Four Things I Love About The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Last year, I sampled the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the outrageously powerful version with a Ferrari-derived V-6 and two turbochargers stuffed under its carbon fiber bodywork. Not surprisingly, the Stelvio feels very similar to the Giulia, despite my Stelvio tester not having the Quadrifoglio package. And while there are things I really don’t like about...
Fazoli's Celebrates Veterans Day with Weekend Long Offer for America's Heroes
Fazoli's, the nation's largest fast casual Italian chain, is showing support to our nation's heroes this Veterans Day by offering all active, inactive and retired military personnel a free spaghetti with marinara or meat sauce, no purchase necessary with an I.D. or in uniform. This offer will run all weekend from Friday, November 10th through Sunda...
2018 Maserati Levante – what the experts are saying
Named for the warm winds of the western Mediterranean, the Maserati Levante SUV is as unlikely as it is lyrical. But the initial skepticism surrounding the launch of the Italian sports car maker’s first crossover last fall has abated as the Levante has proved itself equal parts curvaceous and capable. This month Maserati is introducing two trims th...
John Cazale, the actor who appeared in only five movies, all nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award
“My beau is terribly ill and sometimes, as now, in the hospital. He has very wonderful care and I try not to stand around wringing my hands, but I am worried all the time and pretending to be cheery all the time, which is more exhausting mentally, physically and emotionally than any work I’ve ever done.” It’s been almost 40 years since Meryl Streep...
Letter from Fucsia Nissoli, Member of the Italian Parliament
In an open letter, I call on President Gentiloni to help strengthen the human resources of our consular network. Here is the text: “Dear Mr. Gentiloni, I have recently visited several Italian communities in North and Central America, and I also met with the consulates and the staff who provide an important service to fellow countrymen far away from...
A Visual Tour Of The Best Restaurants From ‘The Sopranos’
To say The Sopranos was anchored around food would be an understatement. Every episode of the long-running HBO series (which is available to stream anytime on HBO Now) had at least one or two scenes staged in restaurants, delis, diners, clubs, or kitchens. Food was everywhere in this show. Late night meetings took place in empty dining rooms, bodie...
Cooking up Classics: The Home Cook delivers
Alex Guarnaschelli has undisputable culinary royalty in her blood: Her mother edited the seminal 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking, the book that designed the way an entire generation cooked for their families. When she was growing up, her parents would pull regularly from their vast shelf of cookbooks for classics like lasagna and chicken cacciat...
So Italian food can be strengthened in America
“Five or six years ago, more than 50 percent of American consumers believed that truffles were a chocolate dessert and they didn’t know that they are also and above all something else; now they know it” Vittorio Giordano, vice-president of Urbani Truffles, international branch of the historical pocket multinational truffle Umbrian, amuses the audie...
Film Review: ‘Frank Serpico’
“Frank Serpico” is a finely etched and fascinating documentary. Directed by Antonino D’Ambrosio, it’s a portrait of the legendary Brooklyn-born Italian-American cop who blew the whistle on New York police corruption in the late ’60s and early ’70s — and, of course, it’s a movie you can hardly watch without comparing it to “Serpico,” the 1973 Sidney...
Lidia Bastianich cookbook shares Italian recipes for entertaining
No one throws a party like celebrity chef, television host, author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich.And now in her new book, “Lidia’s Celebrate Like An Italian: 220 Foolproof Recipes That Make Every Meal a Party,” which she co-wrote with her daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, she shares recipes for entertaining with her distinctive Bastianich fla...
IAP 52: Michael Badalucco on reuniting with his Sicilian relatives
In this episode of The Italian American Podcast, I talk with actor Michael Badalucco, a passionate Italian-American and a really funny guy who has had some big success in his acting career and is also very involved in the Italian American community. In the stories segment, I will tell you a story about something that just happened to me that was a...
Italian pride: one day a year is not enough
In the US, the national debate on the country’s origins and heritage has involved also the Italian American community. At the heart of discussion, however, there is more than statues and celebratory days, there is the meaning itself of being proud of our roots. Christopher Columbus and the Vikings A few weeks ago, the Los Angeles City Council de...