Central Arkansas shows its Italian heritage some amore
Americans of Italian descent may not dominate the population in Arkansas — according to Statistical Atlas, only 1.6 percent of the state’s residents report Italian ancestry — but you couldn’t tell by two events in April. The opening of the Little Italy Arkansas Heritage Society Museum, also known as the the Little Italy Museum, and the Arkansas Ita...
Patriarch of Little Italy, former Little Rock Fire Department captain dies at 99-years-old
Little Italy lost its patriarch today. John Dal Santo passed away this morning. He turned 99 years old yesterday. He was an extraordinary man and anyone who ever met him was drawn to his magnificent generosity and gift of storytelling. Born in Caltrano, Italy, March 29, 1920, he immigrated to the US in 1930. In 1941 he travelled to Little Italy wit...
Mayor to Apologize for 1891 Lynching of 11 Italian Americans
The mayor of New Orleans plans an apology to Italian Americans for what's considered the nation's most deadly lynching — violence in which 11 Italian immigrants were killed after acquittals in a police chief's murder. "This has been a longstanding wound," said Michael Santo of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy. The lynching in 1891 and response...
Angelo Brocato brings Italian sweets to the French Quarter in 1905
In 1905, Angelo Brocato Sr. opened a sweet shop in a section of the French Quarter known as Little Palermo. Brocato himself was a native of Palermo, where he first learned to make ice cream as a 12-year-old apprentice. His New Orleans shop, Angelo Brocato's, made lemon ice, gelato, torroncino and cannoli. Today, his family still runs Angelo Brocato...
City of New Orleans to Issue Proclamation of Apology for Largest Lynching in United States History
The City of New Orleans will be issuing an official Proclamation of Apology on April 12, 2019, regarding the largest lynching in United States history. Following the murder of New Orleans Police Chief David Hennessy on October 16, 1890, several Italian immigrants were arrested without just cause. Nine of the 19 men who were indicted went to trial,...
Presentation of an Official Proclamation of Apology by the Mayor of New Orleans to the Italian American Community
Friday, April 12, 2019 @ 11:00 AMERICAN ITALIAN CULTURAL CENTER 537 South Peters Street, New Orleans, LA. The Order Sons & Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) is proud to announce an historical event concerning a long social wound stemming from America's worst lynching event that occurred in New Orleans in 1891. Eleven Italian immigrants were kil...
City of Abbeville hosts first Sicilian Festival
Organizers of Abbeville’s Sicilian Festival are excited following a successful first year. The free cultural celebration was held Saturday at the Sam Guarino Blacksmith Shop Museum. Seven teams participating in the cook-off prepared Sicilian/Italian meals. Beverages, muffalettas, pizza, and ice cream were also sold. Live music entertained the crowd...
Pizza at the Piazza feat. Sansepolcro Flag Throwers
Friday, March 29, 2019. 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM CDT. American Italian Cultural Center. 537 South Peters Street. New Orleans, LA 70130. Join us for a pizza party at the Piazza d'Italia and check out the AICC's newly rennovated second floor event space while mingling with the Sansepolcro flag throwers! Get your tickets here! This will be a fabulous evening...
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Announces FREE Simulcast Of Fabio Luisi’s Debut Concert as Music Director Designate
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announced today a free, live-concert simulcast to be screened on Thursday, April 18, 2019, at Annette Strauss Square at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. This performance will mark conductor Fabio Luisi’s first appearance with the DSO since he was announced as the orchestra’s next Music Director. He will lead the...
Hotel Granduca is the Closest You Can Get to Italy Without Leaving Houston
I’VE MISSED ITALY FOR 12 YEARS. My first and last visit more than a decade ago is still vivid in my mind— the charming romance (and pungent smell) of the Venice canals; the timeworn sampietrini streets and solemn, soaring cathedrals of Rome; the dizzying sensation on the final step of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I’ve been meaning to get back, but, a...
Hundreds flock to St. Joseph Day altars throughout New Orleans
Dozens of volunteers spend hours baking breads and cookies and preparing pasta milanese in preparation for St. Joseph’s Day (March 19) in the New Orleans area. St. Joseph Day altars, which pay tribute to the St. Joseph the patron saint of Sicily, were built at more than 75 churches, schools, bars, restaurants, hotels and grocery stores throughout t...
John Fazio, Fisher Foods and Fazio’s grocery store co-owner, dies at 99
During the 1960s and 1970s, the name Fazio’s was synonymous with grocery shopping in Northeast Ohio. The opening of a new store in Northeast Ohio was greeted with newspaper articles extolling the European flavors in Fazio’s bakery departments, gourmet specialties from around the world and large produce department. At the height of his grocery store...