Much anticipated Mi Bella Restaurante opens at site of former Le Petit Café, downtown Branford
The buzz started when people noticed workmen replacing the familiar Adirondack green trim outside Le Petit Café with a sleek modern black. Then the windows were covered with brown paper hiding the interior for weeks. The package was unveiled last month as Mi Bella Restaurante, fulfilling a lifetime dream of head chef Fernando Chiliquinga and his w...
Plaintiffs file lawsuit against New Haven over removal of Christopher Columbus statue
The Italian American Defense League, and a Wooster Square neighbor, have filed a lawsuit against the City of New Haven and Mayor Justin Elicker over the removal of a Christopher Columbus Statue. The lawsuit claims that the removal of the statue on Wooster Square was unlawful and the League, along with resident Ralph Macarelli, suffered damages t...
Portland honors Italian American tailor with "Donatelli Square"
On Thursday, Portland paid tribute to Evangelista Donatelli, an Italian American who opened up a tailor shop in the city half a century ago. In October, the city council voted to name a section of Congress Street on Munjoy Hill "Donatelli Square." "Donatelli Square" is between North and Lafayette streets, where the shop is located. “It means a lot...
Concorso Ferrari & Friends: A Spectacular Event for Supercar Enthusiasts and Charity Supporters
On Sunday, June 25, car enthusiasts and supporters of Connecticut Children's are in for a treat as the official Concorso Ferrari and Friends show takes place. From the early hours of the morning, Italian supercars and special invitees will roll into the event, culminating in a grand display of nearly 300 magnificent vehicles. Spectators eager to wi...
Meet Giuliano Cecchinelli, Barre's last Italian stone carver
Giuliano Cecchinelli is 79 years old, has a gray beard, a brown plaid shirt and a floppy beret, and is a classically trained sculptor. He's been carving stone since he was a boy in Italy. “I know more than even the cemetery knows,” he says as he walks through Hope Cemetery in Barre. “You know, the family, the workers.” He’s part of a long legacy of...
History Club’s topic for June 20 is Ridgefield’s Italian community
Ridgefield’s Italian community will be the topic for The Ridgefield Historical Society's Ridgefield History Club on Tuesday, June 20, at 10 am in the 1714 David Scott House at 4 Sunset Lane. Jack Sanders, who has written 10 books on Ridgefield history, will be on hand. Parking at the Scott House is limited and carpooling is recommended. Registratio...
Looking for Monument Descendants
On Oct. 9, Newport Festa Italiana will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Columbus Monument, which was erected by the Italian community of Newport on Oct. 12, 1953. A special commemorative ceremony is being planned with descendants of the original monument committee in attendance. Names of the original planners included Gabriel Russo, Enrico Cas...
Columbus Day Parade in Bridgeport Names First Woman Grand Marshal
The Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport will name Nancy DiNardo the 2023 Grand Marshal of the Greater Bridgeport Columbus Day Parade, presenting her with the Grand Marshal Sash on June 28th at Tashua Knolls Banquets in Trumbull at 5:30 pm. DiNardo is the first woman Grand Marshal of the Parade, scheduled for October 8th o...
From a Brockton kid to Stonehill's commencement speaker: John Della Volpe returns home
When John Della Volpe was a teenager living with his family in Brockton, he and his friend would ride their bikes down the dirt path that led to Stonehill College’s campus. They’d play basketball in the college’s old gym, or ice skate on campus during the winter. Della Volpe, now the director of polling at Harvard’s Institute of Politics, returned...
There’s a New “Taste of Italy” in Rhode Island
There’s a new Italian deli in Rhode Island — with some familiar faces. “Taste of Italy Deli & Caffè” opened this month on Atwood Avenue in Johnston — “where Schroeder’s used to be” — and co-owner Mike Giammarco says the business is off to a strong start. “We’re very busy, every day,” Giammarco, who is partnered with Mario Mennella and Pasquale Pale...
After flooding, pandemic, Italian club reopens
First came the flood. In February 2020, three pipes burst at the Italian Community Center, sending 180,000 gallons of water flowing through the building at 302 Rantoul St. By the time the water could be turned off, the interior was completely destroyed. Next up? The COVID-19 pandemic, which arrived in force the following month. Several members of t...
Via Sophia by the Sea, upscale Italian restaurant, to open in Bethany Beach hotel
A sophisticated Italian restaurant that’s generated solid reviews in hip locales like Washington, D.C., and Kennebunkport, Maine, is opening a third location in Bethany Beach. Via Sophia by the Sea is slated to open June 14 inside the newly renovated Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Residence Inn by Marriott. The beachfront hotel’s multimillion-dollar ma...