Italy's sparkling new breed of old varieties
When Gianluca Viberti was in winemaking school, aged 18, he listened to a lecture given by a visiting Champagne producer. “You guys here have beautiful red wines,” said the producer. “But we have Champagne.” He then posed a question: “Do you know the difference between Champagne and Barolo?” The answer, he said, was that you could drink Champagne 2...
Tony Bennett on His Duet Bucket List, Which Absolutely Includes Beyonce
You may not know him for his paintings, but octogenarian Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett, has won the hearts of art collectors the world over. He has three pieces on permanent loan to the Smithsonian, and created a piece in Sedona showcasing the majestic mountains vistas and peaks in the Arizona resort town. Of course, Benn...
Louis Avallone’s Story About His Immigrant Father Will Make You Love America [Video]
Louis Avallone came to the USA from Italy in 1964, speaking no English and looking for the opportunity to build a new life in this land of freedom. Talking with 101.7 / 710 KEEL’s Robert J Wright, his son, Louis Jr., tells about his dad’s strength, faith and success. Avallone also tells KEEL listeners how Louis Sr. instinctively knew of this countr...
Agritourism gets more and more popular, businesses experiencing strong growth
Living and working in the midst of nature, eliminating stressful trips to the office, and setting aside all of the bad, depressing feelings caused by bosses who are more stressed out than you are. Sure, you won’t get rich, but you’ll gain more in terms of the quality of living: changing everything in order to open an agritourism spot in ‘Bella Ital...
Former North Park Branch Library to become Italian American Cultural Center
The once vibrant brick building at the corner of Delaware and Hertel avenues, once the home of the North Park Branch Library, has been vacant for almost 10 years. But now, the Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo plans to give it new life by transforming it into an Italian American Cultural Center. “This is a monumental moment in the history of the...
10 reasons to love Capri
The famed island of Capri, playground of the contemporary jet set began its life as a luxurious destination well before today. It seems that the city of Capri has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with evidence of human settlement being discovered during the Roman era, yet its status was cemented when Emperor Augustus chose the island as his...
Opera sings with a pat of Puccini, a beauty, a beast
Texas in summer means hot days at the lake grilling. It usually doesn't mean opera. But beginning 7:30 p.m. July 18, students of Red River Lyric Opera will perform four operas in Midwestern State University's Fain Fine Arts Center Theatre. The three-week summer intensive workshop brings opera singers from across the country to study with voice teac...
Making and eating Neapolitan pies at Kesté Pizza
Pizza is a family affair for Roberto Caporuscio and daughter Giorgia Caporuscio. Roberto is a pizzaiolo, Italian for master pizza maker. Giorgia is a pizzaiola, a female master pizza maker -- one of the few in the United States. Together, they run Kesté Pizza, a place where you can order a delicious pie or learn how to make one yourself. Kesté Pizz...
Olimpio Scalzitti, l’abruzzese che sfidò la Mafia
Olimpio Scalzitti nacque a Scontrone (AQ) il 25 febbraio del 1881. Nel 1898 a soli sedici anni emigrò per gli Stati Uniti dove giunse a bordo del piroscafo “Fulda”. Giovane, intraprendente e di vivace intelligenza non impiegò molto a realizzarsi. Mise su, dopo aver fatto ogni sorta di duro lavoro, una piccola impresa specializzata negli scavi. Nel...
New archaeological finds in Rome
Some describe Roma as a plate of archaeological lasagna (un piatto di lasagne archeologiche), made of layers upon layers of history (strati su strati di storia). Clementina Panella, a professor of archaeology at the Università di Roma “La Sapienza,” views it as a great book of human history (un grande libro di storia dell’umanità). After thirty yea...
Feast of San Rocco di Potenza
The Feast of San Rocco di Potenza at St. William Church in Chicago is sponsored by Congregazione di San Rocco di Potenza. It features a noon Mass on Aug. 20, followed by a procession with the Sicilian Band of Chicago, the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and a family festival with food and live entertainment. An anointing Mass will be celebrat...
Dickensauge family planning beachy Gulfport restaurant as new Bay eatery opens
Corks & Cleaver Italian Bistro is only days away from opening. The restaurant, at 111 Main St., will hold its soft opening at 5 p.m. Thursday, chef David Dickensauge said. After that, he and business partners Jim Parish and David Woodward will have the restaurant open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with Sunday’s hours a bit shorter. He sai...