Review: Pazzo
I would not be surprised if one day soon Michelangelo’s David statue, a symbol for Sarasota, is replaced by a sculpture of a giant meatball resplendent on a mound of melting mozzarella. That’s how strong the Italian restaurant trend is locally. One out of two eateries that opens is Italian, and, frankly, there’s not much difference in the preparati...
A mysterious deck, with Italian origins: the tarots
Only naming them brings to mind mystery and divination, the magic aura of the unknown surrounds them: but are tarot cards really that difficult to decipher? They may be - for those who believe in such things - at least when it comes to reading the future, but their history is not at all unclear, and it has strong Italian roots. This may come as a...
Italian studies minor is back
As a sign of continued recovery from the Great Recession, the University of Nevada, Reno has revived some course offerings, including Italian studies. Beginning this fall, the Department of World Languages & Literature in the College of Liberal Arts will offer an Italian studies minor. The minor's courses include Italian language through film, conv...
The Feast of St. Giovanni Battista
In Italy, I have come to believe that you don't need much reason in order to celebrate life! It seems like at least a few times a month, there's a reason to get together, order cake, celebrate! There are also a lot of "Saint" holidays in Italy! St. Francis, St. Antonio, St. Giuseppe and of course, St. Giovanni, or St. John. Celebrated just two week...
OLLI Students Create Lifelong Memories During Educational Tour of Rome
Seventeen Osher Life Long Learning Institute students recently concluded an eight-day class and educational tour of Rome. The trip, which was organized by the University of Arkansas Rome Center and the Office for Study Abroad and International Exchange, was the first of its kind for OLLI and marked the institute's 10th anniversary. "It was a pleasu...
This tiny village in Italy grows the best pistachios in the world
The pistachios grown in the village of Bronte, in Sicily, are known to Italians as “green gold.” And the moment you bite into an arancino at an old-school local bar, it’s easy to see why. There’s a crispy breadcrumb crust, then a béchamel pistachio pesto thickly woven around every rice grain. Pistachios are the star here — because they’re the best...
Nuclear Scientists Calculate Value of Key Property that Drives Neutron Decay
Using some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, an international team including scientists from several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories has released the highest-precision calculation of a fundamental property of protons and neutrons known as nucleon axial coupling. This quantity determines the strength of the interacti...
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Creates an Italian Language App
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) has developed ItaliAmo, an app for English and Chinese speakers interested in learning Italian. ItaliAmo reduces the difficulty of learning Italian by introducing words and concepts in a direct and entertaining way. The app is part of a larger effort by MAECI to increase the popu...
Red-Sauce Italian Cooking Finds a Future at Don Angie
Ever since Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone began rehabilitating chicken Parm and Neapolitan cookies around 2010, I’ve been waiting for other restaurants to carry the torch of Italian-American food boldly into the future. This is a major branch of American cuisine, too important for its fate to be left to the Olive Garden. For the most part, though,...
Rome’s Pantheon – from paganism to Christianity
As your eyes acclimatize to the soft ambient light, sacred statues begin to peek out from shaded alcoves. A single shaft of dazzling sunlight hits the floor, drawing your gaze up to the heavens. And the smell of incense assails the senses. But this is no typical Catholic church. This is Rome’s breathtaking, mind-blowing Pantheon, built first as a p...
Please Don't Call It Italian Champagne: How Prosecco Gained Respect
Twenty years ago if you heard about Prosecco, the white sparkling wine from Italy’s Veneto region, is was probably as a component with white peach juice of the bellini cocktail, invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice. The popularity of that easy-to-drink aperitif helped Prosecco get a foothold in the U.K., German and U.S. markets as a good mixer and as...
Little Italy Festival comes to Marina Auto Stadium on June 16 at 11 AM & Toronto FC II vs Indy Eleven Kicks Off at 7 PM
The Little Italy Festival will be hosted at Marina Auto Stadium on Saturday, June 16, starting at 11 AM, as a prelude to the regular season USL match between Toronto FC II and Indy Eleven. Frankie Scinta will be flying in from Vegas to perform live at 9 PM during the festival, as a special guest with the James Brown Experience, and will sing a hear...