How La Befana Brought a Ray of Light into the Darkness of the Pandemic
It’s not every day that you find yourself locked down in the midst of a global pandemic with a one-toothed puppet of Italy’s legendary La Befana, but through a mix of serendipitous circumstances, that some might call fate, I spent the pandemic living out an urban version of ancient Italian legend. For those who may not know, in Italian folklore, th...
Museum hosts special exhibit to celebrate Italian Heritage Month
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush officially declared the month of October Italian Heritage Month to celebrate the achievements and contributions people of Italian descent have made to the United States. People of Italian descent have been finding many ways to celebrate their heritage, from cooking authentic dishes and hosting gatherings to parti...
Nassau County Legislature celebrates Italian Culture and Heritage Month
On Oct. 24, the Nassau County Legislature celebrated Italian Heritage and Culture Month by recognizing the achievements of Italian and Italian American Nobel Prize Laureates. Joseph Sciame, president of the Sons of Italy Foundation Inc. and chair of the Board of Directors of the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, presented the Legi...
Road Trip Close to Home: Little Italy in the Bronx
News 12 takes a trip to Little Italy, the heart of the Bronx where families can grab a slice of pizza, fresh seafood and have fun. Forget the expensive flight and the jet lag - There's no passport needed to arrive on Arthur Avenue for a day in Little Italy. Just bring your appetite. For your first stop, head to the corner of East 187th Street and A...
In St. Scalabrini’s Footsteps
The Catholic New York office at the New York Catholic Center is a short walk from the Center for Migration Studies of New York on East 60th Street near the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. I have not made the short trip, but I hope that may soon change after my conversation last week with Don Kerwin, the center’s executive director. Our talk came on the...
IAP 253: An Alliance for Italian America with Special Guest Sabino Curcio of Growing Up Italian
Ciao Paesani… and greetings from the corner of Mulberry and Grand Streets at the heart of Manhattan’s Little Italy — and the future home of the Italian American Podcast! That’s right, we’re on location in the soon-to-be world-class headquarters for all things Italian American, and before we even break ground on building our dream home, we wanted to...
Louis Gigante, Boss Vincent’s New York Priest Brother, Dies at 90
His four brothers were mob bosses, but he had chosen the path of faith: Father Louis Gigante, a Catholic priest central to the rebuilding of the South Bronx, has died at age 90 after a life that seems straight out of a movie script. Father Louis bore a heavy last name for a priest. Vincent, one of his brothers known as ‘Chin,’ roamed the streets o...
Joseph Romeo honored for civic involvement
Joseph Romeo was recently honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his work in the Franklin Square community. The Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York, a nonprofit Italian American organization that works to keep the Italian culture alive and well within various communities in the state, bestowed him with the award on Sept. 10 at Rus...
Flags raised and anthems sung in White Plains to celebrate Italian Heritage Month
Westchester County officials celebrated Italian heritage month Tuesday night by raising the American and the Italian flags and singing the respective national anthems. The event was held outside the County Office Building in White Plains. Westchester County Executive George Latimer was there along with other officials. Latimer's heritage is half-It...
Tyburn Academy: A tribute to Joe LoPiccolo
Every fall, Tyburn Academy of Mary Immaculate hosts a sports banquet to honor a local servant leader in the Auburn community. As always, this year's banquet is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council No. 207 and offers a delicious and authentic Italian dinner prepared by the Cultural Italian American Organization and the Italian Cucina Crew. A...
Carla Gambescia at the Columbus Citizens Foundation - Wednesday, November 2
Make your bookings for Wednesday, November 2, for "Italy: The World's Superpower" with Carla Gambescia. All attendees will receive a copy of Carla's 2nd edition of her award-winning book, La Dolce Vita University: An Unconventional Guide to Italian Culture from A to Z. RSVP Here. Join us for this fascinating exploration of how Italy arose like a ph...
Farewell to Fr. Anthony Chiaramonte
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our member and supporter, Fr. Anthony Chiaramonte. Father was our regular celebrant for almost every Saint Patrick/Saint Joseph and Saint Anthony masses. Father especially enjoyed celebrating his feast day mass celebration with us and reminiscing with people about growing up in the old neighborhood i...