The European Central Bank chooses Leonardo’s designs for new 100-euro banknotes
The European Central Bank (ECB) has announced that the new 100-euro banknotes, which are set to be released in the near future, will feature designs inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s famous works. This decision marks a significant step in the ECB's effort to refresh the euro’s banknote series, with the 100-euro bill being one of the first to incorpo...
A CO2-eating bacteria found in the sea near Sicily
A groundbreaking discovery has emerged from the Mediterranean waters off the coast of Sicily: scientists have identified a bacteria capable of consuming carbon dioxide (CO2). This could have significant implications for the fight against climate change. Researchers from the University of Palermo, in collaboration with international partners, stumbl...
Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, a one-stop shop for pasta, pizza and perfection
Stefani Restaurant Group, a cornerstone of Chicago’s hospitality scene, is celebrating the success of Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, a specialty quick-service Italian shop and pasta lab nestled at 6075 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Gladstone Park. Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the bottega isn’t just another Italian eatery—it’s a culinary experience....
Trieste and the new golden road
All roads lead to Rome, the old saying goes. But in Italy’s twenty-first-century strategic ambitions, the roads now converge on a rather different city: Trieste. The city and the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) are pivotal to Italy’s future, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared during her keynote address at the Med Dialogue in November....
Drexel names Italian political economist Antonio Merlo, PhD, as its 16th President
Drexel University’s Board of Trustees has confirmed by a unanimous vote political economist and academic, Antonio Merlo, PhD as the 16th president in the University’s 133-year history. Merlo, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of New York University’s Faculty of Arts & Science, will succeed Interim President Denis P. O’Brien and begin his tenure at Drex...
The fashion entrepreneur who invented Baci Perugina: a short journey through the streets of Perugia
The meeting point is in Perugia’s historic centre, at the corner of Via dei Cartolari and Via Alessi, in front of the elegant Palazzo Ansidei di Catrano. One’s imagination immediately drifts to the luxurious life of Luisa Spagnoli, a pioneering entrepreneur in the food and fashion sectors. She became wealthy, but she started in the basement of that...
Alimentari deli is now open on Monroe Street
The Italian American deli Alimentari has opened its new location at 2623 Monroe St. in Madison, WI. “People have been putting their faces on the windows,” said chef Dan Bonnano, who owns the deli with fellow restaurateur Bonnie Arent and his brother, Enrico Bonnano. Alimentari opened on Madison’s east side in 2018 in a mini-strip mall in the Willy...
Want to Prioritize Your Mental Health in 2025? Start With a Passeggiata.
Italian vacations with my father were a highlight of my early teens. Our typical destination was his hometown of Aradeo, a sleepy comune in the province of Lecce in Puglia. We’d spend days jumping into the sea and evenings eating pizza, while nighttime was dedicated to wandering the cobbled streets along with the rest of the town, from curious todd...
Janet Constantino reads from her novel "Becoming Mariella" at Readers' Books
Wednesday, February 26 at 5:30PM - 7:00PM. Readers' Books - 130 East Napa Street, Sonoma (CA). Janet Constantino will read from "Becoming Mariella", a coming-of-age story of a young Sicilian woman escaping the pressure of family and tradition. The inspiration for Mariella's story came from Janet's love for all things Sicilian and Italian and her ow...
80th anniversary of women's right to vote in Italy: a milestone in the fight for gender equality
February 1st, 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of women’s right to vote in Italy. This historic moment dates back to 1945 when, following the end of World War II, the country restructured its political system. Prior to that, Italy had a long history of denying women voting rights, even though the feminist movement was gaining traction in the early...
Happy 70th birthday to Fanta: the Italian innovation that conquered the world
In 1955, the young Count Ermelino Matarazzo of Licosa entered the Società Napoletana Imbottigliamento Bevande Gasate, a company that, at the time, operated as a Coca-Cola bottling plant. With his sharp business instincts and determination, Matarazzo requested—and received—permission from Coca-Cola to create a new soft drink using local Campanian in...
Navigating Italy's demographic and labor market crisis: challenges and solutions
There is a demographic crisis at hand, rapid technological development, and a profound transformation in production models. Among the epochal changes sweeping through the labor market, one long-standing issue is becoming more pronounced: businesses are struggling to find the necessary talent. The problem of declining birth rates will not be unique...