Federica Santini, Ph.D., Named Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures
Dean Katie Kaukinen announced Dr. Federica Santini as chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC). Dr. Santini has been serving as interim department chair and will assume the permanent position effective July 1st. Prior to her role as interim department chair, she was the Coordinator of Gender and Women's Studies and Professor of...
Italy opens cultural institute in Coral Gables
Italy has launched its latest Italian Cultural Institute in Coral Gables. The new cultural institute at 209 Altara Ave., one of six in the US, is set to showcase the best of Italy in culture, design, style and manufacturing, said Maeci Mariangela Zappia, ambassador of Italy to the US. “We want to offer and showcase here the Italian way, which is a...
Motorbike suspension components company Andreani opening 1st US branch in Hendersonville
More job opportunities are coming to the mountains this year, as a European company is opening its first U.S. branch in Hendersonville. Italian company Andreani is a motorbike suspension components distributor looking to bring its skills to America. The company will also offer training courses for mountain bike racing teams and technicians. News 13...
Chef Chris Ponte’s modern Italian restaurant OLIVIA coming to downtown St. Pete
Chris Ponte launched his first restaurant, Café Ponte, in Clearwater in 2002. He quickly made a name for himself in Tampa Bay thanks to an extraordinary trail-blazing New American menu and impeccable service. However, after an 18-year run, Ponte decided to shutter the iconic fine dining restaurant citing a combination of COVID-19 issues and a diffi...
Gio's Chicken Amalfitano: An ATL Italian Restaurant That Feels Like Home
As a self-proclaimed foodie, I have multiple "Best Restaurants in Atlanta" lists saved to my phone. Usually, they contain unique and classy places, but sometimes, you are just looking for somewhere classic, casual, and comforting. Gio's Chicken Amalfitano is just that: the most underrated Italian restaurant in Atlanta. Prior to eating here, at the...
Tesoro in Carrboro for an Intimate and Delicious Taste of Italian Cuisine
As with many transplants to North Carolina, you sometimes miss certain types of food that you could find in your old hood. Whether you’re talking about bagels, sushi, Mexican, or NY pizza, most folks that move to the NC Triangle have some things that they miss. While I try to stay away from that discussion, I have to say that I really do miss good...
Showing a 1949 Ferrari 166 Inter at Amelia Island
Of the classic car events held during the year, my all-time favorite is the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Since attending The Amelia for the first time 19 years ago, I have returned every year, with each successive visit reflecting the growth and change that has made it better and better thanks to a fine selection of cars, seminars and amazing...
Restaurant review: Da Vinci’s Italian Grill serves tasty Italian food for over 40 years
Da Vinci’s Italian Grill is located at one end of a long strip center off U.S. 1 in Port St. Lucie. Cars idled at the curb as the owners dashed in for their pizza orders. The sign on the window proclaims, “Established 1981,” which is definitely something. Naturally, I was curious. The restaurant was founded on the Treasure Coast over 40 years ago b...
Festival of tall ships coming to St. Petersburg waterfront this spring
A flotilla of a half-dozen tall ships, including a replica of the iconic Santa Maria, will sail into the St. Petersburg waterfront for a festival onshore and off March 30-April 2. Tall Ships America, a nonprofit dedicated to maritime heritage and youth education, is bringing its annual tour of tall ships from across the country. This is the first t...
BellaBrava, a popular Italian brunch spot, expanding with a new Lutz location
BellaBrava first opened in the heart of downtown St. Pete more than a decade ago. It recently expanded to the booming Midtown Tampa neighborhood, and now the owners are ready to introduce the region to a third brick-and-mortar. The new BellaBrava will join The Hub at Bexley in the fall of 2023. “We are so excited to announce that we are opening our...
Christian Lattanzio is never far from Rome. It guides him as coach of Charlotte FC
Sometime in the early 1980s, a boy named Christian Lattanzio approached a hero named Carlo Ancelotti. The boy wore an excited, 10-year-old smile. He was with a bunch of his excitable, 10-year-old friends. Lattanzio was probably walking home from the football pitch at his local church, San Camillo de Lellis. He’d often play there from school dismiss...
Italy’s growing presence in Florida at the center of Ambassador Zappia’s mission to Miami
“With two million Italian Americans, 30% growth in the number of Italians residing here in the past four years, Italian exports of 3.5 billion euros, and 350,000 Italian visitors in 2022, Florida plays an increasingly important role in our relationship with the United States,” commented the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Mariangela Zappi...