The 30-Year Journey That Uncovered My Italian Family Roots
As a third generation Italian American born in the baby boomer era, I remember growing up getting bits and pieces of my family roots from my parents about my paternal and maternal grandparents who emigrated from Southern Italy around 1910. My Aunts and Uncles of the second generation also provided me insight into their early upbringing as children...
webinar > DANTEDÌ: A Day with Dante
WHEN: March 25, 2021 at 4:30 PM (ET) - WHERE: Zoom Webinar - EVENT LANGUAGE: English Our series of commemorative events to celebrate the 700th Anniversary of Dante Alighieri continues on a very special day: Dantedì. Established in 2020, Dantedì is the national day dedicated to Dante Alighieri. March 25th was chosen as it is recognized by scholars a...
Hometown mourns death of Frannicola, a.k.a. ‘Mr. Nutley’
It was an unlikely association, a young, aspiring athlete and an aging official and administrator. Except that they shared a first name and a strong love for Italian food. However, in the case of the old school referee, he loved all kinds of food. But they were inseparable, the young kid named Angelo Guglielmello and the referee named Angelo Franni...
UNICO Chapter of Kenilworth Toiletries and Personal Hygiene Drive is a Success
The UNICO Chapter of Kenilworth recently organized a toiletries and personal hygiene drive for homeless individuals who are using Newark Penn Station as their place to sleep. Laura Morana the Chapter President, partnered with an organization in Newark that expressed a necessity for these items to help those less fortunate. The collection was held o...
Polyphony in Dante’s Paradiso
On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, The Italian Cultural Society is pleased to host Prof. Francesco Ciabattoni from Georgetown University. Join us for our March Cultural Event: Polyphony in Dante’s Paradiso. Sunday, March 21st, 3:00 pm (ET), on Zoom. The event is in anticipation of the Dantedì, March 25th, the official day de...
Wolves Club Honored by the Ellwood City Italian American Heritage Foundation
The Ellwood City Italian American Heritage Foundation, at the February Wolves Club meeting, honored the organization with an appreciation plaque in recognition for all they have done and continue to do for our community. Mr. Biondi, while presenting the recognition plaque, on behalf of the ECIAHF remarked; ‘it is with tremendous gratitude, pride, a...
Mother Cabrini – Patroness of Immigrants March 15th
NOIAW’s Greater Washington, DC and Rhode Island Regions invite you to join us for an online presentation on the life and work of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), popularly known as “Mother Cabrini,” a determined Italian nun who together with seven other sisters founded a missionary order and at Pope Leo XIII’s request, traveled “not East, bu...
'Witnessing the horror.' Survivors reflect on what was lost in the first year of COVID.
The dying man’s hand rested in his own. Dr. Haney Mallemat knew the patient was nearing the end. He listened as the man’s agonized daughter cried on a video call as she said goodbye. Then Mallemat witnessed the man’s final breaths. The COVID-19 patient was merely one of many the doctor tried to save as the coronavirus swept across New Jersey. They...
Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America celebrates 41 years of sharing, promoting heritage
Celebrating 41 years chartered this past month, the local chapter of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America has spent more than four decades sharing and promoting their heritage and culture. “We were formed on a Sunday similar to this. It was raining,” said Bob Rizzo, one of the original charter members. “We met a state president, who cam...
The Secret of Pittsburgh’s Second Street Beauties
Located on the top, flat part of Verona, Penn. — running parallel to the main street, about one-half mile away — was Second Street where I grew up. The topography made it special, but more notably, it was all of the hustle and bustle in this mixed Italian, German, Croatian, Irish and Polish neighborhood that made it shine. As youngsters, we put up...
Italian American Women's Association of Erie Holds Food Drive Benefiting Second Harvest
Members of the Italian American Women's Association (IAWA) of Erie stepped up over the weekend to host a food drive that benefited the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania. Boxes, bags and other items that were collected by members of IAWA were dropped off Monday to the Second Harvest Food Bank. The group collected non-perishables an...
Tina Panetta, Mother on the Hill
Years ago, though it’s hard to imagine today, Republican and Democratic senators used to sit at the same table to share a meal in the Senate Dining Room. They would cross the aisle just to talk to beloved waitress Tina Panetta, an ebullient Italian mother and grandmother. “We talked like family, like brother and sister,” Panetta, now 95, recalls of...