What’s In A Name? In Frascati, It’s A Charming Italian City With Its Own Wine And Wonderful Food
Many Italian wineries proudly name their wines after the towns around which their vineyards are spread —Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Fiano di Avellino and the lovely small city of Frascati, less than an hour south of Rome (if the autostrada is not jammed up) and within the province of Lazio. The wine named Frascati itself has not, until recently...
Stolen children: How the Vatican sent babies of unwed mothers to US for adoption
John Campitelli started searching for his birth mother when he was only 11 years old. Born in 1963 in Turin, Italy, he was adopted two years later by an American Catholic couple in New York. For years, he believed his birth parents were dead, although no one had ever given him any explanation about why he was given up for adoption. In 1991, after y...
Archeological Museum in Reggio Calabria – Much More than the Famous Bronzes
When I begin to talk enthusiastically about the archeological museum in Reggio Calabria, I usually just get blank stares. If I show a photo or two of the famous Bronzes of Riace, interest piques. Once I have my listener’s attention, I introduce the rest of the museum’s collection. Ranging from the prehistoric through the Roman period, the exhibits...
The Iconic Italian Sweets Brand That's Back On Shelves At Costco
Italy does a lot of things very well, but food undoubtedly ranks at the very top of its mastery. Although Italian food is mostly known for the savory classics like pizza and pasta, there are many delicious Italian desserts you should try at least once. One of them is pandoro, the star-shaped, golden-yellow sweet bread sprinkled with powdered sugar;...
What Is Antipasto And What Is Its Purpose?
The moment you sit down at an Italian dinner table, your journey begins with a mosaic of antipasto: olives, artisanal cheeses, cured meats, salted fish, sun-ripened vegetables, bruschetta, and crostini. This vibrant assortment of appetizers, full of color and flavor, awakens your senses and primes you for the meal to come. The Italian word antipast...
In last years of World War II, Italian POWs built a church of their own in Chambersburg, Pa
During the latter stages of World War II, thousands of Italian soldiers were captured by the Allies in North Africa and Sicily. They were sent as prisoners of war to various locations such as England, India, South Africa and the United States. A total of 52,000 Italian POWs were distributed around 21 camps in 18 states of the United States. In thes...
So, you want to retire to Tuscany?
Kate Paterson and her husband David left their home in Melbourne’s Richmond in July last year for a new life in Italy. With their two children, now aged two and four, the couple moved to an apartment they had rented online in Lucca, a town west of Florence in Tuscany. They had never been to Lucca before, and neither of them spoke Italian, but they...
A Very Italian American Christmas Eve Party
Christmas Eve in an Italian American household is an experience unlike any other. It's a night filled with laughter, love, and enough food to feed a small village. At the heart of it all is the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a tradition that brings families together to indulge in a seafood feast that's both delicious and deeply symbolic. To help you ca...
Baci Pizza relocates, expands restaurant in East Naples
A name change signifies that Baci Pizza in East Naples is more than a pizzeria. It’s now Baci Trattoria & Pizza in a new restaurant space less than a mile away from its original location. “We moved away from pizza, and this location is more like a trattoria. A trattoria in Italian means homemade-style Italian food,” said Baci owner Francesco “Frank...
Europe’s Vega-C rocket return boosts Italy’s space leadership
Italy celebrates the successful launch of Sentinel-1C aboard the Vega-C rocket, marking a milestone for the nation’s space industry and European space capabilities. The mission underscores Italy’s leadership in aerospace innovation and its pivotal role in securing Europe’s independent access to space. The Vega-C rocket, built by the Italian aerospa...
Stanley Tucci’s Vermont Roots
Many of the Italians who came to Vermont in the late 1800s and early 1900s left their homeland to work in the granite, marble, and slate quarries. One of those who settled in Northfield in 1904, at the age of 15, was Stanislau Tucci. Hailing from the small town of Marzi in Cosenza, Stanislau learned to carve stone in the Northfield sheds. He met an...
How Cooking With a 98-Year-Old Italian Grandma Helped Heal My Grief: 'I'm Your Nonna Now'
In 2019, I got an Italian grandmother for Christmas. Her name is Maria Volontà and she’ll be 100 years old in February. We’re not related by blood; and were strangers the day she first cooked me her Christmas Eve chickpea casserole, the same day she declared she was going to be my nonna now. When Nonna Maria adopted me as her new pseudo-granddaug...