival did not occur and hasn’t restarted since.

During its twelve year run, the net earnings of the Festival,  was the primary source of funds used to support the educational scholarships and other charitable donations of the CIAO Foundation. 

Outreach

In 2008, as part of its community outreach, CIAO held its first Italian Film Festival at the Williamsburg Regional Library. The festival continues to this day, as does the tradition of donating each year’s films to the library’s rental collection.

The CIAO Foundation and CIAO Social Club

In the fourth quarter of 2014, it was determined that changes were needed to bring CIAO into compliance with the legal requirements for both a 501c(7) social club and a 501c(3) foundation. To this end, new bylaws were written for the CIAO Social Club, and The CIAO Foundation was incorporated in the state of Virginia as a separate entity. Members approved the new club bylaws at the March 2015 business meeting. Articles of Incorporation for The CIAO Foundation were filed with the state in March and approved in April. Its Board of Directors also approved bylaws for the new foundation in April.

By 2018, The CIAO Foundation, without the revenue from the Italian Festivals or other fundraisers, was unable to continue its mission. It was determined to shutter The CIAO Foundation, however the CIAO Club continues its mission.

Club Bylaws Changed with regard to Membership

In a special business meeting held on May 3, 2016, members overwhelmingly approved changes to the club bylaws allowing for membership by individuals not of Italian descent but who had an interest in the Italian culture, food, cinema and history. The vote was taken by written ballot and the result independently validated. Members voted 41 to 10 in favor of the proposed amendment.

 Presidents of CIAO 1988-2022

  • Vince Petraglia Pro-tempore*

  • Lou Napoleon July 1989 - Sept 1990

  • Franco Triolo Oct 1990 - Sept 1993

  • Ed Esposito Oct 1993 - June 1995

  • Carla De Cao Moses July 1995 - June 1997

  • Franco Triolo July 1997 - Sept 1997

  • Tony Malara Oct 1997 - June 1999

  • Gerard Abate July 1999 - June 2001

  • Ed Esposito July 2001 - June 2002

  • Tony Malara July 2002 - June 2004

  • Joe Finelli July 2004 - Nov 2008

  • Francis Capone Dec 2008 - Nov 2012

  • Carla De Cao Moses Dec 2012 - Nov 2015

  • Chip Sizemore ** Dec 2015 - Nov 2017

  • Ben DeMeo Dec 2017 - Nov 2019

  • Bill Moore Dec 2019 - Nov 2021

  • Anne Lamar Dec 2021 - Current

*President during the start-up phase of CIAO.

**iLBanditore Newsletter Editor Jan 2014 to Dec 2017 (final issue)