Venetian Cuisine Takes Center Stage at Boston’s SRV
Lots of people like fresh pasta, but very few go to the lengths Michael Lombardi does to make it. In the basement of his South End restaurant SRV, Lombardi (Questrom’08) and co-owner Kevin O’Donnell have installed a mill to grind the grain needed to make the freshest pasta, whether it’s tubes of garganelli, buckwheat pizzoccheri, or piles of the el...
Hartford’s “Little Italy”
In the early 1900s, Hartford was a booming economic center. Italy, on the other hand, suffered both economically and socially. Hundreds of thousands of Italian men looked for unskilled work in other countries; many eventually headed to the United States. Hartford’s potential job opportunities attracted Italians and soon the city’s number of immigra...
Murals send message of love to immigrants past and present
Murals celebrating immigrants past and present are cropping up in Boston neighborhoods as part of the city's take on the national "To Immigrants With Love" campaign. The murals, which began cropping up this summer, juxtapose real life Boston immigrants from past generations with more recent newcomers. One mural features a Russian couple who founde...
V's Trattoria, Hartford
When a drastic drop in business due to ongoing iQuilt construction forced Vito's By The Park from its location of 20 years, some wondered how the loss of its bucolic, park side, al fresco identity would affect it. The location "was magic," chef-owner Rob Maffucci, told Hartford Courant reporter Leanne Griffin. But if there's one thing 51-year-old M...
Many Turn Out to Wish Councilor LaMattina Farewell
When City Councilor Sal LaMattina announced in April he would leave public office, the shockwaves rippled throughout the community. After a stellar 30-year career with the City of Boston, eleven of which was spent as the District 1 City Councilor, LaMattina said, “It’s time. It’s time to give someone else a shot who has new ideas. I did not make th...
Wakefield SOA celebrates Italian Heritage Month
Wakefield Sons of Italy and members of the community recently celebrated Italian Heritage Month at the Beebe Library with a screening of “Boston’s North End: An Italian American Story.” Attendees had an opportunity to ask questions and share their own stories with the producer, Boston University professor James Pasto, after the film. Upon arrival i...
Ultra-Rare Bizzarrini for Sale, Just in Time For the Holidays
An unrestored 1966 Bizzarrini 5300 Strada is on sale with only 14,334 kilometers (8907 miles) on the odometer. Aston Martin of New England, a dealer in Waltham, Mass., is offering it for $1.65 million. Red, with a red-leather interior, the low-slung exotic has not been on the road since the 1980s. Classic Driver, an international marketplace for ca...
Ambassador explains Italian strong ties to Connecticut
You do not know what beauty is if you have not been here," Mark Twain famously wrote about Hartford in 1868. Visiting the capital of the Constitution State 150 years later, as the ambassador of Italy to the United States, I can see why one of America's greatest writers, whose novels have been read all over the world, was moved by the beauty of this...
Chelmsford’s Sal Lupoli proud of football, family success
It’s with equal portions of anticipation and dread that Sal Lupoli approaches his final downs as a Chelmsford Lion. The two-way standout knows all too well a football odyssey that started when he was 7 filling water bottles and dragging tackling dummies on to the practice field under the watchful eye of his father, longtime Chelmsford defensive lin...
Zia Gianna Will Open in Dorchester This Saturday
Beginning this Saturday, Dorchester residents will be able to snack on Sicilian sandwiches and baked goods and sip on cappuccinos and other Italian coffee drinks. Zia Gianna (1739 Dorchester Ave.) is throwing an opening party from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and will be serving pastries, lunch, and coffee. So much coffee. Zia Gianna owner and chef Nino Barba...
'Canaletto and the Art of Venice' comes to BF Opera House
RAMParts Presents, in partnership with Exhibition on Screen, brings the 90-minute feature film, Canaletto and the Art of Venice to the Bellows Falls Opera House on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m., for an immersive journey into the life and art of Venice’s famous view-painter. No artist better captures the essence and allure of Venice than Giovanni...
Italian-Language Christmas Movie 'La Cena Di Natale' In New Haven
New Haven has always been a hub of Italian-American activity in Connecticut. So it's the perfect place to ring in the holiday, Italian-style. On Wednesday, Nov. 29, an Italian-language Christmas movie will be shown at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. Marco Ponti's 2016 comedy "La Cena di Natale" ("The Christmas Dinner") tells abo...