The Italian American stars in US sports: Baseball 1 of 2
Joe DiMaggio was the greatest, but he was not the first neither the last; hundreds of Italian Americans and some Italians pursued like him the dream of a better life by hitting a ball. DiMaggio came in with an incredible impact on the lives of the American people, on the pages of glossy magazines: he was a modern star, the new hero of the Land of O...
Italian cuisine: Hot Italian Chocolate
English people have afternoon tea, Americans love their mugs of coffee, while we Italians enjoy hot chocolate as an afternoon treat, sometimes accompanied by a piece of homemade cake. Drinking hot chocolate brings me back to my childhood, when my mom prepared it for me once in a while in winter after I returned home from school.
Great Italians of the Past: Federico Fellini
When in 1993 Federico Fellini comes up on the stage of the Academy Awards for the last time, he is beautifully honored by the America of movies and dreams, engaged and grateful for the career of one of the greatest filmmakers ever, a source of inspiration for American masters like Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese.
Italian report: Design Economy
To understand the meaning of the word design, it is useful to return to the etymological root of the word, from the Latin de-signum, literally "relativo al progetto" ("related to the project"). Seen in this light, design is a modus operandi not only related to solving aesthetic problems, but also to the ability to manage and solve complex problems:...
Italian traditions: The Frog Race of Fermignano, Marche
On the Sunday after Easter, Sunday “in albis”, takes place in the Marche small village of Fermignano the "Palio della Rana" (A Palio is a traditional contest between the neighborhoods of the town). The seven districts of Fermignano compete in the race, pushing a wheelbarrow on which is located a frog. A truly unique race, recognized by the Federazi...
Italian culture and history: Pisa
The Leaning Tower, the icon of Pisa, is the most famous Italian monument in the world. Together with the Cathedral and Baptistery, the Tower makes up of a complex of works that poet Gabriele D’Annunzio defined as “Miracles,” hence the baptizing of the piazza that hosts them as Piazza dei Miracoli. Of course the city of Pisa’s first and foremost poi...
Italian wine: The Land and Soul of Ceretto
It’s an exciting month for us as we explore nebbiolo throughout all regions of Italy. The name nebbiolo is derived from the Piemontese word for nebbia, meaning fog. It derives from the fog that comes down from the mountains and roles over the Po Valley helping with the ripening of these grapes.
Italian language: Sient’a mme nun ce stà niente ‘a fà. O kay, napulitan
Let’s get back to our journey all around Italy discovering the many different dialects that this country has to offer. This month is the time to stop in Campania and Napoli, the birthplace of pizza and, of course, Neapolitan. First of all, let’s take a step back, because in order for us to understand what Neapolitan is and where it comes from we ne...
Italian art: The Sacchetti Family
Last fall a news bounced in the newspapers throughout Italy and particularly in the specialized ones in the artistic field: the Fondazione Giulio e Giovanna Sacchetti donated the portrait of the ancestor Cardinal Giulio Cesare Sacchetti to the Galleria Borghese Museum in Rome. The donation makes sense from a philological point of view, and is linke...
Italian gardens: Bardini Garden
The Bardini Garden is a historical garden of Florence, in the Oltrarno area: four hectares of garden, forest and orchard garden right by the medieval city walls. The first phase of the history of this area dates back to the Middle Ages starring the wealthy Mozzi family which, in the thirteenth century, was the owner of several houses and land inclu...
After 12 months in the making Italian Wine Podcast is finally launched
Italian Wine Podcast: Cin Cin with Italian Wine People, the podcasting project which showcases the unique Italian wine-making tradition in conversation with some of its key protagonists, was finally launched this week with the publication of the first of 13 series of interview carried out during OperaWine 2016. Wine writer Monty Waldin interviewed...
Marlborough Italian-American proudly shares his cultural heritage and language
Marlborough – Boyhood memories of Sunday afternoons in New Kensington, Pa., will always have a special place in Bob Alessio’s heart. They were filled with the warmth of home-cooked Italian cuisine, the music of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra and, above all, “famiglia” (family). Occasionally, at these big family dinners, his uncle, John, would sing a...