Message from the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, to the President-elect of the United States of America, Biden
The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, has sent the following message to the President-elect of the United States of America, Joe Biden: “On behalf of the whole Italian Republic, I would like to express my warmest congratulations on your election as President of the United States of America. As a result of a remarkable participation, the...
Sandra Hurt’s Priestess of Pompeii
Congratulations to NIAF Member Sandra Hurt for her new book, Priestess of Pompeii, an epic yet intimate portrayal of Rufilla Istacidia’s world in ancient Pompeii and Greece. Mythology and history intertwine, like the inner and outer worlds of life. Whether on the pirate-infested seas, in the quiet of sacred sanctuaries, inside Julius Caesar’s polit...
“Keep Moving Forward”: What the Rocky Franchise Has Taught Me About Resilience and Living With Cancer
I’ve never been into sports. And I’ve certainly never been into boxing. A too-tall string bean of a child with terrible hand-eye coordination and zero competitive drive, my parents still tried to engage me in various athletic activities: AYSO soccer and softball as a child, track and field as a teenager—but even as a child on the big grassy field I...
Stuck-at-Home Americans Crave Italian Deli Meats
Go ahead and add prosciutto to the list of items flying out the door at markets during Covid. Demand is surging for charcuterie -- European-styled cured meats such as salami and pancetta -- with the pandemic fueling consumers’ desires for simple protein snacks to enjoy outside restaurants. It’s part of an accelerating trend seen by Dasha Shor, glob...
Tragedy of Ezio Pinza, the Opera Star Who Was Interned on Ellis Island in 1942
For the last three years I have been immersed in opera for my forthcoming book, Two Against Hitler: The Daring Mission to Save Europe’s Opera Stars from the Nazis. And among the most interesting characters I have come across is the legendary Italian-American basso Ezio Pinza. Born in Rome in 1892, he rose from poverty to become one of the world’s...
Eataly Adding Same-Day Delivery in Four U.S. Cities
Italian retail and dining experience company Eataly will offer same-day delivery of food to consumers living in and around four American cities where the Italian market currently operates. Founded in 2007, Eataly operates 39 Italian markets in 11 countries around the world. Eataly locations offer an expansive marketplace, restaurant and even cookin...
Preserving the Italian Vegetable Garden in America
Farm-to-table might seem like a novel concept to many, but for Italian immigrants, it was simply a way of life. When coming to the New World, along with their culinary skills and traditional recipes, they brought their extensive gardening knowledge as many lived in rural areas and sustained themselves as farmers. Italian immigrants gardening tradit...
Enter the Christopher Columbus Essay Contest
Calling all high school students! NIAF is now accepting submissions for the NIAF NCCA Christopher Columbus Essay Contest. Three outstanding essays will be chosen from the submissions to win a cash prize; the first-place winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington to read his or her essay at the Columbus Day event in Washington, D.C....
The Most Popular Italian-American Dishes, Ranked
While it's difficult to imagine now, there was once a time when our favorite "Italian" dishes were seen as strange or foreign. A combination of assimilation and marketing turned these foods into must-haves for Americans of all backgrounds. In the 1800s, there was an influx of immigrants from Southern Italy; by the 1880s, 80% of the Italian immigra...
Italian Christmas: Stories and Traditions from North to South with Antimo Cimino
November 10, 2020. 8:00 pm pacific time. Zoom Meeting. Please REGISTER HERE for this event to receive the Zoom link prior to the event. This is a very exceptional presentation to swing into the Italian Christmas mood and start putting the tragedies of 2020 behind. Thanks to Antimo Cimino who will be the moderator of the upcoming meeting, we will he...
Vito Racanelli’s The Man in Milan
Auguri to NIAF Member Vito Racanelli for his latest book, The Man in Milan. When NYPD detectives Paul Rossi and Hamilton P. Turner begin investigating the Sutton Place murder of an Italian air force pilot, the last thing they expect is that they will find themselves sucked into the potential cover-up of the Ustica massacre, the most horrific aviati...
Columbus - A multicultural approach
A unifying solution to the attack on Christopher Columbus as we re-examine history as a diverse community is to include Columbus statues and multicultural statues in shared spaces to show that our heritages, together for better or worse, form one America. That space should be designated for all members of the community. Remember, Taino Chief Guacan...