How did Providence's Paul Mecurio go from Wall Street to comedy fame? Funny you should ask ...
There's plenty of comedy in politics, but comedian Paul Mecurio would rather steer clear of party lines. “I do cable news show commentary, but I don’t do a lot of politics, because it’s not fun anymore,” says Mecurio, a Rhode Island native who brings his “Permission to Speak” show to the United Theatre in Westerly on March 9. “There’s no nuance. It...
The queen Mortadella: how to recognize and buy the best one
Mortadella, with its unmistakable spicy and aromatic scent and its soft consistency, is a cured meat that has conquered everyone's palates, all over the world. This has always represented the Italian snack par excellence: enclosed in two discs of bread and held in the hands of children and adults - it has always symbolized union and simplicity. Ori...
'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro sounds starstruck as he opens on Broadway: 'Like the American dream'
The "Cake Boss" is now a Broadway leading man. "It’s like the American dream," Buddy Valastro, the owner of Carlo’s Bake Shop, told Fox News Digital on Monday, just weeks after the celebrity baker quietly opened a new flagship location in Times Square in New York City. "When you walk around Times Square, you just feel that vibe, the people, the en...
A Second Language is a Gift Worth Sharing
Piovono Polpette, the Italian dub of It’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is playing in the living room. It’s an exclusive viewing party for an audience of one – my seven-year-old son. He’s sprawled out across our chenille indigo sofa in comfy weekend clothes, clinging to every word. Although he doesn’t study foreign languages and his parents gre...
Italy's Opus Ballet Joins Dance NOW! Miami March 17 At Miami Theater Center
The advent of spring can mean just one thing – the return of Compagnia Opus Ballet, direct from Florence, Italy, for a new performance with Florida's own Dance NOW! Miami. On Sunday, March 17, at 3 pm, the two ensembles will share the stage of the Miami Theater Center in Miami Shores. The afternoon will include a new, joint version of Gli Altri/The...
Food and Opera in the “Land of Verdi”
Visitors to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region typically visit Modena, home of the famous balsamic vinegar; or Parma, the source of the prized prosciutto and parmigiano-reggiano cheese; or Bologna, a famed “culinary capital” of Italy. But these are big cities by our standards. These foods are readily available throughout the region, and venturing out in...
Chiara Parisi and Cristina Carabetta (Authors of the paper "The Racial and Ethnic Categorization of Italian Americans")
Among the really interesting topics contained in the weekend of the second annual meeting of the Italian American Future Leaders, which I attended as a mentor last January, was one that caught me a little unprepared. Two friends, two young women who divide their lives between Italy and the United States, two lawyers who are members of the National...
Giada De Laurentiis makes Scottsdale debut. What to expect at her new Italian restaurants
The wait is finally over. The four years after Caesars Republic Scottsdale first broke ground in February 2020, just weeks before all construction paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel opens to the public on Wednesday, March 6 and with it, two brand-new restaurants from popular Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis. David Hyatt, director o...
US Navy deploys its newest multi-intelligence drone to Sicily
The Navy is boosting its intelligence capabilities in Europe and Africa with a contingent operating its newest high-altitude surveillance drone recently deployed to Sicily. The service’s only unmanned patrol squadron, or VUP-19, celebrated the deployment of a detachment to Naval Air Station Sigonella and the opening of an MQ-4C Triton drone hangar...
Carissimo Pinocchio | Italian designers and graphic designers redesign the most loved puppet in the world
On view March 15 through April 30, M-F 10am-16:30pm by appointment (email here) and during IIC events. Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco - 710 Sansome Street San Francisco, CA. 140 years after the first edition of The Adventures of Pinocchio, ADI Design Museum celebrates the most famous puppet in the world with an exhibition dedicated to...
The Forgotten Women Who Shaped the Roman Empire
If you spent time on social media last year you might have run across a new trend where women ask the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire. Many of them mention thinking about the Roman army, gladiators, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Aurelius. The Roman Empire is often viewed as this incredibly masculine and manly period, but...
“Freedomland U.S.A.: More Definitive History”. Latest Book About New York’s 1960s Theme Park Includes Additional Stories About The Italians
When Michael R. Virgintino’s first book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme Park Press, 2018), was published, he believed that he had documented much of the available story about New York City’s 1960s American history theme park. He knew official park records had been lost for 50 years and that, with a few exceptions, all significant...