Melania Trump Wears Dolce & Gabbana for Official Portrait
This week, the White House released the first official portrait of the first lady, Melania Trump, currently displayed on her government web page. Though the picture at first seems bland enough, it is worth a second look — both for the image itself and for what Mrs. Trump chose to wear to represent the country for posterity. A black tuxedo jacket wi...
The Italian Cultural Society: Gala 2017
The Italian Cultural Society presents the Annual Awards Gala Dinner. This year’s theme is “Italian Creativity, Fashion & Design”, which is well-known and appreciated all over the world. A fashion show by Franca Bartoli, a local Italian designer, will open the evening. Some of the most influential Italian brands will be represented at the Gala as we...
Italy's No. 1 Bakery Introduces New Italian Delicacies to the U.S.
Mulino Bianco, Italy's No. 1 bakery, is introducing three new Italian treats to its lineup of authentic Italian bakery products. In 2017, Mulino Bianco introduces oven-baked Italian breadsticks including the Tomato Sfilati, made with tomato and oregano, and Olive Sfilati, made with green and black olives. Along with the new breadsticks, the brand a...
How Italy's Art Squad is racing to save quake-damaged masterpieces
Inside the crumbling medieval church of San Francesco di Visso, the "blue helmets" of the art world are racing to save a masterpiece damaged in Italy's devastating earthquake last year. The crucifixion scene attributed to 15th-century master Paolo da Visso was found in the rubble-strewn church behind a huge wooden wardrobe which miraculously stayed...
Screen Visions: From Italy to Outer Space to the Mall
Less than two months after the end of the Rhodes College Tournées French Film Festival and some six weeks after the Memphis Jewish Community Center's Morris and Mollye Fogelman International Jewish Film Festival comes another annual movie event with an international perspective, the Italian Film Festival USA at the University of Memphis. Like its p...
Volpi's Grand Reopening
Today is Volpi’s grand reopening after a stunning renovation. A cornerstone of the Hill, Volpi opened in 1902. You can find their authentic prosciutto even in Italy. Armando Passetti, a modest and gracious gentleman, started working with his uncle in the 1930s. At 92, he still comes to work. He’s fortunate to have a enterprising daughter, Lorenza,...
How 'Julie' went from Staten Island Academy to Harvard to Hollywood
Julio Vincent Gambuto only has a couple of rules: 1. No mafia. 2. No guns. See, the filmmaker would rather deal in genuine emotion than dwell on what Hollywood wants Staten Island to be, stereotypically. "In some cases it's been done brilliantly -- in some cases, not so brilliantly, but my stories are about family and the real experience of growing...
Mille Miglia's anniversaries and posters
The legendary Mille Miglia race, from Brescia to Rome and back, has a handful of anniversaries to remember this year. Firstly, the 90th anniversary of its first edition, held on March 26th and 27th, 1927. Secondly, it’s 70 years from resuming the competition after the Second World War, on June 22nd, 1947, after a five-year interruption from 1941 to...
Taverna welcomes new executive chef
River Oaks District is getting a new star and it's not of the retail kind. Taverna, the Italian restaurant known for its hand-made pasta and indulgent risotto dishes, is welcoming Francesco Schintu as its new executive chef, according to the Lombardi Family Concepts. The Dallas-based restaurant company whose restaurant brands also include Toulouse...
Renzo Piano Designs University expansion
Columbia University is set to unveil two new buildings in a campus expansion designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The new campus, located in the Manhattanville (or West Harlem) neighborhood in New York, is the university’s largest expansion in 100 years. Columbia hopes that the Manhattanville expansion will allow for a greater integration of...
Iowa River Landing adds another restaurant
Marquee Pizzeria & Bar is set to open this fall in the Coralville Iowa River Landing area. The restaurant is one of the long list of newcomers to the area. According to its release, the menu will feature pizzas baked in a brick oven that was handcrafted in Modena, Italy. The rest of the menu, down to the decor will represent an Italian vibe. The it...
Blues Beat: Italian blues guitarist Morbioli plays area venues
Italian blues guitarist Roberto Morbioli is taking a big tour, with multiple stops through the region. Morbioli was born in Verona. He started playing the guitar at an early age, and discovered the blues at the age of 15. He has played in some of the biggest European festivals as well as many blues spots around the U.S., including Antone’s in Austi...