A Local's Guide to Alba
Alba: surprisingly cosmopolitan for a town with a local population of just over 30,000. Welcome to Le Langhe, the only place in the world where you can rub elbows with Michelin-starred chefs, truffle hunters, wine producers, and local farmers. Before UNESCO designated the Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato as World Heritage Sites, King Carlo Alberto of...
Nutella sourced in NJ: Rutgers gets $170K for exciting hazelnut research
Imagine opening a jar of Nutella, harvested from hazelnuts grown in the Garden State. That’s an ultimate vision of Rutgers University researchers working with a $170,000 research grant from Ferrero Group. The Italian-based company, which also owns Ferrero Rocher, announced the funds in November to be disbursed over a four-year span. That was in add...
Why Milan looks like an art capital of the future
Italy’s financial capital Milan is shaping up to be the latest European art hotspot, as galleries join a wave of super wealthy individuals drawn there by an increasingly attractive tax regime. Entering the fray is the international gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, which represents artists such as Antony Gormley and Anselm Kiefer. It opens its seventh perma...
Book Presentation - L’ABC di Alberto Manzi, maestro degli italiani
Thursday January 23 2025, 6 PM. IIC New York - 686 Park Avenue, New York, NY. A conversation with the author Tania Convertini (Dartmouth College) in conversation with the moderators Iuri Moscardi (Bryn Mawr) and Erica Moretti (FIT. NYC). Imagine transforming the lives of millions of Italians through literacy - not in a traditional classroom, but th...
50th Anniversary of Italian American Ella Grasso's election: first female Governor of the US
On January 8, 1975, American political history marked a pivotal moment with the inauguration of Ella Grasso as the governor of Connecticut. Ella Grasso became the first woman in the United States to be elected governor without having previously succeeded her husband or another family member. This was a remarkable achievement that resonated not only...
Oliviero Toscani, pioneer of shockvertising, dies at 82
Oliviero Toscani, the Italian photographer famed for his provocative advertising campaigns for fashion brand Benetton, died on Monday at the age of 82. Toscani, who was diagnosed with the terminal disease amyloidosis two years ago, died in hospital at Cecina near Livorno in the central Italian region of Tuscany, his family said. The Milan photograp...
The Rise And Fall Of Buca Di Beppo
Remember Buca di Beppo? The casual Italian chain restaurant (or really, Italian-American) was known for its red-sauce style, with hearty menu items like lasagna, juicy chicken parmesan, and spaghetti and meatballs, as well as seriously big portions. Somewhat ironically, it wasn't dreamed up by an Italian at all. Founder Phil Roberts hails from cent...
Michelangelo’s Early Masterpieces
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 7 pm. 79 Howard Ave, Staten Island, NY. Free for members, $10 donation non-members. Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the greatest artists in history, prolific in the art of painting, of sculpture, of architecture and in poetry, is a true symbol of Renaissance man. Deeply religious, he created unrivaled intersection of spiritua...
Wheelchair basketball player Steve Serio
Steve Serio, co-captain of the U.S. Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball team, says he never thought he would have the honor of being named a flag bearer for Team USA. And yet there he was with fellow para athlete Nicky Nieves, leading the 225-member Team USA Paris delegation down the famed Champs-Élysées during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 S...
Three of the must-visit destinations for 2025 according to the New York Times are Italian
The allure of design and art, the magic of a journey through rocks and nature. But also, the unique experience of a coast-to-coast adventure. It’s a trio of Italian destinations, focusing on cultural and sustainable tourism, chosen by the New York Times for its celebrated annual list titled “52 Places to Go in 2025”. This list gathers the best dest...
Celebrating the 415th Anniversary of Galileo’s Insight!
One of the most accomplished American sculptors, Greg Wyatt, described by Professor Sir Stanley Wells as America’s Rodin, decided to donate two new bronze sculptures of the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei to my office at Harvard University. This week is special, as it marks exactly 415 years to the discovery of Jupiter’s moons, which is the insp...
Italian American Podcast Ep. 352 Breka a leg with the Belmont Italian American Playhouse!
Picture this: a bustling weekend at Villa Roma in the Catskills, surrounded by the irresistible aroma of traditional Capuzzelle, a dish steeped in Italian American heritage and memories. That’s where our journey begins, as we savor this rare delicacy made from a sheep’s head, reflecting on its enduring cultural significance and the resilience that...