Andrea Bocelli and his family perform in Las Vegas
Singing has always been a spiritual affair for Andrea Bocelli. This holiday season, it’s a family affair as well as Bocelli embarks on a tour with his 25-year-old son Matteo and 10-year-old daughter Virginia. Both are featured on Bocelli’s latest album, A Family Christmas, and will appear at MGM Grand Arena to accompany their father on songs from t...
Discover Lucca’s walls (and all that lies within) from the seat of a bike
Cars, motorcycles, and busses whiz at breakneck speed on the modern roadway that encircles this ancient town. Commerce is healthy here, just as it seems to always have been. Eyes divert, though, to a sea of emerald grass, a solid moat separating the road from a continuous stretch of forbearing massive walls – the acclaimed Mura di Lucca. Lucca’s wa...
Try Italian Breakfast in Bed with Tasty Sfogliatelle
Spending the morning rush at a café for a quick coffee and pastry is not as common as it used to be. But luckily, there's still Italian breakfast in bed! This week, Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, an Italian bakery located in the Evelyn Hotel of Manhattan, launched Pastry Chef Salvatore Martone's latest treat: frozen sfogliatelle ready to bake a...
Italy might build a bridge to Sicily
The idea of having a bridge connecting Sicily to mainland Italy has been around for a while. And we really do mean a while. Apparently the Romans were the first to pitch the idea thousands of years ago, suggesting that a bridge of boats and barrels could be a way of linking Italy’s ‘foot’ to its ‘ball’. Over the next several thousand years, a brid...
‘La Traviata’ at SOPAC: ‘It’s the opera I’ve connected to the most,’ says conductor Jason Tramm
When it comes to making music, conductor Jason C. Tramm throws himself into a little bit of everything. I don’t bother asking him why. It’d be like asking the sun why it shines. He’s just doing what he was born to do. His calendar has returned to pre-pandemic levels after nearly three years of COVID-19 cancellations. “There’s so much going on and I...
Rome taxi driver hero saves tourist's life with defibrillator
Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri has paid tribute to a taxi driver who saved the life of a tourist after the man collapsed on a street near the central Termini station. The driver, identified as Gianluca, witnessed the scene as he drove by in his 'Lyon 2' taxi. Without hesitating he grabbed the defibrillator he had in his car and rushed to the man's ai...
The Italian Trade Agency Keeps Expanding Knowledge of Italian Spirits Through Experiential Dinners and Pros' Tips for the Upcoming Holiday Season
The New York office of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) continues to educate American trade and consumers on Italian Spirits partnering with the 11 Italian brands involved in the third edition of the PR Campaign (MeMento, Ditta Silvio Meletti, Strega Alberti Benevento, Distilleria Varnelli, Giulio Cocchi Spumanti, Luxardo, Toschi Vignola, Montenegro,...
Gold coin proves 'fake' Roman emperor was real
An ancient gold coin proves that a third century Roman emperor written out of history as a fictional character really did exist, scientists say. The coin bearing the name of Sponsian and his portrait was found more than 300 years ago in Transylvania, once a far-flung outpost of the Roman empire. Believed to be a fake, it had been locked away in a m...
Popular Bridgeport Italian restaurant Massimo's expands to Norwalk
A popular Bridgeport Italian restaurant is establishing a second location in Norwalk, CT. Massimo’s Pizza and Restaurant, located at 100 Boston Ave. in Bridgeport, will open a new location on Westport Avenue. The plan to expand to Norwalk was in the works for a while, as restaurant owner and namesake Massimo Colandrea filed to establish Massimo Piz...
San Gennaro cult nominated for UNESCO world heritage site
The cult of San Gennaro could become a world heritage site. Today civil and religious institutions will announce the candidacy of the cult of the Neapolitan patron saint as an intangible cultural asset recognized by UNESCO. The precise title of the candidacy is "The popular cult of San Gennaro in Naples and the world."The Neapolitan saint is known...
Conference at Consulate in NY: Italians, “Know Your Rights” on Domestic Violence
While in America the black transgender community proactively asks for protection, in Italy there is a legislative vacuum on same-sex couples. Based on three simple and powerful words, Know Your Rights, this was the first conference on domestic abuse organized at the New York Consulate by the Tri-State Comites in collaboration with the Italian Women...
From Rochester to mayor of Genoa
Last summer, in anticipation of a fall trip to France and northern Italy, I Googled each city I’d be visiting and “Rochester” to see if I might find local connections. “Paris” and “Avignon” produced no hits, but Googling “Genoa, Italy” turned up this Wikipedia entry: “Marco Bucci (politician).” Who, I wondered, is Marco Bucci and what is his connec...