The Story of the House of Italy:
The House of Italy’s Italian-American neighborhood is all of San Diego.  Its home is one of the 32 historic international cottages tucked into San Diego’s beautiful jewel, Balboa Park.  The cottages were founded as part of the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935. Today they are called the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, and they promote multicultural goodwill and understanding through cultural, educational and social programs.

The House of Italy (HOI) plays a major role in maintaining the Italian Americans’ cultural identity.   It keeps our unique Italian American heritage alive by helping its members live and remember their heritage, pass it down to the next generation, and introduce it to non-Italians.

The objectives of the HOI to this day remain:

• Preserve and foster the art and culture of Italy,
• Extend hospitality to all guests and greet visitors with a warm Italian welcome,
• Provide a family atmosphere for its members and guests,
• Sponsor activities and programs throughout the year,

Visit the House of Italy Cottage:
Sunday Open House
HOI has the warmth of an Italian salon and is decorated with a ceiling mural, and photographs of Italian scenes.  Visitors are greeted with a warm Italian welcome and treated to biscotti and gelato, Italian cookies and ice cream. 

The House of Italy (HOI) is open to the public on Sunday afternoons in the International Cottage area of Balboa Park between noon and 4:00 PM.  Please visit and speak to our gracious hosts about Italy!

Please visit our Website which includes information on all our upcoming events at www.houseofitalysandiego.org

We can be contacted by email at: houseofitalysandiego@gmail.com

The House of Italy Monthly Dinner Meetings
The HOI provides a family atmosphere for its members and guests at monthly Sunday dinner-meetings The HOI membership meets every third Sunday evening @ 5:00 pm at the Hall of Nations Hall next to the HOI.  Our meetings feature Italian related entertainment or a guest speaker presenting some aspect of the Italian culture.  An Italian buffet and beverages usually follow the formal meeting. Guests are cordially invited!

The House of Italy Lawn Program
The HOI Lawn Program usually occurs on the last Sunday of April. This event features Italian food favorites along with a musical show that will make you feel that you are on a visit to Italy!

Ethnic Food Fair
The HOI participates in this annual event.

The International Christmas Festival in Balboa Park
The HOI proudly participates in this annual event in Balboa Park which usually occurs on the first Friday & Saturday of December. The HOI offers Italian cuisine favorites combined with Italian coffee and desserts.

Italian Language classes
Classes are offered at the House of Italy throughout the year. Please go to our Website. For details: www.houseofitalysandiego.org

Interaction with Other Italian Organizations
The HOI is an active supporter of and co-operates with many San Diego Italian organizations.  The HOI has been a sponsor of the San Diego Italian Film Festival, SDIFF, since its inception. The Italian Cultural Center, ICC, and the HOI share many members and hold joint meetings during the year. The HOI also has a booth at the Sicilian Festival in the spring and the Little Italy Festa in the fall.

Land Area: 301,340 sq km
Population:  61,261,254 (July 2012 est.)
Capital City: Rome
Language:  Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Religion:  Christian 80% (overwhelming Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehova Witnesses and Protestants), Muslims NEGL (about 700,000 but growing), Atheists and Agnostics 20%
Form of Government: republic
Economy: Italy has a diversified industrial economy, which is divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, highly subsidized, agricultural south, with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them family owned. Learn more.
Export: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals

Source: The World Factbook - Italy