Lessons Learned from Sts. Frances Cabrini and Giovanni Scalabrini
Two saints who walked with migrants at the beginning of the last century can teach us today how we can accompany today's new migrants on their journey to a new life. Both St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini have been called the Mother or Father of migrants -- St. Cabrini when she was canonized and St. Scalabrini when he...
Olgiasca - Lake Como's “very small place”
Lake Como might well be one of the most spectacular areas of natural and manmade beauty in all of Italy, if not in all the world. Popular villages and towns such as Bellagio, Lecco, Menaggio, and Laglio attract the rich and the famous, as well as throngs of beauty-seeking tourists. Como’s pristine waters reflecting Alpine peaks, lush forests and ro...
Could robots do the work of master marble sculptors? This one is "99%" there, according to its creator.
A remarkable innovation is changing the way timeless art is created. For centuries, Italy's world-famous Carrara marble has been used to make some of the most iconic sculptures in history. It was the marble that iconic artists include Michelangelo and Canova spent hundreds of hours turning into masterpieces. Now, it is also the marble wrought into...
Chef Joe Isidori of Arthur & Sons NY Italian on Finding Your Authentic Voice
Authenticity Makes the Most Sense - Joe Isidori is unapologetically "New York Italian". However, it wasn't always that way. While building his brand, he found his voice after "shedding the armor" of what he thought he should be, and did what made the most sense: be himself. Gaining Balance by Leveraging Social Media - Joe Isidori's father Arthur wa...
55 Years After Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, Stars File Lawsuit Over Nude Scene
Speaking of the brief nude scene in the 1968 “Romeo and Juliet,” movie directed by Franco Zeffirelli, as recently as in 2018 Olivia Hussey stated, “If you see it, the reality is these two young kids married against their parents’ wishes and have this one night together and then they die… And it wasn’t really banned in any country… And we shot it at...
Is Bronze-Cut Pasta Really All That Different From Modern Pasta?
There is pasta, and then there is pasta. Understanding this difference is more obvious in some circumstances than others. An obvious example: Chef Boyardee vs. homemade ravioli. Less obvious: the difference between bronze-cut and industrial boxed pasta. Of course, any Italian nonna worth her parmesan could tell you the difference immediately, but f...
Italian food companies in the spotlight at the Winter Fancy Food show
The next Winter Fancy Food Show is about to run on January 15-17, 2023. The trade show organized by the Specialty Food Association (SFA) will return to Las Vegas, moving into the new, larger West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. “Building on the success of the 2022 show, we anticipate a strong turnout from leading retailers, innovative exhi...
IAP 262: There's No Use Crying Over Spilled Pastina, with Special Guest Michael Fava
Panic has beset the Italian American Community!! Pastina — the ultimate Italian American comfort food — has gone the way of the Dodo!!! Only… it hasn’t! When an Italian American thinks of pastina, especially during these cold winter months, it brings one back to the comforts of childhood, a cozy day in bed, and Nonna’s healing touch. But this wee...
International Holocaust Remembrance Day | Luciano Chessa in concert with Frances-Marie Uitti
The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, under the patronage of the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a concert curated by Luciano Chessa and featuring Frances-Marie Uitti (cello, voice) and Chessa (piano, voice). The program includes two works, both inspired by Primo Levi...
How to Plan a Trip to Venice During Carnival
Every year, up to 3 million people descend on Venice to partake in the festivities surrounding Carnival (Carnevale in Italian). And though Carnival, also known as Mardi Gras, is celebrated around the world, it has a unique flavor in Venice, transporting participants back in time to the 1700s. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to sweep...
The Pasta From The Italian Homemade Company In Northern California Has A Cult Following, And There’s A Reason Why
Social media is full of video tutorials showing how you can make homemade pasta, but it’s not as easy as it looks. The chefs at The Italian Homemade Company have it down to a science. You can expect delicious pasta every time you visit any of their locations. Read about why locals call this some of the best pasta in Northern California: The Italian...
You’ve probably never been to…Italy’s Abruzzo National Park. Here's why you should
In the entirety of the Abruzzo region – of which the national park is only a portion – just 1.3 million tourists visited in 2021, with far less making the journey from Abruzzo’s gorgeous coastline inland to the park. The result is that outside the high summer season, it’s completely possible you might hike for the day without passing anybody else....