Catholic Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich
Renowned celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich runs a culinary empire—she owns 11 Italian American restaurants in the United States. She has her own television series, Lidia’s Kitchen. She has written 16 Italian cookbooks, and created a line of Italian pastas and sauces. She is a member of the international woman’s culinary group, Les Dames d’Escoffier,...
How a Dying Man Wrote a Timeless Novel
“If we want everything to remain as it is, everything must change.” With these words, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s “The Leopard” announced a paradox of modern Italian history, as elites frenetically cut deals to protect their privileged status on the eve of national unification in 1861. In “Lampedusa,” Steven Price’s fictional account of how the...
The reason Lorraine Bracco refused to play another Mafia role after Goodfellas
Lorraine Bracco was so amazing in Goodfellas (1990) that she stole every scene was in with her portrayal of Karen Friedman Hill, the unsuspecting Jewish girl who married into the Mob via Henry Hill. The actress was so good, in fact, that she refused to every play any other mobster-type role ever again for fear of not being able to live up to the hi...
Hall of Famer Mike Piazza on fatherhood, baseball and the secret to happiness
Mike Piazza lives by one rule as a parent: You don’t have to like me, but you do have to respect me. Actually, that's a pretty good rule for life, says the baseball Hall of Famer. "The first rule — to try to be happy — is to not care what people think," Piazza told TODAY Parents. Retired from the game in 2008, now living in Italy with his wife and...
A battle of wills
My uncle Joe Sacchetti and his wife, my Aunt Pauline, struggled like most families back in the 50’s in an effort to raise their two sons, Chris and Joe Jr. Uncle Joe was a hardworking man who held many jobs and always found a way to make a dollar to support his family. He was the third eldest of his siblings, born in 1919. He lived to age of 80...
Hey, NEA! No way!
At its 2019 National Convention, the National Education Association (NEA) passed a resolution to have Columbus Day renamed Indigenous Peoples Day, stating, “As an education association, recognizing, observing, and celebrating factual history is important to maintaining our academic integrity.” Really? Come on! How hypocritical. The current onslaugh...
Remembering Marina Schiano: Model, Muse, and Magnate
Marina Schiano, the fiery model, photographer, muse, and jewelry designer, has died. She was 71. Schiano was one of those rangy, long-haired beauties who traipsed through the pages of Vogue in its jet-setting Diana Vreeland days. In 1968 she appeared in an extravagant 28-page feature photographed in Mexico by Henry Clarke. In a blog entry, lensman...
Barletta to lead coalition to protect Italian-made goods from tariffs
Lou Barletta said Tuesday that he will lead a coalition of companies to ensure Italian food products are not unfairly impacted by tariffs in a trade dispute involving European aviation manufacturer Airbus. The coalition of leading Italian food companies, manufacturers and trade associations announced Tuesday the creation of the American Italian Foo...
Video contest “Why is Leonardo a genius?”
On the occasion of the “19th Week of the Italian Language in the World,” the Embassy of Italy is pleased to announce a Video Contest for Italian language students in the United States. Each year, Italian Language Week has a different underlying theme and a vast cultural program to advance the promotion of our Italian language. This year, the theme...
Tony Bennett, at 93: ‘I just want to keep learning and expressing the truth’
Serving pizza and pasta to diners while singing in an Italian restaurant is not part of the typical career path for future music legends. But Tony Bennett isn’t a typical music legend and neither was the start of his career. Indeed, long before he became the world’s most famous nonagenarian vocal star — and even before he made his first record in 1...
The Enduring Legacy of The Godfather: An Opinion
I was combing through my television channels the other day when I landed upon the familiar confines of the Corleone clan. Of course I had to stop and watch; it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. The first time I remember watching The Godfather, I was five years old. As many times as I’ve seen this landmark film, I still marvel at it’s all around great...
Five Fast Facts About Days of Our Lives Star Kristian Alfonso
Kristian Alfonso was cast as ingenue Hope Williams on Days of Our Lives in 1983. Though she’s left the show at points to pursue other endeavors, she’s always returned to continue her iconic role. Alfonso has also been on television shows such as Falcon Crest, Full House, Melrose Place, Baywatch, and MacGyver over the course of her career. From winn...