NEWS FROM : EAST  

When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is waiting patiently for his spoonful of rigatoni and scallops, too, you know you're in for a real Italian party. But what else would you expect at a dinner in honor of a 200-year-old Italian rock star? On Thursday, the Washington Chorus's "The Essential Verdi" gala held at the Italian Embassy was dedicate...

The North Wildwood Original Italian-American Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in the Wildwoods this year from Friday, June 27 through Sunday, June 29, with a weekend of food, fun and Italian-American heritage.   Festivities for the three-day event take place along Olde New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood including street vendors disp...

by Joe Warner   The Gloucester County Italian Heritage Commission will host the 11th annual Italian Heritage Festival of Gloucester County on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free festival, held on the grounds of RiverWinds Community Center in West Deptford, attracts more than 8,000 attendees from the tri-state area and beyo...

WHAT HAPPENS when a grandmother from Sicily hosts a dinner for a renowned Sicilian chef? Graziella DiFulco and Joey Baldino had never met, but Inside Jersey thought perhaps they should. Our story shares details of that day.   Graziella DiFulco grew up in Sicily. She married in Italy, and, in 1965, she and her husband, Sal, came to America. I...

Puccini's, a West Side Italian restaurant and catering hall that's been a Jersey City institution for 31 years, is closing its doors.   The location of countless political fundraisers and luncheons featuring Hudson County bigwigs, Puccini's is shutting its doors to make way for a large-scale residential development, sources tell The Jersey J...

The Muscarelle Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit through April that details the life of one of the leading women of the Middle Ages, marking the first time she has received such a treatment in the U.S.   The exhibit, called Matilda of Canossa and the Origins of the Renaissance, explores the life of Countess Matilda. She was instrumental in...

From focaccia and risotto to basil linguine and mushroom ravioli, Italian specialties take center stage at downtown Allentown's newest dining destination, Centro. The 85-seat restaurant, which opened Friday at 530 Hamilton St., serves an array of predominantly northern Italian dishes, all under $20 and designed to be shared.   "Everythi...

WHO ARE THEY: Consisting of members Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, Il Volo is an Italian pop opera trio which was formed in 2009. The singers met on the Italian music show "Ti lascio una canzone" where Ginoble wound up taking home the grand prize. In November of 2010 Il Volo released their debut self-titled album.   It...

Italian American Social Club of Waldwick celebrates a Waldwick tradition with roots dating back to 1925. The 9th Annual Ferragosto Family Picnic and Festa will be held on Sunday, August 21st in Waldwick Borough Park.   Each year its occasion of Assumption Day, observed by the Roman Catholic Church is presented by IASCW with music, bocce cour...

by Cecilia Levine   For Teaneck's Daniele Dario, it started with a watch. A biodegradable one, particularly. A gift from his mother back home in Venice, Italy, when he was 6. She explained that the watch was made from recycled materials, which was better for the planet than using plastic or other artificial materials. When Dar...