Marcella Hazan Documentary Will Open 2025 Sarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival has announced the full slate of programming for its 2025 film festival, which takes place April 4-13. This year’s lineup includes 37 feature films, four world premieres, 10 Florida premieres and 41 short films. The festival opens April 4 with Marcella, the story of renowned chef Marcella Hazan, who changed the way we cook...
Ancient Rome's "Atlantis" Was An Exclusive Place Where Rich & Famous Romans Vacationed Before Sinking Beneath The Sea
Sex and violence in Ancient Roman culture have continued to fascinate for thousands of years. For instance, the gladiator fights at the Roman Colosseum have proven so enduring that Airbnb is reviving them for a one-time event (without the killing, naturally) in 2025. Hedonism was another Ancient Roman specialty that continues to captivate—whether i...
Family-owned Italian bistro Samario's opens in Honesdale
Samario's restaurant, specializing in pizza and cheesesteaks and serving many other items, opened Feb. 26 in downtown Honesdale. The family-owned business, with its flagship restaurant in Scranton and another restaurant in Tunkhannock, has been looking to come to Honesdale for several years. The Italian bistro is located at 627 Main St., the former...
Scacciapensieri: the enchanting Sicilian jaw harp with a hypnotic sound
Chances are that, if you watched a movie set in Sicily, you unknowingly heard the unmistakable, twangy sound of the scacciapensieri. Small and unassuming, it is known as “jaw harp” or “Jew’s harp” in English, and produces a metallic vibration that is both rhythmic and quite hypnotic. Scacciapensieri has been a staple of Sicilian folk music for cen...
Art Teacher and Cartoonist Doris Nitti Dies at 92
Art teacher and cartoonist Doris Nitti, formerly of Provincetown, died peacefully on Feb. 13, 2025 at Greenridge Place, an assisted living community in Rocky Hill, Conn. She was 92. Doris was born on Dec. 14, 1932 in East Haven, Conn. Her Provincetown neighbor Padric Meagher said she was the adopted daughter of Joseph and Julia (Pecoraro) Nitti, wo...
The underrated Italian islands with smouldering good looks
Anita Motta takes a sip of her ginger margarita and considers the kind of people who visit the Aeolian Islands. “They’ve changed,” she says, as we sit on the veranda of Il Principe di Salina, the elegant boutique hotel she co-owns on Salina, the second largest of the islands. “When I was little my parents brought me on the overnight ferry from Napo...
The Differences Between Food Health in Italy and the U.S.
Many travelers from the United States are often shocked when they arrive in Italy and are met with food options such as pasta, bread, cheese, wine, and pizza. Although this might seem like a daunting diet, Italian food and ingredients often have a very different effect than if one were to eat this diet in the United States. Why is there such a diff...
Italian Wine Exports Hit Record High in 2024
Italy’s wine exports reached a record €8bn in 2024, with nearly 22 million hectoliters shipped abroad, buoyed by strong international demand and stockpiling in the U.S. ahead of potential new tariffs on EU goods, reaffirmed by Donald Trump in recent weeks. Exports grew 5.5% in value, while volumes rebounded 3.2% after last year’s decline. Sparkling...
Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra Celebrates Founder Maestro Matteo Giammario's 100th Birthday
The Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra (GPYO) is proud to celebrate the 100th birthday of its esteemed founder, Maestro Matteo Giammario. A visionary in music education and performance, Maestro Giammario's legacy continues to inspire generations of young musicians. Born in Trenton, NJ, to Italian immigrant parents from the Puglia region, Matteo Giam...
Rome villa with rare Caravaggio mural opens to visitors of blockbuster show
A historic Rome villa with the world's only known ceiling painting by Caravaggio will open its doors exclusively to visitors of the blockbuster show dedicated to the Baroque genius. The Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi, better known as Villa Aurora, is home to the 25th work in Caravaggio 2025 - the Rome exhibition that everyone is talking about...
Immigrant entrepreneurs and the growth of businesses in Italy
In the last ten years, while the total number of Italian businesses has decreased by 1.7%, companies led by entrepreneurs born abroad have increased by 32.7%, surpassing 659,000 in 2023 and representing over 11% of the total. Sole proprietorships remain the majority (482,918, accounting for 73% of the total), but the real change lies in the expone...
Albergo diffuso e slow tourism, two extraordinary Italian excellences in the world of tourism
These days marks the twentieth anniversary of the Associazione Nazionale degli Alberghi Diffusi, which embraces and protects these hotels integrated with the landscape, offering many options for all types of travelers, for all budgets: a truly Italian invention. Farmhouses, refuges, trulli, masserie, and cabins. In the countryside, high altitudes,...