Born in New Jersey to an Italian American family, journalist and writer Maria Laurino has published several books about the identity and experience of Italian immigrants and their descendants in the U.S. (most notably the companion volume to theThe Italian Americans, the PBS documentary series directed by John Maggio), with specific attention to th...
READ MORETraditional Italian food is arguably the cornerstone of New Jersey cuisine. At 19 South Park Street, Leone’s has been an Italian-American staple in the heart of Montclair since 1995. As it’s celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Leone’s is reflecting on its legacy and why following the beat of its own drum has kept it in business for all of t...
READ MOREThe Price of Children is the never-told story of how the Vatican and the American Catholic Church sent nearly 4000 children of unwed Italian mothers to the United States for adoption between 1950 to 1970, falsely labeling them “war orphans” then later “orphans.” With the religious stigma of unwed motherhood turning families against daughters, and a...
READ MORESandra Giordano, a proud alumna of Montclair State University, former teacher and dedicated principal, heads the groundbreaking Heart of ARC and ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) partnership. Heart of ARC, formerly known as Immaculate Heart of Mary School, is an organization formed after the school’s closure to continue foste...
READ MOREThe Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America in collaboration with the Montclair Women’s Club, will present a conversation with Andrea Cammarato-Van Benschoten, author of The Italians of Newark, and Marialena Marzullo, an MSU Alumna/Co-Chair of the Montclair-Aquilonia Sister Cities Agreement. A Newark native, Andrea Cammarato–Van Ben...
READ MOREWednesday, November 13th at 7pm at Watchung Booksellers (44 Fairfield Street in Montclair). Moderated by Coccia Institute Director, Mark Rotella. Register here. The Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America is thrilled to collaborate with Watchung Booksellers in presenting Juliet Grames, author of The Lost Boy of Santa Chiona. One uni...
READ MOREREGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for “Teaching Italian Symposium/Workshops XVII: AI and Italian: An Algorithm for Success”– the 17th annual professional development program organized by the Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America and Prof.ssa Enza Antenos, Dept. of World Languages & Cultures, at Montclair State University. This year’s event...
READ MOREDr. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Endowed Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies) has focused on one of her current research projects this summer – Food, Hunger, Migration and the American Myth in Sicily at the Time of the WWII Allied Landing – taking advantage of new resources available in Sicily. This project offers a variegated reading of the 19...
READ MOREFast-casual is dominating the dining landscape today. We see this style of restaurant becoming more popular each year—from 2022 to 2023, the fast-casual market more than doubled in value, according to a report released by Allied Market Research late last year. Whether it is because diners increasingly want faster, more casual service, or if it’s a...
READ MOREThe Italian Program (Department of World Languages & Cultures) and the Coccia Institute were thrilled to collaborate with the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) in welcoming Professor Amedeo Arena (from the University of Naples “Federico II”) to campus! Americans may know of Benjamin Franklin’s friendship with Filippo Mazzei and the impact...
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