One of the best things about the city of Baltimore is its diversity. If you walk a few blocks in any direction, you can go from the Inner Harbor on the Chesapeake Bay to eclectic neighborhoods such as Mount Vernon, Canton and Fells Point. One particularly well-known neighborhood within a neighborhood in Baltimore is Fells Point’s “Little Italy,” wh...

Some of the finest artists in the world are in Baltimore, but they won’t be in any museum — instead, they’ll be right on the streets of Little Italy. It’s called “Madonnari” and the tradition goes back 500 years. Andrea Starinieri recreates work of the masters at Madonnari and this weekend it’s being celebrated with a festival. About 40 artists are...

A Christopher Columbus monument in Baltimore was vandalized overnight on Monday by protesters rallying against “hate-filled monuments,” the Baltimore Brew reported. Protesters smashed a hole in the monument, rendering its inscription, “Sacred to the Memory of Chris. Columbus Oct. XII MDCC VIIIC,” unreadable, the Brew reported. The destroyed monumen...

Nilo L. Vidi, who spent nearly 50 years making sure Baltimoreans’ knives remained sharp, died Friday from complications of dementia at his Woodbine home. He was 89. The son of Pietro Vidi, also a knife grinder, and Maria Ferrari Vidi, a homemaker, Nilo Louis Vidi was born in Pinzolo, a small village in the Italian Alps, and spent his early years th...

One of Baltimore's most beloved communities will soon get its own private security force in the wake of a citywide crime wave, a business leader said Tuesday. Gia Blattermann, owner of Cafe Gia on Eastern Avenue and High Street in Little Italy, said she has been in discussions with officials at the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore to add an extr...

Celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis says she is opening a new restaurant in Baltimore in 2018. De Laurentiis, who is known for her various roles on the Food Network, appeared on a Facebook Live video for the cable channel on Friday and was asked by a viewer if she planned to open any new restaurants."Yes, I'm going to open a restaurant in Baltimore,...

The scholarship program committee announced two 2017 scholarships: Victoria Tully is the recipient of the Jerome & Angela Elliott Scholarship ($4,000). Victoria is attending the University of Maryland at College Park, majoring in Public Health; Anna Cuffari is the recipient of the Matricciani/Vondersmith Scholarship ($4,000).  Anna is attending Mar...

In memory of Sal Spinnato who grew up in Little Italy, was a bocce player, past president of the Little Italy Lodge, immersed in the parish and neighborhood, and a treasured friend to many, the Spinnato Family purchased and placed a new bench in Little Italy's bocce courts in memory of their brother/uncle/father. Father Bernie Carman, pastor of Sai...

Pop icon and Twitter mom/poet Cher’s Oscar-winning performance in “Moonstruck” as a very, very Italian-American widow from a very, very Italian-American family is as big and memorable as, well, her hair. After losing her husband, Loretta Castorini is done with love, settling for the first drab fellow to get down on one knee (well, after she insists...

Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar has opened its doors in Little Italy. The Canada-based chain specializes in pizza and offers a menu of more than 80 items, including burgers, sandwiches, wings and pasta. Boston’s 14 specialty pizzas include the Florentine (topped with spinach, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, mozzarella and Parmesan)...