The Woman Who Made Us All Italian
There was a time not too long ago when nobody in America knew anything about Italian food. Well, a few people did—because they had moved here from Italy. Everyone else was clueless, or close to it. Americans loved pizza and lasagna and heaping platters of spaghetti and meatballs, sure. They loved a certain style of cooking that had originated with...
Florence, Italy's Most Enchanting Garden Is A Vibrant Rose Paradise With Sweeping City Views
Florence, arguably the most walkable city in the world, is synonymous with art and science. So, it's no wonder that some of the top tourist attractions in Florence are not only a testament to its artists and architects, but some of the best places to truly appreciate the city of Florence is its gardens. After all, some of the city's most famous res...
Inside Bottega Veneta’s New Architectural Statement at Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Bottega Veneta marks its presence on the Las Vegas Strip with a new boutique at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, introducing an immersive retail environment that merges Italian craftsmanship with modernist design sensibilities. The space showcases the house's Pre-Spring 2025 collection against a backdrop of warm wood, terrazzo, and contemporary archit...
The Baths of Diocletian: Rome’s Architectural Marvel
Hidden among iconic landmarks of Rome, such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, or the Pantheon, lies one of ancient Rome’s most impressive architectural marvels—the Baths of Diocletian. Once the largest imperial bath complex in the Roman Empire, the Baths of Diocletian are now an exceptional place to explore both ancient history and art, and they offe...
How Chef Boyardee Became A Canned Food Celebrity
You've likely seen his smiling face at your local grocery store. He wears a classic chef's hat and sports a red kerchief around his neck on cans of Americanized Italian foods like mini ravioli and beefaroni. Perhaps you thought he was just a made-up mascot for the Chef Boyardee brand. But like KFC's famous Colonel Sanders, Chef Boyardee was a real...
Restoring Milan's Duomo, one statue at a time
In a workshop in the Milan suburbs, sculptor Giovanni Calderino completes his latest project -- a battered statue from the top of the Italian city's gothic cathedral, and its gleaming white replacement. Depicting a bearded man wearing a tunic, the marble statue has adorned one of the Duomo's 135 spires for two centuries. But decades of harsh weathe...
Francis Ford Coppola, a 2024 Kennedy Center honoree, looks back on his groundbreaking career
Francis Ford Coppola, the visionary director behind "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," was named a 2024 Kennedy Center honoree earlier this year, celebrating his lifetime of artistic achievements. Over a career spanning more than half a century, the 85-year-old filmmaker has earned five Oscars, six Golden Globes, two Palme d'Or awards and a BAFT...
No. 1 book of the century, ‘My Brilliant Friend’, is subject of UC Berkeley research, courses
My Brilliant Friend, by the pseudonymous Italian author Elena Ferrante, is the New York Times’ No. 1 book of the century. This recognition, and the recent adaptation of Ferrante’s four-novel Neopolitan Quartet into an HBO series, underscores this writer’s profound influence. Ferrante’s popular novels, translated into English by Ann Goldstein, are...
Why I’m documenting my nonna’s recipes – and the history behind them
Every year, one month before the holidays, my mom and my grandmother would start planning. The two of them hosted Christmas: One would take Christmas Eve, the other Christmas Day. My mom would start by writing out a work-back schedule, scribbled notes peeking out of cookbooks that included ideas for specialty cocktails and cookies. She excelled at...
Olive oil journey in Puglia
This tour, in which Gambero Rosso has accompanied the most important consortium in the Italian olive oil sector, has featured dinners and tastings in search of the perfect pairings, alongside events and seminars that have introduced the general public to the excellence of Puglia’s “green gold.” The last leg of this journey took place from 11 to 15...
Hofstra Prof Pens Journalism Textbook on Strategic Storytelling
Chris R. Vaccaro, the director of graduate journalism and an associate adjunct professor at The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, has penned a new journalism textbook emphasizing strategic storytelling. Focusing on how the modern newsroom operates, News Writing and Reporting: A Strategic Approach to Storytelling (Sage Publications) prepares...
Italy’s Christmas lexicon: dialects, greetings, and cultural wisdom
Italy’s regional cultural diversity means that the country’s traditions, food and, indeed, way of speaking are manifold. Such variety also influences its Christmas traditions, with each region celebrating the festive season with unique customs and, indeed, expressions and words. This linguistic variety stems from Italy’s complex history of regional...