Season 2 of FX/Hulu’s The Bear featured an intense and emotionally draining episode, a flashback to a Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes meal at the Berzatto house several years prior. Carmy has come home to visit from Denmark. Matriarch Donna Berzatto, expertly portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis, is frantically preparing the dinner, drinking and chain...

There are two kinds of people in the world: people who are team pandoro, and people who are team panettone—the tall, star-shaped cake vs or the rounded, densely-packed confection, both of which are synonymous with Christmas celebrations. Similar, but so different; we break down the fundamentals of these two iconic bread-like cakes as we embrace the...

From life-sized figures to intricate miniatures, Nativity scenes are popular around the world at Christmas time – but where does this tradition come from? The custom of displaying a Nativity scene at Christmas began in 1223 when St Francis of Assisi is said to have staged the first recreation of the scene of Jesus' birth in the town of Greccio, Ita...

December is definitely here and Christmas is on its way, the cities in Italy are ready to celebrate the festive season with locals and tourists standing up their best Christmas decorations, and for us it is one of the best month ever to plan a trip in Italy. Both the most famous cities and the iconic Italian villages have their own Christmas tree t...

Gianluca Rottura, the proprietor of “In Vino Veritas,” New York City’s landmark wine store, returns to the Italian American Podcast to bring us his take on the famed Italian Amari… But, we go completely off the rails and end up getting some of his best recommendations for the drinks and delicacies you’re going to want to try this Holiday Season!  F...

The Advent period is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas, as well as the return of Jesus at the second coming. The term “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival:” for many, it is a period of spiritual reflection as well as joyous anticipation. Ad...

The stereotype of the Italian nonna, or grandmother, attempting to feed you until you burst holds true — especially at the holidays. No sooner had any family member walked through her door than my own nonna would lay out a tablescape of antipasti, already arranged and plated under a sheath of plastic wrap, waiting in the fridge for just the occasio...

The Venetian Social Club in Philadelphia will host a special event on Dec. 10 to discuss Christmas traditions in Poffabro, Italy, as part of its yearlong centennial celebration. The club, originally founded by immigrants from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, puts on monthly events leading up to its 100th anniversary next year...

Have you heard of the Italian American Christmas Eve dinner called the Feast of the Seven Fishes? Maybe that season-two episode of The Bear started you thinking about it. Where did it come from exactly? Is this a widespread thing? Could it possibly become your new favorite Dec. 24 tradition?  To answer that third question: It can! And you don't nee...

This large-model Nativity set is most commonly found in churches, not homes. The donor’s father, Joseph Marchetti, worked as an artist for the Joseph Poli Company. Established in 1890 in Pittsburgh's Lower Hill District, the company specialized in decor for churches such as statuary, altars, railings, fonts, and sacramental robes. This Nativity set...