Leonardo da Vinci Centre is a unique state-of-the-art building that opened its doors to the Italian community of Greater Montreal in June 2002. Located in the heart of Saint-Leonard, the LDV Centre is considered the best kept secret on the island.

The 140,000-square-foot structure is decorated with rich wood and marble tiles; the design is not only remarkable but functional as well. The centre offers a sporting club, a multi-sport gymnasium, a swimming pool, a 533-seat theatre, a 148-seat theatre, a four-court boccedrome, and seven meeting rooms with full catering service.

The mission of the LDV Centre is to offer a variety of services to the different communities of Quebec while promoting Italian culture.

As Director for Youth & Senior Programs, I focus my activities on young families, children and seniors. Our tutorial program, which has been in operation since 2011, is a service offered at an extremely low cost each year from October through June. We cover grade 6 transitional Math and high school Math, Science, History and French. Our tutors are McGill students in the college of Education.

And for the very first time, I will be introducing Italian and Spanish courses for kids ages 5-16. These courses offer young families the opportunity to expose their children to the language of their heritage. Through language, children begin to create a greater appreciation of their culture.

The learning experience continues with our 6-week baking course for ages 9-12 and 13-16, including several theme workshops such as Valentine’s Day and Easter. We also have workshops throughout the year catering to our younger aspiring bakers (ages 2+). In collaboration with Coco Cannelle, we will teach children decorating skills such as piping techniques, working with fondant, frosting, etc.

The LDV Centre is a great place to come together, celebrate events, have meetings, enjoy art exhibits, attend plays, concerts, and films. At LDV Centre we welcome children, adolescents, adults, and seniors alike to celebrate Italian culture and heritage and to have a great learning experience overall.