Frank Zappa: Straight outta Cucamonga
By David Allen Frank Zappa should be preparing to turn 75 on Monday. Alas, the iconoclastic musician died at age 52 of prostate cancer. He's something of a native son of the Inland Valley, even if he was born in Baltimore and achieved fame in Los Angeles. A chunk of his formative years was spent in various cities local to us: Rancho C...
Celeb chef Lidia Bastianich will swing through Wichita while checking on KC
by Denise Neil Italian chef Lidia Bastianich is one of the rare food celebrities who has a restaurant close enough for Wichitans to visit regularly. Her Lidia's Kansas City at 101 W. 22nd St. in Kansas City, Mo., serves homey Italian dishes in an upscale setting. Bastianich, 68, is also a television star and cookbook author, and she's mak...
We the Italians. Two Flags, One Heart. One Hundred Interviews About Italy and the US – Umberto Mucci’s New Book
by Sandra Tornberg Umberto Mucci is my "virtual" friend who lives in Rome – virtual because I met him online, a friend because we share many of the same interests and I rely on him for inspiration and support. Umberto is the founder and CEO of We the Italians, www.wetheitalians.com, a website about anything regarding Italy and the US. He h...
Buddy Cianci, beloved but tainted Providence leader, dies at 74
Former Mayor Buddy Cianci, the wisecracking political rogue who presided over the revitalization of Providence during two stints in office cut short by criminal charges and a prison sentence for corruption, died Thursday. He was 74. Cianci's employer, WLNE-TV, and a friend, Artin Coloian, confirmed his death. Coloian said he died Thursday morning....
Year 2015 shows growth of “intra-muros” research in Italian companies
by Chiara Bussi In order to survive the recession, Italian businesses have increased internal – "intra-muros" – R&D expenditure, according to a survey conducted by AIRI, the Italian Association for Industrial Research, based on ISTATdata. In 2015, investments on innovation grew by 1% compared to 2014, but if we compare with 2...
White Wines From Southern Italy Are Leading a Revolution
by Elin McCoy When you think of Italian wine, what comes to mind? Ever-foaming prosecco, perhaps? Tanker ships of pinot grigio? Or maybe it's big-deal reds from Tuscany and Piemonte, with three-digit price tags attached. It's time for a fashion update. The big buzz right now is for whites from southern Italy, the land of stil...
Nestlé Italy maps $66m global strategy for Baci Perugina brand
Nestlé's development plan for Perugina foresees a total investment of €60m ($66m) over three years, for strengthening the position in Italy, the development of export and the modernization of the production site of Perugia, according to Nestlé Italy's corporate strategy director, Massimo Ferro. Perugina has been around since 1922, accordin...
Eating the Arab roots of sicilian cuisine
Seen from the sky—which is to say, observed on the in-flight video map during our final approach—the island appears as a triangularish football being punted toward the Maghreb by Italy's boot. It's a pixelated reflection of Sicilian identity itself, which hovers midway between North African and European. That intersection is what brought m...
Seattle explores the harmonious cooking of Umbria
Ingredients are like musical notes, says cookbook author Letizia Mattiacci, and cooking is like composing music. The results, when done well, are pure harmony. Recently, Seattle audiences explored the unique culinary harmonies of Umbria with Mattiacci as their guide. Mattiacci, who owns Alla Madonna del Piatto Agriturismo and Cooking Schoo...
Italian gardens: Villa Fracanzan, Piovene
WTI Magazine #78 2016 April 15Author : Italian Botanical Heritage Translation by: Villa Fracanzan Piovene, historical residence of the Fracanzan family, is at the center of a large complex of ancient buildings in the Vicenza province, Veneto. It was built in 1700 by Francesco Muttoni, a baroque architect, with vague references to the...
A Verdian Season in New York
Giuseppe Verdi, that colossus of opera and courageous nation-builder, was celebrated in New York last week in four distinct ways. There were important visitors from Parma, where Verdi is venerated. A small rendering of one of his early works got right to the core of his musical essence. And a performance of Simon Boccanegra at the Met instantly joi...
Aiuta il Comites compilando il Sondaggio
by COMITES SF Dear readers, the SF Comites decided to undertake a survey in order to better understand the needs of the Italian community of the San Francisco Consular jurisdiction. We'd like to find out more about your interests, your priorities, and potential areas of collaboration with us. We hope you will want to help us...