On Tuesday, February 18, the Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Italian Academy of Cuisine - Los Angeles chapter presents Mountains of Cheese, Rivers of Wine: Paesi di Cuccagna, Gastronomic Utopias and Food Justice.   This illustrated lecture by Luisa Del Giudice examines the mythic Paese di Cuccagna, known variously as Coc...

Women played a major role in the lives of immigrants, especially immigrants into early 20th Century America. Unfortunately their role has largely been ignored, and forgotten. Hopefully this book will help rectify that issue. It brings the remembrances of Italian American women who emigrated from Italy and settled in Connecticut.   Each chapt...

Want to beef up your knowledge of classic Italian-American literature? Us too! So, we are starting a friendly group to read together and then share our experiences and thoughts about some great works of Italian-American fiction. This is not a class; no one will be teaching.   Calandra staff member Sian Gibby will provide study questions and...

by Tom Jackson   Author Paul Gentile, who wrote a biography of his Italian immigrant grandparents, will talk and sign books at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at Mr. Smith's Coffeehouse, 140 Columbus Ave. in downtown Sandusky.   Gentile is the author of "Salvatore and Maria: Finding Paradise," 270 pages long, which tells of his grandparents...

di Maurita Cardone   Si respirava aria di misteri italiani martedì sera al Mysterious bookshop di Warren street, Manhattan. Maurizio De Giovanni, lo scrittore napoletano che ha creato il personaggio del commissario Ricciardi, ha parlato del suo libro Blood Curse: The Springtime of Commissario Ricciardi, appena tradotto in inglese e pubblicat...

Got the hammock strung up? Check. A chilled bottle of Prosecco or Vermentino? Check. Notebook handy? Pen or pencil? Check.   Time to do some studying. Our textbook: "Native Wine Grapes of Italy" by Ian D'Agata (University of California Press, Berkeley). That's 620 pages of hard-won knowledge about Italy's familiar and obscure grapes, includi...

by Jackie DeGiorgio   Yes, Italy is replete with ruins and art and scenery galore, but it's nearly impossible to think of the country without thinking of its food. In addition to the countless restaurants, there are plenty of food and wine experiences to silence your hunger pangs when in Il Bel Paese, but—whether you live here or not—there's...

Some new and forthcoming titles that may be of interest to our readers. All are available at Amazon.com• The Getty Hexameters: Poetry, Magic, and Mystery in Ancient Selinous by Christopher A Faraone and Dirk ObbinkPublisher: Oxford University Press, USAPublication Date: February 28, 2014Hardcover: $89.10Language: EnglishPages: 240Read description...

Oxytocin – the love and bonding hormone – is powering Dr. Toni Galardi's next book.The Italian-American psychotherapist, executive coach, and resident of Marin County, published a well-regarded book in 2010 on how to adapt to change in times of crisis. The LifeQuake Phenomenon–How to Thrive (Not Just Survive) in Times of Personal and Global Upheav...

Author Vera Rossano Gaudiani carefully weaves a fascinating and highly engaging tale of a resilient and independent WWII bride who educated herself at home in spirituality, nutrition, and theology while raising a large family. In Recipes for Body and Soul Gaudiani shares how her faith sustained her through the complexities of life and death over th...