Pantelleria dreams of becoming a Smart Island by 2020
A sweeping project being planned on the tiny Italian island of Pantelleria envisions electric power plants fueled with renewables, cells to store energy, and an electric transformation of public and private transportation. The project, which aims to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions, would turn the picturesque Pantelleria into...
The Palace with a Thousand and One Coats of Arms: Exploring the Archiginnasio of Bologna
Let's say you are a curious traveler who finds him or herself dawdling under the ever-present portici of Bologna on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Let's also say that you are passionate about Italian art and culture and that you want to know more about this beautiful city's past and present lifestyle. If so, there is a place you should absolute...
Consul General Mauro Battocchi: Working Together to Build Strong Italian Communities
by Catherine Accardi Mauro Battocchi's last day as San Francisco's beloved Consul General will be July 8, 2016. He has been Italy's Consul General in San Francisco since September, 2012. For the past four years, Battocchi has presided over countless events with a never-ending smile and seemingly boundless grace that will be sorely mis...
Ribalta Brings Naples to NYC Via Mamaroneck
Pizza and pasta are easy to come by in the restaurant world, but few are making waves like Ribalta in Greenwich Village. The popular Italian eatery that's only a five-minute walk off the Union Square subway stop became buzzworthy after Grubstreet named their spaghetti Pomodoro one of NYC's 10 best pasta dishes, and their Neapolitan-style pizza has...
Frankie Valli Is Our Sinatra and Back on Broadway
By Ray Negron If you have ever read my book, "Yankee Miracles," then you would know that there is a chapter in the book about the great Yankee manager, Billy Martin. Billy was a very fierce competitor with a heart of gold. In the book, I talk about a time when Billy took me to the historic New York Italian restaurant, Patsy's, where we had...
Pizzeria, Italian Restaurant Show Will Launch 2017 in Atlantic City
International Pizza Expo, a pizzeria business-to-business trade show owned by Emerald Expositions, will launch a new two-day trade show at the Atlantic City Convention Center that will focus on pizzerias and Italian restaurants. "This is in no way a replacement to Pizza Expo for East Coast pizzeria operators and their staffs, but more of a...
Shaking Up Italy’s Most Popular Museum
By Rachel Donadio Eike Schmidt, the new director of the Uffizi Gallery here and the first non-Italian to hold the job, took what seemed a logical step. In the spring, he set up loudspeakers warning visitors about scalpers and pickpockets who target tourists waiting in the perennially long lines outside Italy's most-visited museum, famous for its m...
Answering Columbus’ critics
Eighteenth-century Irish statesman Edmund Burke once noted that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. When it comes to Columbus, the Italian-American community seems doomed to have history rewritten right out from underneath it for the same reason. To be fair, backing Columbus has been a no-brainer for much of the last century. His...
Seven reasons autumn is the best time to visit Italy
It's never a bad time for an Italian holiday, but autumn is when the country really comes into its own. Read on for the top reasons you should book a trip here now. 1. The ColoursWhether it's the autumn sunshine illuminating reddish city buildings, the changing hues of leaves in the countryside, or glistening reflections in one of the coun...
Restaurants Set Fundraiser “Boston Stands With Italy” for Earthquake Relief on October 23rd
On August 24rd, 2016, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit central Italy, leveling entire towns and resulting in devastating loss and the deaths of 298 people. The Italian Community in Boston along with some of Boston's leading Italian restaurants have organized an event to raise funds for Earthquake Relief efforts and show solidarity with the residents...
Turco family to open new Italian delicatessen in Naperville
Joe Turco proudly announced the grand opening date of his new business venture this week and almost immediately backtracked, fretting over the possibility of somebody, somewhere, hurling an unanticipated monkey wrench into the works. But if his own family history is any indicator at all, he probably shouldn't worry. The Turco family has be...
Beer and pizza: Naples-style pizzeria knows what goes together
Stressed-out voters will be able to celebrate the outcome of the election – or drown their sorrows – in a pillowy pizza pie. The owners of Piatto Neapolitan Pizzeria have chosen Wednesday, Nov. 9 – the day after Election Day – as the official opening day for their new restaurant at 1706 E. Douglas, right next door to Hopping Gnome Brewing Comp...