Italian Cultural Center ready to resume activities, still needs funds to help with repairs
A catastrophic event at the Italian Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts last January shut down the facility for most of this year because of the extensive damage incurred. The center, located at 56 Margaret St. in the city's South End neighborhood, is preparing to open its doors again for holiday events. The cultural center still finds itself...
Where to celebrate Feast of the 7 Fishes in Delaware, region
The Feast of the Seven Fishes, or Festa dei sette pesci, is an Italian-American custom where seven different kinds of seafood are served during a meal, usually on Christmas Eve. Why seven? No one has ever really answered this question for me, though conventional wisdom is that the number relates to the seven sacraments or to the seven days of the w...
Comedian Julia Scotti to perform Greenfield show
The Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center may feel like a world away from NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” stage, but the two will soon share the distinction of featuring a performance by Julia Scotti. The New Jersey-based comedian stole audiences’ hearts with her direct, personal humor on the show’s 11th season in 2016, reigniting a career that had laid...
Daughter of Italian immigrants finds success with Crafty Kids
The daughter of Italian immigrants, Adriana Giambanco, 36, grew up learning firsthand how hard work pays off. “My dad was an artist in Palermo (Sicily). When he came here at 18 years old he realized he had to work," she said, noting that he launched his own business, an import/export custom brokerage. “So I worked there until I became a full-time m...
L’etichetta «made in Italy» non interessa ai consumatori globali
La parola “cibo” evoca l’Italia nella mente di tre persone su quattro in giro per il pianeta. Un bel vantaggio reputazionale per le nostre imprese della filiera agrifood, quando si decideranno a sfruttare appieno le loro potenzialità sui mercati internazionali (oggi esporta appena il 15% delle aziende e le vendite oltreconfine sono di 40 miliardi d...
San Nicolò di Bari – The Original Santa Claus
It seems the month of December is the time of gift giving regardless of your religious affiliation or nationality. This is especially true in the United States, where the image of Santa Claus is emblazoned everywhere since late November. Other countries have their own version of a benevolent older gentleman who gives out gifts in December, usually...
Citing painful legacy, Wellesley residents seek to change Columbus Day
For Wellesley resident Joan Aandeg, Columbus Day is not about a voyage across the ocean. It is not about the new world, nor is it about the peaceful interaction between European discoverers and natives. Contrary to the cheery nursery rhyme, Columbus Day is a painful reminder for Aandeg and scores of other Native Americans and indigenous people. “Ce...
Cucina Fantastica! A tour of some of the Las Vegas Valley's signature Italian dishes
Every Las Vegas neighborhood is different, but there’s at least one thing that ties us all together, north, east, west or south. You’ve got your favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant, the place that feels like it’s been there forever even if it hasn’t, and this is the time of year when you can’t stop yourself from going back with friends and fam...
Pecori inducted into prestigious national academy
The National Academy of Construction has elected Satch Pecori as a member of its class of 2018. Established in 1999, the NAC inducts leaders from a variety of backgrounds who have made outstanding, life-long contributions to the design, construction and engineering industries. The president and CEO of Springfield, Illinois-based Hanson Professional...
A holiday message from the US Consul General in Florence
Entering the holiday season (which we Americans kicked off on November 22 with our Thanksgiving), perhaps you’re looking forward to some time with family and friends, some good food, and maybe even a long-awaited vacation. For many of my fellow citizens, this vacation will be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Florence or Tuscany. It’s also a time to...
Word of the Day: Cappuccino
The word cappuccino means, literally, small hood, but of course we think of coffee when we hear it. Or friars, and the link is not haphazard at all. You all know how the story goes: every morning, on the way to work, Italy stops at her favorite bar for a quick cappuccio e brioche, the ultimate Italian breakfast. If you like it light, with only a hi...
Flushing activist Don Capalbi dead at 73
Flushing civic leader Don Capalbi died in hospice care on Sunday. He was 73 years old. His passing was announced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), for whom the activist worked as a community liaison during both her years in Congress and the state Assembly. “It is a deeply sad day,” the congresswoman said in a prepared statement. “A member of our fam...