Sampling “The Other Sergio” — Sergio Corbucci
For years, Italian filmmaker Sergio Corbucci was saddled with a less-than-complimentary nickname – “The Other Sergio” – because his own Spaghetti Westerns often (well, to be more precise, just about always) were overshadowed by those of his contemporary, the great Sergio Leone. But critics, academics and diehard movie buffs have long championed Cor...
La Pecora Bianca to Open Another Outpost at Former Delicatessen Space on Prince Street
Delicatessen shuttered suddenly last month after eleven years in Little Italy. However, its demise is actually months in the making, and with a big-name takeover on the way, to boot. The 2,000 square-foot corner space at 265 Lafayette (aka 54 Prince) is to become the third Manhattan outpost of La Pecora Bianca. And renovations are already afoot. No...
Ballet Legeré director gears up for 35th ‘Nutcracker’
When a 10-year-old girl gets smitten with dance and harbors dreams of making a profession of it, don’t laugh — it can happen. In fact, that describes how Donna Vittorio, artistic director of Chicago’s Ballet Légere, launched a path that landed her in the terpsichorean trade. “Growing up Italian in my family greatly influenced my interest in the art...
UC classics professor begins excavations in Sardinia, Italy
A University of Cincinnati associate professor of classics is leading an archaeological project in the ancient Punic-Roman city of Tharros, located on the western shores of Sardinia. Originally from Australia, Steven Ellis moved to the U.S. to work at the University of Michigan before coming to Cincinnati in 2007. Now, Ellis researches Roman urbani...
You Don’t Need a Membership Card to Make Palizzi Social Club’s Dishes at Home
South Philly’s speakeasy-style Palizzi Social Club, a reinvention of a century-old hangout for Italian immigrants, is a members-only establishment — meaning if you aren’t able to score a membership card on one of the rare occasions they’re up for sale, a night of feasting on chef-owner Joey Baldino’s stuffed artichokes, grilled lamb chops, and spag...
Louise Canepa: For love of music
Napa composer Louise Canepa absorbed her love of music by listening to family and friends sing along with her father, a gifted singer and guitar player. Growing up in a large, loving Italian family in Monterey, her childhood home was always filled with friendly people coming and going. Healthy Italian food, music after dinner, exposure to opera and...
The untrammelled charm of the Amalfi Coast
As I sipped strong Italian coffee, the sun played with the clouds against the Neapolitan sky. Breakfast was served on the terrace of our hotel, hemmed in by lemon trees, laden with fruit, which made the experience enjoyable. Now and then a stray sunbeam would light up the huge mosaic dome of the basilica. The sun was in its elements. We had planned...
This new Tampa Heights restaurant is a ‘love letter’ to one Italian family
After returning home from the kitchens of New York determined to open his own restaurant, Tampa native Bryce Bonsack traveled to Italy’s Piedmont region to do some soul searching. But Bonsack was on another mission, too. If he wanted his place to focus on pasta, which he mastered while leading pasta production and cooking pasta courses as a sous ch...
Alice Manica – Finding Alma: An Italian Journey
In the 1970s, on a backpacking adventure to Europe, Alma discovers her cousins in her grandfather’s hometown in northern Italy near Lake Garda. As Alma bonds with Gianna, Catrina, Novella, Veronica and Kara, the girls become lasting friends, sharing their joys and sorrows with each other on their journey through life. Over 45 years, passing into ad...
4 Italian Travel Locations Perfect for Shakespeare Fans
William Shakespeare is one of the most read authors in the English language. “The Bard” was a British poet, actor, and playwright. Despite being such a big name in the world of literature, a lot of his personal life is still a mystery. Shakespeare’s works however, have been turned into movies and graphic novels. They continue to be performed onstag...
Embrace your inner paisan with these red-sauce nights around town
L.A. has its fair share of regional Italian restaurants that craft artful plates of pasta and delicacies year-round. But when it comes to Italian-American restaurants—the kind of place where the meatball’s the size of your fist and that oregano-heavy tomato sauce has been simmering all day—these days, we’re in shorter supply. Thankfully, red sauce...
Maria Pia De Vito and Juan Oliver Mazzariello – Concert
When: Thursday, November 14, 2019 From 6:00 pm To 8:00 pm - Where: Italian Cultural Institute of New York An extraordinary musical encounter between the vocalist Maria Pia De Vito and the English/Italian pianist and composer Julian Oliver Mazzariello. Two artists with a strong bond and joyously spontaneous interaction, with a drive to walk new musi...