InterNations would like to introduce a few more new Communities that were recently converted from local groups into actual official Communities. Here is some basic information about the European cities and their InterNations Communities!

Bologna, Italy
Bologna is known lovingly as “la rossa, la dotta, la grassa”: the red one due in part to its red rooftops and also to its former political situation, the studious one thanks to it containing the oldest university in Europe, and the fat one, because of its rich cuisine. Bologna’s geographical importance in Italy as the railway and motorway hub, as well as its flourishing industrial sector, has attracted a large number of people looking for work. Having a rich cultural heritage, Bologna was appointed a UNESCO City of Music in May 2006, due to its rich musical tradition, boasting genres from classical to electronic music.

With more than 380,000 inhabitants living in the home of Spaghetti Bolognese, Bologna’s InterNations Community of 259 members enjoying 39 different nationalities is no small group. Neima Sitawi-Bottone, the Ambassador for Bologna, is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States. Owner of her own boutique in Bologna, Neima studied international affairs and fashion. Having lived in numerous countries and cities across the world, she moved to Bologna in 2010 where she takes great care to make all InterNations Bologna Events fun for members.

Lugano, Switzerland
A city with a population of about 55,000 nestled in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino at the banks of the Lago di Lugano, it is also known as the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland”. With its charming old town and breathtaking lakefront in front of a façade of the Swiss Alps, it is no wonder that both tourists and expats drift to Lugano. With both numerous outdoor activities (such as more than 300km of bike routes in and around Lugano) and many cultural happenings in the city, Lugano has something to offer everyone.

The InterNations Lugano Community has 249 members made up of 41 nationalities. InterNations Ambassadors Anneke van der Zwaag from the Netherlands and Alisa Carlos from San Diego, California have done a great deal to make living in the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland” as agreeable as possible. Anneke has been living in Switzerland for almost 20 years now, having moved to Lugano in 2007 to enjoy the Swiss-Italian flair. Working as a Supply Chain Manager, Anneke was able to make many international contacts. Alisa has just recently been appointed as the second Ambassador of the Lugano Community and moved to the Lugano area in 2007 as well.

Lviv, Ukraine
Located in Western Ukraine, Lviv is home to ca. 760,000 people. With quite a turbulent history owing to various annexations, Lviv was a city in numerous countries from Poland to Austria to the Soviet Union before finally becoming a part of the independent Ukraine in 1991. With its UNESCO World Heritage city center, Lviv attracts quite a number of tourists annually, and it is no wonder with its ancient architectural relics dating back to the 13th century. Lviv also boasts one of the oldest universities in Central Europe, originally a Jesuit School founded in 1608.

With 134 members of 16 nationalities, the InterNations Lviv Community has grown quite nicely, probably in accordance with Lviv’s own population growth. Lviv Ambassador Hartmut Lank is originally from Germany and moved to Lviv in 2009. Having studied law, he now works for the Lviv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on a German-Ukrainian co-operation. Having lived in numerous countries across the globe, Hartmut quite fits the international image!

Valencia, Spain
As the third most populous city in Spain with a population of over 809,000, Valencia is not only a well-liked tourist location, but a magnet for foreigners experimenting with expat life. The InterNations Valencia Community alone has 244 active members from 33 nationalities. With an astounding mix of historical architectural remnants and modern buildings, such as the Ciutat de les Arts I Ciencies (Valenciano for City of Science and Arts), Valencia never offers its inhabitants a boring view. Known worldwide for its famous festivities, the Falles, boasting a beach, having the biggest port on the Mediterranean Coast, and a pleasant Mediterranean climate, Valencia is quite an attractive destination!

Our Valencia Ambassador Marcela Mattenet, also fell in love with the Valencian flair and has been living there for 10 years. She opened a small managing company for accommodating tourists in Valencia with her husband and now also runs a language company. Born in Argentina and raised in England, Marcela has been quite successful at making our InterNations expats feel at home in Valencia.

Read our next blog entry coming up this Thursday to get to know the rest of our new InterNations Communities!

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

If you want to see more pictures of this event, please visit the InterNations photo album.

(Tanti saluti to our Milan Ambassador Pasquale Monteleone for hosting yet another great event. The entire picture gallery is here.)

(To have a look at more mouth-watering pictures like these, please go here.)

It’s a pity that the InterNations gallery for this particular event doesn’t have an olfactory or gustatory dimension. Although the photographic impressions of Milan Ambassador Pasquale Monteleone are undoubtedly very nice, they can’t convey the complete experience of Federico Vincenzi‘s introduction to the world of sweet wines…

Last Tuesday, on October 27, a huge number of members from the InterNations Milan Community took advantage of the excellent and unique opportunity provided by our Ambassador Pasquale Monteleone. Together with a friend of his, he set up a big networking aperitivo to facilitate the exchange between the members of various networks and organizations, from different backgrounds and nations. In the end, about 450 guests with over 40 nationalities altogether met up for having a drink and making new contacts at Milano Bar on Via Procaccini. Grazie mille for making this possible, Pasquale!

After the slightly rough start of the InterNations Milan wine-tasting sessions in September, Ambassador Pasquale Monteleone was delighted with last Thursday’s event, when everything went even better than originally planned. Meeting at Wine O’Clock Milano, a venue passionate about spreading their enthusiasm for authentic regional wines from Italy, the guests had the unique opportunity to participate in a professional degustazione led by the experienced oenogourmet and sommelier Federico Vincenzi. So they partook of vintages like Barbera from the Piemont or a Cabernet Sauvignon, nibbled at snacks and savoury Italian cheeses in between, and even engaged in what Pasquale jokingly called the “CSI Milan wine-profiling competition”. Although only InterNations member Colette Green was victorious in the latter, the entire experience was a true gain for everybody present; they are all looking forward to their next evening of sweet wines and chocolate…

(If you would like to see more photos from the event, please click here.)

As the idea of a Sunday afternoon aperitivo had proved to be quite popular among the members of the InterNations Milan Community, local Ambassador Pasquale Monteleone decided to offer another occasion to mix and mingle in the relaxed atmosphere of a weekend event. This time, however, they tried the chic ambience and the cocktails at Palco’s, where all attendants — expats, Italians and even quadrupeds — seems to have had a great time, as you may see on the selected photos below.

Our Milan Ambassador, resident gourmet and oenophile Pasquale Monteleone recently organized the first long-awaited InterNations Wine-Tasting Session in his city. At Agricola Restaurant, the members who had signed up previously for this event spent an exclusive evening together with Federico Vincenzi, a sommelier and wine educator, who has already won international awards and renown for his work. Together with an appetizing selection of Italian cheeses and ham as well as a dish of Ravioloni Ripieni, he served the guests several white and red wines, introducing the various vintages and teaching how to taste the draughts in a professional manner.

If you are interested in partcipating in another wine-testing session in the future, Pasquale would like to refer to the private message he sent out after the last event – or to contact him beforehand to discuss the organizational requirements for attending. Fellow wine-lovers are always welcome.

InterNations Ambassador Pasquale Monteleone organized an aperitivo for ‚his‘ members at Noon Milano last weekend, and, unsurprisingly, it proved to be a lovely fun event for a Sunday afternoon. The atmosphere was very relaxed and laid back: The expats from Austria, Germany, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Spain, Portugal, Canada, USA, Argentina and several Italians as well felt more like a group of friends rather than simply some members of an online community meeting up: By now, there are quite a few regulars at the Milan Get-Togethers, and everybody’s always looking forward to seeing each other again.