How an American spy helped liberate Rome, 75 years ago
In the night between June 4th and 5th 1944, Allied soldiers arrived in Rome and the city became the first Axis capital to be liberated from the Nazis. One of those to greet them was an American writer and undercover agent who had spent months working with the Italian resistance to pave the way for Rome's liberation. His name was Peter Tompkins and,...
Mandara Family Brings a Taste of the Almalfi Coast to West Caldwell
Michael and Mena Mandara are bringing their New York-style pizza, slow-cooked sauces, old family recipes, classic Italian favorites, specialty cocktails and wines to their newest family-friendly restaurant, Mandara Ristorante, Bar & Pizzeria, now located at 40 Clinton Road in West Caldwell. Mena said she and her husband came upon the West Caldwell...
'Little Italy, Los Angeles' Comedy Series Now Streaming
LA's Little Italy is a neighborhood undergoing change. From corporate stores to hipster salons, foreign food trucks to gay bars. "Little Italy, Los Angeles" follows the interconnected lives of the community's diverse residents, led by its last original Italian, Frank the Barber, as they learn to adapt to its' inevitable transformation. Winner of Be...
Giardino Pantesco
How to survive in such a place? Ancient Pantellerians, over the millennia, devised an amazingly clever fog-catching garden design now known as the giardino Pantesco (“Pantellerian garden,” in Italian), each one for the sole purpose of nurturing a single sprout. Giardini Panteschi are perfectly circular and are precisely calibrated to have walls of...
'Pavarotti': Film Review
Ron Howard delivers a documentary portrait of the life and career of the titular star Italian tenor. The quintessential Italian tenor who did more to popularize opera in the latter half of the 20th century than anyone else receives a lavish and celebratory tribute in Pavarotti. Casting a net deep into the archives and calling on a vast array of the...
A young Jacobbi opening restaurant in North Boston
A young member of one of the area’s well-known restaurant families is opening his first place in North Boston. Jonathan Jacobbi will be the owner of BOCO Kitchen, at 7375 Boston State Road, next to Tops supermarket. His grandfather opened Casa-Di-Pizza on Elmwood Avenue, which was taken over by father, Joseph Jacobbi. An uncle runs JJ’s Casa-Di-Piz...
Calamari sisters coming to Newton
Back with their brand new show, Delphine and Carmela Calamari are bringing their 23rd Annual Italian Sausagefest to town. Celebrate the days of summer with these sassy, brassy broads from Brooklyn as they sing, dance, and cook delicious street fair goodies for you and your friends. Whether you're a sausage-lover or not, you'll laugh until your side...
"Opera In The Italian Garden 2019"
The popular, free concert "Opera in the Italian Garden" will be presented in the beautiful Italian Renaissance Cultural Garden (Sunday, July 28, 6 - 7:30 p.m). The concert highlights two of Italy’s greatest cultural arts, opera and ballet, and features music from well-known operas, Broadway musicals and Italian songs with The Cleveland Opera and t...
The Real Field of Dreams: How Baseball Brought Italians Into the Mainstream
Life in the United States during the first half of the 20th century was difficult for Italian-Americans, who had darker complexions, curlier hair and were Catholic. They were subjected to bias and discrimination in employment, education and housing, making it hard to assimilate. Italians were stereotypically portrayed as organ grinders, fruit peddl...
Venice: A Preserve of a Bygone Civilization
Tuesday, June 18th @ 7:00 PM. The Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere. 79 Howard Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301. "Venice: A Preserve of a Bygone Civilization" presented by Francesco Bonavita, PhD. MEMBERS: $15 per person. NON-MEMBERS: $20 per person (cash, check or credit cards accepted). Refreshments and a light reception will follow. C...
Ingegneria aerospaziale, una pisana alla Nasa
Pisana, 27 anni da compiere a giugno,Giulia Becatti ha vinto una borsa di studio di 10mila dollari intitolata ad Amelia Earhart, l’aviatrice statunitense del secolo scorso diventata simbolo di emancipazione femminile. Dopo la laurea in ingegneria aerospaziale, la dottoranda dell’Università di Pisa è attualmente al Jet Propulsion Laboratory della Na...
The best Italian restaurant in New Jersey is …
Whenever I see an obvious click-bait headline like "Best Italian Restaurant in Each State," I can't resist to see what they chose for New Jersey. We have no idea if the writer went to each state or did a Facebook poll, or went on Yelp and poked around. Was there a panel of distinguished judges from around the state or from every region of Italy? Pr...