This Overnight Train in Italy Might Be the Best (and Most Affordable) Way to See the Country
Train travel in general is having a major renaissance right now, and night trains are particularly popular. That’s because overnight trains give travelers the best of both worlds: they allow people to travel a bit slower and more sustainably and they're a major time and money saver. Instead of spending money on accommodation and using precious dayl...
Simbario feast about family, faith for Bertucci
As they have for 105 years, the members of the San Rocco di Simbario Society will embark on a five-and-a half-hour procession through the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown to honor the patron saint of their ancestral hometown. In the process, they’ll be celebrating their Catholic faith and maintaining a tradition now entering its fifth generation. “It...
The price of glory: how ancient warriors and politicians made – and spent! – their money
What did a Roman legionary or gladiator actually earn, and what can that tell us about the societies they served? If we look beyond grand battles and legendary rulers, the economic details of these roles reveal the real – and deeper – connections between war, wealth, and social mobility in Antiquity. To broader questions of class, opportunity, and...
At 93, Gay Talese is still a literary champion of the everyman
Ten years ago, I sat across from Gay Talese in his Manhattan townhouse, trying to steady my nerves as I prepared to interview the man whose writing had attracted me to the genre of New Journalism. At the time, Mr. Talese was immaculately dressed, deliberate in his words, effortlessly magnetic. As a proud Italian-American and teacher, speaking with...
The unseen 99%: the hidden Italy mapped by the community
The Italy we all know is made of icons: the Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum, the Grand Canal. They are symbols that tell millennial stories, which fascinate millions of travellers every year. But there is another Italy, far more vast and surprising, just waiting to be discovered. An authentic Italy, made up of villages asleep in the hills, paths hidde...
2025 green spikes awarded to 90 rural Italian towns
The 2025 Spighe Verdi (Green Spikes) awards for rural Italian municipalities have been announced. This tenth edition includes 90 towns—an increase from last year’s 75—with 17 new entries and 2 towns dropping off the list. Spighe Verdi is a national program by FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education), the same organization behind the internation...
Italy tops Europe in freight volume
A new report finds that Italy leads Europe in freight transport volumes, driven by a dense road infrastructure and a dynamic trucking industry. However, official EU figures appear to undervalue Italy’s actual road freight activity: estimates suggest the real volume ranges between 30.4 and 37.4 billion vehicle-kilometers—nearly twice the numbers rep...
Columbus Piave Club to Host Car & Motorcycle Show to Benefit Italian Festival Parade and Student Musicians
The Columbus Piave Club is revving up for its annual Car & Motorcycle Show, returning Saturday, August 16, 2025, to the historic Valley Dale Ballroom. This much-anticipated community event combines classic cars, family fun, and cultural celebration—all in support of the Columbus Italian Festival Parade and High School Marching Band Competition. Ope...
Chuck Mangione, Italian American smooth jazz icon and flugelhorn legend, dies at 84
Chuck Mangione, the Italian American Grammy-winning flugelhornist and trumpeter whose unmistakable sound helped bridge jazz and pop in the 1970s and beyond, died July 22 at the age of 84 in his hometown of Rochester, New York. Best known for his 1978 crossover hit “Feels So Good,” Mangione leaves behind a legacy that reshaped how jazz could live in...
Festa Italiana in Mokena, IL
Saturday, July 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM. Yunker Park, 10824 W La Porte Rd, Mokena, IL. Live music, a large selection of food, beverages, children's entertainment, games, magic, ballons, a splash pad, a spaghetti eating contest, an Italian car show, and more, all at the Fest. Special prayer service for Our Lady of Mount Carmel and procession at 10:30, s...
New Jersey's Italian American Scott Riccardi wins 14th straight 'Jeopardy!' to push earnings near $400,000
New Jersey native Scott Riccardi has now won 14 straight games on "Jeopardy!" Riccardi, an Italian American engineer from Somerville and 2021 Rutgers graduate, began his winning streak on July 3 and has career earnings of $390,902. On Tuesday, July 22, he defeated Adriene Holland of Powder Springs, Georgia and Paul Ryan of Weymouth, Massachusetts....
U.S. Army Garrison Italy Marks 60 Years of Army Community Service
Sixty years ago, Lt. Col. Robert Elkowitz’s parents had just married, his mother was four months pregnant, and his father was preparing to deploy to Vietnam. It was the summer of 1965 — the same year Lt. Col. Emma M. Baird helped launch Army Community Service, now a cornerstone of Army life around the world. Elkowitz, the garrison chaplain for U.S....