Exchange students head home after successful visit
Johnston State Rep. Stephen Ucci sat at a small table inside the packed Young Pannese Society Club last Wednesday evening with a satisfied smile on his face. The Johnston native exchanged pleasantries with Msgr. Carlo Montecalvo of St. Sebastian’s in Providence and Don Mimmo Guida, the Pastor from Panni Foggia, Italy and raised his wine glass as a...
'Ciao Italia' visits Fortuna's in Manchester
Patti Fortuna-Stannard was just a little bit nervous. She kept checking her phone as the hours ticked past 10 a.m. on Tuesday, wondering when public television Italian cooking icon Mary Ann Esposito would be arriving at her family's business, Fortuna's Sausage & Italian Market, to film an episode of PBS' "Ciao Italia," the longest-running cooking s...
Echoes. The legacy of Father Joseph Finotti
Sept. 21, 2017 will mark 200 years since the birth of Father Joseph Maria Finotti, who served in the Archdiocese of Boston from 1852 to 1876. Father Finotti was born in Ferrara, Italy, on Sept. 21, 1817. He entered the Society of Jesus at age 16, and in 1845 arrived in the United States to continue his studies at Georgetown College in Maryland. Whi...
Columbus statue placed in front of Southington town offices draws criticism
A monument to Christopher Columbus erected in front of the John Weichsel Municipal Center this week has drawn criticism from some residents. Town councilors unanimously approved the plinth and bust honoring the Italian explorer two years ago and said it would be unfair to the groups that paid for the monument to remove it now. Erica Roggeveen Byrne...
Mangia Mangia prepares to re-open in Billerica
There’s new equipment and a new look inside, but the same classic food Billerica residents have come to love will remain when Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen reopens later this month. Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen, located at 430 Boston Rd. in Billerica, has been closed since May 2, when an electrical fire in the kitchen burned overnight. The reopeni...
Joe DeNucci a champ in political ring
He was once the world’s fifth-ranked middleweight, having beaten Denny Moyer, and battled Joey Giardello to a draw, and dropped a highly contested decision to Emile Griffith. Indeed, he was so immersed in the Sweet Science that at the closing ceremonies of fabled Boston Garden he was saluted for having fought more bouts and racked up more wins ther...
Luisa DeLauro, Pioneer Pol, Dies At 103
It’s not by accident that Luisa DeLauro made it well past her 100th birthday. She was both a pioneer in emergence of women as a force in local politics and a reminder of the Democratic Party’s survival-minded working-class past. DeLauro, who died Saturday evening at the age of 103, succeeded her husband Ted as Wooster Square’s representative on the...
Durham may be celebrating two holidays on Columbus Day
People in the town of Durham may be celebrating The Age of Exploration and Indigenous Peoples’ Day in addition to Columbus Day on the second Monday in October. The town council is expected to take up a resolution tonight that if passed would double-name the day. According to Town Administrator Todd Selig, this will encourage people to learn more ab...
One Dish: A family affair at new Moody Street Italian eatery
It’s only one dish, but the Sicilian cannoli pizza at Raffaele’s is as good as any to describe the new upstart Waltham eatery along Restaurant Row. For starters, it’s undoubtedly Italian, using an eclectic blend of ingredients from the Mediterranean nation. But it’s also the brainchild of Lory D’Agostino, the owner and operator of the restaurant. T...
Annual Taste of Italy ‘more tradition than festival’
For many, the annual Taste of Italy not only preserves Italian heritage, it promotes acceptance and diversity within the community. The 26th annual food festival returned to downtown Norwich Saturday featuring dozens of repeat vendors, restaurants, musicians and dancers, and cultural diversity at Howard T. Brown Memorial Park. “We talk a lot about...
Columbus Day is taken off school calendar, matching City Council action taken in 2016
Indigenous People’s Day will officially replace Columbus Day on the district’s school calendar after the School Committee voted Tuesday to make the change. It follows a City Council decision in June 2016 to change the second Monday in October to a holiday celebrating the natives, many argue, who were doomed to oppression and enslavement after Chris...
The 91st Italian Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian - This Weekend!
Friday, September 8 - Sunday, September 10 - Warren Street, Cambridge, MA. Featuring free live entertainment, food, parades, rides, games, and more! This years free live entertainment includes performances from world-famous groups, such as Expose, Martha Wash, Jimmy Osmond, and The Drifters! Here are some highlights of this year's Feast Friday, Sep...