One of downtown Scranton's largest events is coming to the rescue of one of its most iconic landmarks. La Festa Italiana of Lackawanna County will contribute up to $10,000 to renovate the Electric City sign overlooking Courthouse Square before the annual Labor Day weekend celebration of Italian culture and cuisine.   Chris DiMattio, La...

The riotous and wacky Calamari Sisters return to Bristol Riverside Theatre on July 29-August 2 with The Calamari Sisters' Big Fat Italian Wedding starring Delphine Calamari and Carmela Calamari. Delightfully zany hilarity ensues as this time the larger-than-life Italian sisters prepare for a wedding.   Performances run Wednesday, July 29 at...

By Alicia Vitarelli FYI Philly visited some vendors at the Italian Market that have been around since the beginning, and some newcomers who are poised to make their mark. Before the Italian Market got its start 100 years ago, Isgro's Bakery was on Christian Street in South Philadelphia, making it the oldest Italian pastry shop in the market....

Roughly 17 million Americans have ties to Italy and will be celebrating their ancestry during October's Italian-American Heritage Month. With a strong influence in cooking, fashion, sports, movies, television and the arts, being Italian influences all aspects of life. Appreciating all things Italian is easy, but marrying into an Italian family can...

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, in support of Ciao Philadelphia, will offer an Italian highlights tour from the permanent collection. From October 14 through 19, visitors will be afforded the rare opportunity to have access to the "Florence, Cradle of Renaissance" gallery with a guided tour of The Italian Renaissance. For more details about the gal...

Join MONDO ITALIANO for an amazing journey into the heart of Rome as we explore the wonders of Pantheon, a magnificent temple dedicated to all gods. In this lecture, we will not only delve into some of the fascinating architecture of this temple but we will also look into the interesting history behind its construction as well as important mileston...

by Johs McAuliffe   Mostly Opera's back this month, with strong Italian flavor. On Saturday, Oct. 10, the Scranton opera company will present "Viva Italia!," featuring Italian songs from the operatic canon as well as other genres, at downtown Scranton's Hilton Scranton and Conference Center.   Cocktails begin at 6 p.m. with cash...

You usually can't get a loftier recognition in any field than being honored with an accolade that pretty much says it all.   As the Gold Medal Award co-honoree at the 52nd Biennial Convention of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania's Sons of Italy, which was held this week in King of Prussia, Francis Recchuiti was aware of a certain irony as he a...

For all Philadelphia's claims of being an "international city," the last of its once-grand corps of European diplomats almost pulled out last year. World diplomacy is shifting to the vast cities of Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Aging nations need to make new trade ties in those places. Canada shut its Philly consulate in 2012. Italy was rea...

Italian history seems animated by the desire to cross the borders of the peninsula and to establish Italianness within a global horizon, bringing it face to face with other societies and different local realities.   From Marco Polo's adventurous voyage to the heroic era of geographic discoveries, from Galileo's cosmic exploration to the dias...