KELOWNA CANADIAN ITALIAN CLUB
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • About KCIC and Our History
    • President's Message
    • Vice President's Message
    • Executive and Directors
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
  • NEWS & ARTICLES
    • The Grapevine Newsletter
    • THE ITALIAN GARDENER
    • Kelowna's First Families
    • Pietro's Spazio Sport
    • Book Reviews
    • Mangia Mangia Recipes
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING AT KCIC
    • 2023 Calendar
    • Club Happenings >
      • KCIC Dinners & Special Events
      • La Nostra Famiglia Italiana >
        • Upcoming NFI Events >
          • NFI - L'Acqua
          • NFI - Bisnonno
          • NFI - Spaghetti
        • Past NFI Events >
          • NFI - Terrazzo
          • NFI - Guerra
          • NFI - Lilia
          • Coming to Pier 21
          • Dalla Terra
          • Dialetti!
          • Sveva Caetani
          • Emilio Picariello
        • Family Tree Workshops
        • Between Neighbours
      • Giuseppe's Cafe
      • La Bella Tavola - Cooking Classes
      • La Scuola Italiana - Italian Language
      • KCIC Library
    • Il Nostro Lascito Legacy Project
    • Our 55th Birthday!
  • More From Us
    • CONTACT US
    • Clubhouse Rentals
    • 50th ANNIVERSARY >
      • 50th Anniversary
      • Mercato
      • Dinner & Dance Gala
    • Miss Kelowna Cdn. Italian Club
    • PHOTOS >
      • Photos
    • Calendar Page
  • Take Out Dinners
  • New Page

Le prime famiglie italiane di Kelowna 

The first Italian families of Kelowna

Pietro Calissi and Erika Petzold

6/28/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Pietro and Erika
Pietro Calissi was born January 1, 1934 in Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany to Ciro Calissi and Maria Ada Rossi, in a family of eight children. He grew up in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana in the province of Lucca. He would have liked to stay in school, but due to difficult conditions after the war, he moved in with the Enrico Ancillotti family and apprenticed as a butcher and sausage maker. Pietro knew the Turri and Andreucci families, from Castelnuovo, who were already in the Okanagan.  So, for a couple of years he started to save up some money and learn English.

In March, 1957, at twenty-three years of age, he immigrated to America. He travelled on the Cristoforo Colombo ship to New York, and then by train to Kelowna, British Columbia. He was sponsored by his brother Alfredo.  Pietro’s plan was to return to Tuscany to run the Ancillotti butcher shop, but then he met my mom.

Erika was born to Henry Petzold and Berta Demmer in the state of Steiermark, Austria, in 1939.  Her family came to Ontario in 1950, when Erika was thirteen. They moved to Kelowna in 1959. Henry worked for the Heinz Koetz Family, on the Black Mountain Potato Farm. It was here that Pietro and Erika met.  They were married soon after.  Pietro worked at Pioneer Meats and Finn’s Meats in Rutland for fourteen years, making sausage and curing meats.

In 1965, Pietro and Erika purchased a ten acre property on Paynter Road in Westbank, BC.  They planted one of the first vineyards in the area. They thought the family farm would be a good environment to raise their family and for the children to learn a trade.  Pierre was born in 1960,   Bianca in 1962 and  Marino in 1967.

Pietro, and son Pierre, purchased thirty-two acres of land in South East Kelowna in 1978.   For thirty years they grew apples, pears, sour cherries and grapes.

Pietro was one of the founding members of the Kelowna Canadian Italian Club. His family enjoyed many events at the club, especially as the kids were growing up and into their teen years.

Sadly, Pierre passed away suddenly, in 2018, at age fifty-seven and Erika passed in 2020. They are laid to rest at the Westbank Cemetery.
​
Bianca Calissi
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Research and photos of First Families by Don Rampone

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

coming soon to kcic!  - click below to find out more

Giuseppe's Cafe - Feb 23
L'Acqua: Italians and The Greening of the Okanagan - Feb 15
Who Killed My Great Grandfather - March 8
REGISTRATION FOR LA BELLA TAVOLA MARCH CLASSES

Our Clubhouse

770 Lawrence Ave.
Phone: 250 762 0900

What people Are Saying about us

"Great People, Wonderful Food! So nice to have a little bit of our Italian culture in Canada:)"
"Great people, family oriented and great food of course!"


Join our Mail list

We won't share your information but we will share our news and upcoming events!
Subscribe Here

Contact Us


The Kelowna Canadian Italian Club acknowledges that our clubhouse is situated on the beautiful unceded traditional territory of the Syilx/Okanagan people. Who, for thousands of years, have lived in harmony with nature and continue to this day to offer us so much culture and understanding.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • About KCIC and Our History
    • President's Message
    • Vice President's Message
    • Executive and Directors
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
  • NEWS & ARTICLES
    • The Grapevine Newsletter
    • THE ITALIAN GARDENER
    • Kelowna's First Families
    • Pietro's Spazio Sport
    • Book Reviews
    • Mangia Mangia Recipes
  • WHAT'S HAPPENING AT KCIC
    • 2023 Calendar
    • Club Happenings >
      • KCIC Dinners & Special Events
      • La Nostra Famiglia Italiana >
        • Upcoming NFI Events >
          • NFI - L'Acqua
          • NFI - Bisnonno
          • NFI - Spaghetti
        • Past NFI Events >
          • NFI - Terrazzo
          • NFI - Guerra
          • NFI - Lilia
          • Coming to Pier 21
          • Dalla Terra
          • Dialetti!
          • Sveva Caetani
          • Emilio Picariello
        • Family Tree Workshops
        • Between Neighbours
      • Giuseppe's Cafe
      • La Bella Tavola - Cooking Classes
      • La Scuola Italiana - Italian Language
      • KCIC Library
    • Il Nostro Lascito Legacy Project
    • Our 55th Birthday!
  • More From Us
    • CONTACT US
    • Clubhouse Rentals
    • 50th ANNIVERSARY >
      • 50th Anniversary
      • Mercato
      • Dinner & Dance Gala
    • Miss Kelowna Cdn. Italian Club
    • PHOTOS >
      • Photos
    • Calendar Page
  • Take Out Dinners
  • New Page