5 Immigrants who made American movies better
The United States is a country forged of foreigners. We came from every point on the globe, crossing land bridges and turbulent seas, to find a refuge far away from our original homelands. Some of our ancestors didn’t come of their own free will, but many did — lured by the promise of a country founded on inalienable rights, one in which they could...
Five Italian Unesco sites you won't have heard of
With 54 spots on the Unesco World Heritage list, Italy is the most Unesco-rich country in the world. But how many of Italy's Unesco sites have you heard of? This weekend the not-so-well-known industrial city of Ivrea became the latest of Italy's cultural treasures to gain world heritage status. While the historic centres of Rome, Florence and Pompe...
Sofia's Italian Bistro brings Neopolitan pizza to Mamaroneck
Sofia's Italian Bistro, which specializes in Southern Italian cuisine and wood-fired pizza from Naples, opened June 25 in Mamaroneck. The space had previously been Lum Yen Chinese restaurant which closed earlier this year. According to the website, owners Antonio Mauro and Sammy Reyes, who also own La Vela Dining & Bar on 11th Avenue in New York C...
Alfa Romeo brings Italian finesse to the North American heartland
If asked to name the Italian car brand with the grandest pedigree in motorsports, perhaps your answer would be Ferrari. But the cognoscenti know that Alfa Romeo has a more extensive racing history. The record includes the first grand prix world championship in 1923, the first two Formula One world championships in 1950-51, four wins at Le Mans, 10...
Gleno Dam - The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.
Construction of a hydroelectric dam to exploit the river Gleno in the the Valle di Scalve (Scalve valley) began in 1916, but the project was immediately cursed by poor materials and poor workmanship. On top of that, due to funding problems, the plan changed from the original idea of a gravity dam to a multiple-arch dam while the work was still in p...
Mr. Meatball brings tastes of Italy to Pataskala
Family. Home-style cooking. Meatballs. These are the things that make “Mr. Meatball,” newly opened in Pataskala at 61 E. Broad St., special, say the Pataskala couple who own the enterprise. “We are truly a family business, doing most of our own production, and it’s about as close to home cooking as you’re going to find,” said Don Gullatta, who with...
Un naso made in Roma scopre cancro al polmone e conquista New York
Un naso elettronico in grado di riconoscere la presenza di tumori nell’organismo semplicemente analizzando il respiro del paziente. Sarà il «Memorial Sloan Kettering», prestigioso centro di ricerca statunitense, a sperimentare sui degenti a breve l’apparecchio tutto made in Italy, brevettato infatti dall’Università Campus Biomedico di Roma. Il test...
“Ariodante” at Lyric Opera of Chicago, US
“Ariodante” will be on stage at Lyric Opera of Chicago. The opera is by George Frideric Handel, it is sung in Italian with projected English translations. “Ariodante” is an opera seria presented in three acts. The Italian libretto was based on a work by Antonio Salvi. It is adapted from Canti 5 and 6 of Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Each act...
Italy’s summer favorite: spaghetti con le vongole
With the arrival of summer in Italy, it’s definitely time to think about the pasta recipes that are celebrated during this holiday season. My all time favorite pasta, that I love to eat during my summer vacation on the beach, is definitely spaghetti alle vongole – spaghetti with clams. Obviously you can eat this year round, but I associate it with...
Dee Ann Andretti: The 'solid rock' behind legendary racer Mario Andretti
In the 50-something years I have been chronicling the pursuits of three generations of Andretti race car drivers, I think I had only four meaningful conversations with Dee Ann Andretti. That wasn’t because my readers and I wouldn’t have benefited from what she had to say. Dee Ann Andretti, who died Monday at the age of 75, was always friendly when...
Carnegie Corp. Honors Commisso as ‘Great Immigrant, Great American’
Mediacom Communications founder, chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso was one of 38 people honored on July 4 as a Carnegie Corp. “Great Immigrant, Great American” an annual program that highlights the contributions made to American culture by naturalized citizens. Commisso, who came to the U.S. from Calabria, Italy, when he was 12 years old, founded Med...
Remarks by Ambassador Eisenberg at Independence Day Celebration
Buonasera e benvenuti a Villa Taverna! Vi ringraziamo per essere qui a celebrare con noi il duecentoquarantaduesimo (242) anniversario dell’indipendenza degli Stati Uniti d’America. Oggi ricordiamo l’anniversario della firma della Dichiarazione d’Indipendenza, che ha sancito la libertà come principio fondamentale degli Stati Uniti. As President Ron...