(Free Valet Parking)
Tickets: $275 ICS Members – $350 Non-Members
$4,000 – ICS Patrons, VIP Table (positioned closer to the stage)
SPONSORS AND DONORS ARE WELCOME TO CONTACT US.
INDIVIDUAL DONORS above $100 will be recognized online and in our Newsletter for one year – above $500 will be on the Gala program.
Consider becoming an ICS Patron, by purchasing a VIP Table.
Your contributions help to support our SCHOOL for children, teens and adults, as well as our SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS, concerts, art exhibits and other events, in order to bring the best of ITALIAN CULTURE to Washington. A few events are free to the public because we believe that culture needs to be accessible to everybody. To do this, we need your support!
Please check our webpage SCHOLARSHIPS to read about the 2025 Awardees.
DID YOU MISS GALA 2025? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!
Founded in 1953 and recognized as an Ente Gestore e promotore della lingua e cultura italiana by the Italian Government since 1974, our historic organization has proudly hosted the annual Gala at the Embassy of Italy for the past ten years.
Join the ICS Board of Directors for one of Washington DC’s most memorable evenings. The ICS Gala is an occasion to celebrate the excellence of Italian culture in its many facets and includes Honorary Guests of international acclaim, recognized for their successful careers in the world. This year, our theme revolves around Italian cuisine, which has been nominated for inclusion in UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. Every November, Italian Embassies and Cultural Institutes around the world come together to honor the flavors, traditions, and stories that make Italian food a global treasure. This year’s celebration is especially meaningful, as we are honored to welcome a true ambassador of Italian culinary excellence: Chef Massimo Bottura. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential chefs in the world, Bottura has not only redefined Italian cuisine through creativity and passion but has also used food as a powerful tool for social change, sustainability, and cultural dialogue.
Massimo Bottura will be in conversation with Sara Gay Forden Journalist and author of the book House of Gucci.
Master of Ceremonies: Amy Riolo, Award-Winning, Best-selling Author, Chef, Television Personality
November 8th, 2025 – 6:00pm (Gates open at 5:45)
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven St. NW, Washington, DC 20008
6:00 pm: Italian Cocktails with Live Jazz Music
7:00 pm: Honoring Massimo Bottura’s Accomplishments
8:00 pm: Dinner, Recognitions, Awards Ceremony & Piano Performance
10:00 pm: End of the event
A restaurateur and entrepreneur for nearly forty years, Massimo Bottura is one of the most innovative and influential figures in the global culinary scene. In 1995, he opened Osteria Francescana in Modena, his hometown. The restaurant’s numerous accolades — including three Michelin Stars in 2012 and first place in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2016 and 2018 — solidified his international reputation.
Over the years, other projects have emerged and are now part of the Francescana Family: in Italy, Franceschetta58, Cavallino, Gucci Osteria Florence, and the guesthouse Casa Maria Luigia, which hosts the Acetaia Maria Luigia and the restaurant Al Gatto Verde; internationally, Torno Subito in Singapore and Miami, and Gucci Osteria in Beverly Hills, Tokyo, and Seoul.
In 2014, the chef won the White Guide Global Gastronomy Award, considered the “Nobel Prize of gastronomy.”
In 2015, together with his wife Lara Gilmore, he founded Food for Soul, a non-profit organization aimed at combating food waste and social isolation.
In 2016, Massimo Bottura was named one of The Greats by The New York Times and included among the “28 Creative Geniuses of the Year” in the newspaper’s ranking, and in 2019, he was named by Time magazine among “The 100 Most Influential People.”
In recognition of his humanitarian and environmental commitment, in 2020 Bottura was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and more recently as an SDG Advocate (Ambassador of Sustainable Development Goals, which are the goals of sustainable development from the 2023 Agenda established by the UN ‘for a better future’.)
Also in 2020, Osteria Francescana was awarded the Michelin Green Star. In 2024, Casa Maria Luigia received three Michelin Keys, and Al Gatto Verde earned both a Michelin Star and a Green Star.
Learn more about Massimo Bottura
SPONSORS 2025-26:
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BEVERAGE – FOOD – PRODUCT SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
The ICS 2025 Online Auction features exclusive resort stays, meals at the best restaurants in the area, classical concert tickets, Italian language courses, and much more!
ACTIVE!
When you begin bidding, you’ll be prompted to log in with your phone number and payment information. Our silent auction platform is secure and trusted.
Thank you for your support!
Many thanks to our AUCTION donors:
Edilingua, Massimo & Lara Bottura, AFI Silver Theatre, Crys Brown, Hotel Bristol Palace, Hilton Milano, Elite Island Resorts, Choral Arts, Eataly, All Purpose Hospitality, Divino Ristorante Enoteca, Cantiniere Imports & Distributing, Inc., ETuk Tours Rome, Negroni, Washington National Opera, Parmigiano Reggiano, A Door to Italy, Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants, Illy, Cassina, Caffe Bottega Italiana, National Chamber Ensemble, Il Canale, Lamborghini, Pizzeria Da Marco, Eyma Salon & SPA, Alessandro & Rebecca Monzi, Olivieri 1882, Washington Wizards- Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Melitta Paterni.
Many thanks to our individual donors 2025:
$5,000-10,000:
$3,000-$4,999: Bruce Esposito, Anonymous
$1,000-$2,999: Linda Fuortes, Luigi & Silvana De Luca, Jeffrey Nico, Anonymous
$500-$999: Salvatore Romano, Phil Contrino, Camilla Acquista, Susan Joseph, Anne Marie Cammisa, Annelise Brody Morani,
Sara Forden, Dorothea Dickerman, Maria Romero, Louis Larca
$100-$499: David and Karen King, Katherine Stifel, Gabriela Gold, Ellen Coppley, Barbara Brody, George Shevlin, Melitta Paterni, Geoffrey Krieg,
Adele Pinkley, Frank Palumbo, Debra Karlin, Joy D. Mele, Sarah Diligenti, Richard Gervase, Craig Tregillus,
Cathy Hollinger, David Stevens, Crystofur Brown, Raffaello Cervigni
Many thanks to our individual donors 2024:
ICS PATRONS (10,000 +): Robert, Anna, Sophia Trone
ICS PATRONS ($4,000-9,000): Anonymous
$1,000-$3,000: Bruce Esposito, Luigi e Silvana De Luca, Ron Cappelletti, Jeffrey Nico, Yanina & Nadezhda Kravtcova
$500-$1,000: Louis Larca, Camilla Aquista, Salvatore Romano, Paolo Nascimbeni
$100-$500: Craig Tregillus, William Walker, Ellen Coppley, David Stevens, Joy Mele, Melitta Paterni, Sara Forden, Alessandra De Santis Guinand, Phil Contrino, Nancy Kazakos, Martha Abbott
Become a Member
ICS Members get invitations to exclusive events, benefit from discounts on classes and concerts, access to our Italian Library and Video Collections… and mostly our Members are part of a society committed in spreading culture.
The Italian Cultural Society of Washington, D.C. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. All donations to ICS are 100% tax deductible. Your contribution will help ICS to grow and improve the quality of our programs. Thank you for joining and believing in our mission!