Each Christmas Eve, Philadelphians of all ages gather around family dinner tables or crowd into tiny side street restaurants to commemorate the Feast of the Seven Fishes.  The massive, multi-course meal is largely celebrated by Italian-American families, and the tradition itself is based on the Roman Catholic practice of not eating meat on Christma...

Carnival Cruise Line is teaming up with Costa Cruises to create a new concept for Carnival’s North American guests. Costa by Carnival will debut in the spring of 2023, with Costa Venezia joining the Carnival fleet and sailing from New York. Costa Venezia will be followed by Costa Firenze arriving in the spring of 2024 to sail from Long Beach. “This...

If you know you know: Italian food is a West Virginia specialty. We’ve got some of the best Italian cooks and best Italian restaurants in the nation tucked away in our little corner of Appalachia, and one of them is definitely Pugs Homemade Italian Restaurant in Morgantown. Located at 1137 Van Voorhis Road in Morgantown, West Virginia, Pugs Homemad...

I have heard of La Befana throughout my family and in school. I was incredibly lucky to be able to take a trip to Italy to see all my cousins there in 2018. While I was there, my zias and zios (aunts and uncles) told me stories about La Befana and what she would leave the kids. I also heard about her while in school when we did some research on oth...

When it comes to cooking fabulous food, Italians know a thing or two. And when it comes to cooking for Christmas festivities, it's impossible to go wrong with Italian cuisine. Many Italian American families celebrate the Christmas Eve tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or Feste dei Sette Pesce. According to the Italian Sons and Daughters o...

When Christmas comes to the Italian countryside, the smell of a wood fire lingers in the cold night air. In the evening, we can hear the owls call to each other, a sing-song marking their territory. Starting on December 8th, we can see the “biggest Christmas tree in the world” illuminating the flank of the Gubbio hillside in the distance. Christmas...

If I close my eyes, I can vividly recall the emotions, aromas, and flavors of the various holidays from my childhood both in Italy and Philadelphia, to which I immigrated as a child. For Italians, holidays make up an important part of the family fabric and traditions that define us. Although I am enamored with all the holidays, my favorite has alwa...

The Dorchester District Two (DD2) Educational Foundation has received a generous donation from a Summerville Italian food festival. Over 10,000 people came to downtown Summerville on October 9 to enjoy the Summerville Italian Feast. The event celebrating Italian cuisine and culture featured students from several DD2 schools. Summerville High School...

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian tradition for Christmas Eve, which is also known as La Vigilia in the Southern Italy region. The seven-course meal, typically eaten on Christmas Eve, features fish and seafood-filled dishes such as stews, soups, and pastas. And luckily, for Austin, two local restaurants are offering their versions of the...

My good acquaintance Dennis Caldirola invited me to sign copies of my latest titles at Seattle’s Italian Festa, and I was thrilled. Surnamed Sanelli, it’s a festival I love. The invitation gets better: “I can’t find another Italian author this year. People are still hesitant about crowds. You can have the table for yourself.” Well, an invitation li...