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Thanksgiving, that quintessential American holiday, was not easily understood by the original group of Italian settlers who came from a place that had no comparable celebration. Easter and Christmas were easily transferable; everyone celebrated here in America just as they had in their native towns and villages. But Thanksgiving was connected to Am...

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A few weeks ago, I drove to St. Michael Cemetery in Stratford, where my grandparents are buried. I hadn’t visited them in years, so I figured All Souls Day was a perfect time to pay my respects and say a few prayers. The gravestone was worn and weathered, but their names were still legible. Angelina and Anthony, two Italian immigrants who arrived a...

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Thanksgiving. A time to spend with family, friends and food. Visions of roasted turkeys, stuffing and mashed potatoes dance in our heads as we prepare for the carb overload of a dinner served at 3 p.m. I’ve eaten many of what people consider a traditional Thanksgiving meal as described above, but that isn’t the only tradition I grew up with. What I...

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You could've probably guessed that Giada DeLaurentiis goes all out for the holidays. The Food Network star, cookbook author, and host extraordinaire even partnered up with Bloomingdale's to release a line of kits with everything you need to entertain this holiday season. Some of the curated boxes include the Dinner Party alla Roma, which includes t...

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Ever since I was a kid, growing up in Southwest Philly, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I remember how it used to be at our home, with my Sicilian mother preparing the feast for the whole family, immediate and extended. The Thanksgiving meal was kind of unique in an Italian-American household back then and I’d venture to say it st...

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October through December is my favorite time of year. I’m that person who decorates for fall in August and drinks pumpkin spice lattes when it’s still 90 degrees. Out of that whole glorious season, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Last year, I spent Thanksgiving in Treviso, Italy. I hadn’t planned on still being there that late in the season, b...

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We, the defenders of Columbus, are not fighting against the Civil Rights of others, but defending our own, and most importantly, Truth. Context and citations exonerate Columbus, but of course, if we only read out of context quotes, we would have a different stance. In “A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies,” Bartolome De Las Casas, known...

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When the coronavirus abruptly shut down NCAA spring sports in March, Alabama golfer Angelica Moresco suddenly found herself having to make a hard choice: deciding between her family home in Italy and her golfing home in Tuscaloosa. She went with the wisest option. She chose both. “When we found out that the season was canceled, my teammate who is a...

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There is something strange about the Thanksgiving holiday that sets it apart from other holidays.  Perhaps it’s the expectation of a house full of relatives and friends or the aroma of a turkey baking in the oven which contributes to festive anticipation.  Maybe the strangeness stems from the fact that it falls on a Thursday.   Generally, Thursdays...

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Those who enjoy reading this column seem to have dual goals: nostalgia, reminiscing about the days and times of youth, and also to gather information about the way things were when grandparents or parents lived in Wooster Square. You see, for some, family history remains fragmented or unknown. Those who are now seeking DNA-based documentation are a...

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