How ‘The Fighting Santoros’ Came to Symbolize Italian American Patriotism
1.5 million Italian Americans served in the armed forces during World War II, amounting to some 10% of American soldiers in all. This is where the Santoro Family comes in. in an extraordinary act of patriotism, eight Italian American brothers enlisted after Pearl Harbor and fought for our country, with seven of them serving overseas at once. They w...
What’s the secret weapon at new Palermo Pizzeria?
By profession, Tottenville resident Sal Finocchiaro works in his own accounting business. Yet the bean counter had a hankering for the restaurant business -- opening his first venture, Palermo’s Pizzeria in Richmond Valley. “That’s my secret weapon -- the 70-year old from Sicily,” said Finocchiaro, nodding to the man working on a cheese pie behind...
Known for Premium Cycles, Italy's Ducati Aims for a Broader Market
Italian Ducati-brand motorcycles have long been known as premium products, with a heritage of racing and sports bikes. Hardly a volume manufacturer, Ducati produces about 50,000 two-wheelers per year, with Italy as the biggest market and the U.S. as an important secondary. North America is 20 to 22 percent of global sales. The U.S. motorcycle marke...
Cathedral parishioner writes about her family’s friendship with St. Frances Cabrini
Celeste Raspanti, a volunteer archivist at the Cathedral of St. Paul, remembers stories her mother told about their family forging a friendship at the dinner table with St. Frances Cabrini as they helped her minister to the poor in Chicago. “She drank wine, she ate pasta, she sang songs,” Raspanti said of St. Frances. When Raspanti’s grandfather wa...
After 90 Years, Eastside Deli Still Serves Massive Meaty Sandwiches And A Side Of Italian American History
It's easy to miss Eastside Market Italian Deli, a big beige block of a building you've probably driven past a thousand times while navigating Dodger Stadium. Even with a giant sign on the corner of Alpine Street and Figueroa Terrace, it somehow blends into the streets of Victor Heights. Bordered by Elysian Park, Echo Park, Chinatown and Angelino He...
Sports Hall to present top honor to Andretti
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to auto racing legend Mario Andretti at a Nov. 9 induction and awards gala at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont. A 1981 inductee of the hall of fame, Andretti earned victories in 111 races during a career that spanned five decades and six continents. Along the...
Italy in the Global Food System
Monday, 10/28/2019 - 6:30pm. Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, 24 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011-8604. Food (2019, MIT Press) by Fabio Parasecoli. The author in conversation with Meryl Rosofsky (NYU) A consumer's guide to the food system, from local to global: our part as citizens in the interconnected networks, institutions, and organizations th...
Prosciutto di Parma PDO undergoes historic change
After more than twenty years, the rules of production for Prosciutto di Parma PDO are about to change. The producers gathered in the protection Consortium have in fact decided to revise the specification governing the production of the iconic Italian ham. The goal is to focus on the characterization of the product to improve its quality, starting w...
Former mayor Giuliano sees his experience as ideal for Middletown’s top spot
Lifelong resident and Common Council Minority Leader Sebastian N. Giuliano, a Republican, said his extensive experience leading the city from 2005-11 makes him a natural to slide into the city’s top job if elected in November. The former three-term mayor, 67, announced his candidacy in mid-May. “I know the job, the learning curve is nonexistent and...
Ciao Monte to open at former location of Leo’s Kitchen in Winter Park
Ciao Monte, a new Italian-American fusion restaurant, is saying hello to the mountains of Winter Park. The restaurant will fill a vacancy at Cooper Creek left by Leo’s Kitchen vacating the space earlier this year, and the new owners hope to open as early as the end of October. “We’re planning a soft opening at the end of this month,” said Chef Har...
What learning Italian did for me
As Italian-American Heritage Month continues throughout the United States, we are also set to celebrate one very special week beginning on October 21– La Settimana della Lingua Italiana Nel Mondo, which celebrates the impact the Italian language has had around the world. While learning Italian is something that many Italian-Americans choose to do t...
Discover Tuscany: Siena in One Day
Bathed in olive groves and Chianti vineyards to the north and the Brunello wine region to the south, picturesque Siena is a great base to discover Tuscany’s hidden secrets. Siena’s surrounding three hills ensure steep alleyways and cascading steps down to splendid monuments, expansive piazzas and intimate arches, which make for exceptional images t...