Reflecting on the Nutley-Belleville Columbus Day Parade
Indigenous Peoples’ Day, has replaced Columbus Day in 130 U.S. cities within 34 states, and eight of those include complete states. South Dakota took a stance in 1990 changing their holiday to Native American Day. Hawaii celebrates Discoverers' Day to recognize the Polynesian discoverers of the Hawaiian Islands. From last year to this year, the num...
Scott LoBaido unveils Mother Cabrini statue on feast day amid city controversy
Local artist Scott LoBaido unveiled a statue Monday dedicated to America’s first saint amid continuing controversy about a perceived snub against her. His statue of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, more commonly known as Mother Cabrini, was made public on her feast day, and displayed outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. City officials declined...
Supermodel Lily Aldridge’s Italy-inspired essentials
For model Lily Aldridge, growing up in an Italian family meant “lots of gatherings filled with great food and lots of laughs.” The Victoria’s Secret Angel and Sports Illustrated cover star now carries on those same traditions with her husband, Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill, and their children, 7-year-old Dixie Pearl and 9-month-old Winston...
Call for Photographs, Stories, Recipes, and Other Devotional Items Related to Saint Joseph and Saint Joseph’s Tables
St. Joseph is among the most venerated saints in Christianity. He is the head of the Holy Family, husband of the Virgin Mary, and stepfather to Jesus. Though St. Joseph is honored throughout Christendom, celebrations of St. Joseph’s feast day, March 19, are particularly resplendent among Italians—especially in the region of Sicily—and Italian Ameri...
The oldest Italian restaurants in the US
Italy and the US: what a history our countries have. So many things in common, they are only superficially different. Yes, there are many beautiful things we share, two of them are the love for good food and the attachment to our country. Italian-Americans made of both a mark of distinction and we Italians, I sometimes think, should take a page off...
Why Millions Fled Southern Italy and Sparked the Creation of Italian America
In celebration of Italian American Heritage Month, our favorite moderator John M. Viola was invited to speak to the Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation (NOIA Foundation) about the history of Southern Italy and its impact on the Italian American story. Recorded from a live presentation, join our friends in Cleveland as they explore a brief his...
Borgo of the Month: In the Wilderness of Abruzzo’s Barrea
Perched on a rocky spur, the village of Barrea is set amid the natural beauty of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, surrounded by mountains, beech forests and pristine creeks. It is in fact an ideal starting point for walks and hikes into the park as numerous trails depart from Barrea, leading to the area’s main attractions, such as La...
Veteran Italian Chef to Design Menu at Manhattan Beach’s New Coastal Perch
Restaurant owner David Slay is developing a pattern in Manhattan Beach. The Manhattan Beach resident and chef takes over longstanding shuttered restaurants and converts them into new spots for the beachside city. In February, he took over Darren’s and built Slay Steak + Fish House. This fall, he leased the former 35-year-old Jimmy’s Kouzina to open...
Beyond spaghetti: Recognize Italians for positive contributions
In 1942, Enrico Fermi created the world’s first nuclear reactor. Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic radio signal. What do these people have in common? Their last names end in vowels, of course. And they all hail from the land of unlimited breadsticks and progressive culture. Italy has long been a fortress of ideas, innovation and...
Transhumance in Italy from Puglia to the Molisan Mountains
In the wild and remote Molise region of Italy, transhumance is an ancient tradition where drovers bring their herds on a seasonal journey from the lowlands to mountain pastures, following a network of millennia-old trails. It is a ritual that is still performed by the Colantuono family. On May 22, they set out with their 300 cows on the fatiguing t...
Manhattan's oldest Italian restaurant is landmarked and looks it
Barbetta – the oldest Italian restaurant in New York and oldest restaurant in the Theatre District at 113 years old – is outfitted in four townhouses that date back from 1874 to 1881. Its outside is deceiving, given the brownstone façade and shielding trees, and you might pass it by during the day if you don’t carefully look to see the restaurant’s...
Italian Heritage Month in the Year 2040
“My family is Italian,” one of our visitors commented as I welcomed her college class and their professor to the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles this past June. As her peers meandered through the museum, the student, 21-year-old Olivia, stood in front of the permanent exhibition screens watching projections of turn-of-the-twentieth-century i...