Hartford's "Little Italy"
In the early 1900s, Hartford was a booming economic center. Italy, on the other hand, suffered both economically and socially. Hundreds of thousands of Italian men looked for unskilled work in other countries, with many eventually headed to the United States. Hartford's potential job opportunities attracted Italians and soon the city's number of im...
Bistro Romano Cellar Club Holds Annual Wine Tasting Event on March 4th
Bistro Romano, a leading regional Italian restaurant in Philadelphia, is all set for yet another evening of exceptional wines and unique food pairings. On Tuesday, March 4th, 2014, the Wine Cellar Club will meet in the Bistro's Great Room of 120 for its 36th annual tasting event. "Our Cellar Club is a savvy yet fun forum to taste the best grapes f...
Buddy Cianci, forced to resign twice as mayor of Providence, RI, running again
Buddy Cianci, who was twice forced out as mayor of Providence, R.I., by criminal convictions, is running again this year. Cianci, formally known as Vincent A. Cianci Jr., was one of 10 candidates to file during a three-day nominating period that ended Wednesday. By the deadline, there were six Democrats, three independents, including...
Italian Immigration Battle Resonates Today
By Tim Panzarella Immigration is hot in presidential politics. On the left, Bernie Sanders denounces open borders as a right-wing conspiracy to pay migrants low wages at the expense of American workers. On the right, Donald Trump advocates deporting all undocumented workers. This debate is nothing new. It once resonated in Connect...
An altar boy walks the seven churches
By Rocco M. Pugliese The Town Plot neighborhood in Waterbury, from which I come, was overwhelmingly Italian-American and Catholic during the my childhood in the 1940s and '50s. To serve canned spaghetti was to invite derision; other ethnicities were aberrations, and a Protestant an oddity. The one Jew in the neighborhood was the best tippe...
Center for Italian Studies presents “Big Night”
The Center for Italian Culture at Fitchburg State University launches Affari di Famiglia, an exploration of Italian-American families and their foray into commerce, with a screening of the film "Big Night" (1996) at 3:30 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5 at Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for stude...
Prince is poised to celebrate 100 years of pasta history
It is said that Eskimos have eight words for snow, and the French have a dozen words for love. But in Italy, an uber chef could fill a small dictionary with the many different words for pasta. (Think penne, ziti, and cavatappi just to name a few.) Here in Boston, in the days when pasta was still spaghetti, few brands have been more renowne...
Italian Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts plans Prime Rib Christmas Dinner
The Italian Cultural Center of Western Massachusetts' annual Prime Rib Christmas Dinner will be held on Dec. 12 at 56 Margaret St. in Springfield. The event will open with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. The full menu includes antipasto, garden salad, baked stuffed shrimp, prime rib, roasted potatoes, ziti, desse...
Migliori in Mens et Gesta Awards 2015
On March 28, the Pirandello Lyceum held its annual I Migliori in Mens et Gesta Awards at East Boston's Hyatt Harborside Hotel. The event marked the 30th anniversary of the organization's annual gala. This year's honorees included Josephine Cuzzi, who served as executive director of the East Boston YMCA from 2006-2014, expanding the c...
The horseman of Old Greenwich shares his passion with his town
By Silvia Foster-Frau "Electric, this is Blaise," Blaise Anello said into his mobile headset one morning this week, answering a business call above the clip-clopping of horse hooves on asphalt. Anello owns a one-man electric company, but most people don't know him for that. They know him as the guy who drives the horse-drawn carriage...
Italian Heritage Month Begins
by Paul Tuthill Italian culture and the achievements of Italian-Americans are highlighted during the month of October. In Springfield, Massachusetts, where the mayor is the son of Italian immigrants, an Italian flag will fly over city hall this month. The Italian Cultural Center of western Massachusetts has several events, in...
Tales from the Toolbox: Italian settlers were important to New Britain
By Erv Dworkin October is Italian-American Heritage Month and today is Columbus Day, a good time to examine the influence this classic European culture has had on our city. These seekers of New World opportunities brought with them Old World artisanal skills, entrepreneurism and cultural traditions that would enrich the simmering melting pot of Am...