Providence again seeks buyer for Columbus statue after first proposal yields little interest
Despite heartened pleas from community residents and Italian heritage groups to save the Christopher Columbus statue, only two people offered to buy it from the city, and at less than 10% of its appraised value. In light of the lack of interested buyers, the city is reissuing its request for proposals, as approved by the Providence Board of Parks C...
Worcester Christopher Columbus Statue Removal: Council Says No — Again
A towering Christopher Columbus statue in Worcester has again proven to be one of the most potent political forces in the city, dividing the city council and driving hostility between local ethnic communities. The Worcester City Council Tuesday voted against having a discussion about the removal of the Washington Square monument, which stands outsi...
Worcester city councilor to push for removal of Christopher Columbus statue
The City Council is scheduled to reignite the debate on the Christopher Columbus statue Tuesday night, as District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera is requesting the city manager organize a “diverse community discussion to determine the best course of action for removing the Christopher Columbus statue from any public space.” “It is a very hurtful and oppr...
October is a Favorite for the Wakefield Sons & Daughters of Italy
The air is cool and crisp, the leaves are colorful, and you can get pumpkin-spice everything. But that’s not why we are excited for October. It is because October is Italian Heritage Month – a time for Italian Americans to embrace traditions, family memories, and yes, foods! Speaking of food, we enjoyed preparing a pasta dinner for members of the l...
St. Giovanni Battista Scalabrini's 1901 visit to Boston
Earlier this month, on Oct. 9, Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, founder of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (commonly known as the Scalabrini Fathers) and Missionary Sisters of St. Charles, was canonized. His life and deeds have been highlighted in many publications so, rather than reiterate these facts, we are glad to share some episodes abou...
Italy USA 1922 2022
“Italy USA 1922 2022” CETIS inaugural lecture by David Forgacs, NYU. Friday, October 28 - 5:30 PM - Gasson Hall 100, Boston College, MA. The Center for Transatlantic Italian Studies (CETIS) aims to explore the relationship between Italy and the United States through the promotion of scholarly research from a plurality of academic and cultural stan...
Columbus Statue Replacement Up For Review
A new sculpture honoring New Haven’s Italian American community is one step closer to coming to Wooster Square now that the Elicker Administration has formally submitted plans to the Board of Alders for a public artwork to replace the long-gone Christopher Columbus statue. That Wooster Square sculpture proposal was listed as a so-called “communicat...
State Senator Leads Celebration of Italian American Heritage
Sen. Joe Vitale (D-19th Dist), in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus Council 6571, has honored two local residents for their service to the community. At the 18th-annual Italian American Heritage flag raising, held recently at Woodbridge Town Hall, Nicole Fancera was honored as “Ms. Italian America,” while Joseph Ragucci took the honor of “It...
Remembering Anthony V. Riccio
Thursday October 27, 2022 — 6:30 p.m. EST. I AM Books, 124 Salem St., Boston MA 02113 (Register Here). This event will feature several speakers who worked with and knew Anthony, including Prof. James Pasto (Boston University), James Peltz (SUNY Press), and Tommy Damigella (North End Historical Society). Anthony V. Riccio (1952-2022) was the author...
Bridgeport secretly moves Columbus statue, again
Just as abruptly as Mayor Joe Ganim had a 60-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus removed from Seaside Park over two years ago and placed in an old horse barn there, his administration last week relocated the bronze monument to the Circulo Sportivo Italian American Club. Where the statue, donated in 1965 by representatives of the local Italian c...
Middletown's Kidcity opens new hands-on room to honor sister city in Sicily
A tiny, darkened hallway tucked away at Kidcity children’s museum leads to a new and cozy, wondrous room that evokes a piazza in Melilli, Sicily, just before dusk. A faux marble fountain of dolphins leaping high into the air seem frozen in time as the smell of coffee wafts from a cafe in the corner, and royal green handkerchiefs, scattered on the s...
'An Evening With My Grandparents: Stories Of My Italian-American Family'
Acclaimed storyteller Monica Peterson shares fascinating family lore that she learned at the knee of her grandparents, as well as her own touching personal accounts. In an event at the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library in Madison, CT on Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m., Peterson shares, 'An Evening With My Grandparents: Stories Of My Italian-American Family.' Sto...