US returns $80 million-worth of stolen artifacts to Italy
It looked more like a museum exhibition of Italian art than a crime scene, but in the Central Institute for Restoration’s offices, located inside a former women’s prison in central Rome, some 600 works of art were put on display Tuesday morning. Ranging from life-sized bronze statues to tiny Roman coins, from oil paintings to mosaic flooring, the p...
Beyond the postcards: Sicily's Villages of Treasures
Although many Sicilians have left their homeland over the past century and a half in search of a better future, they certainly haven’t forgotten it. They’ve integrated well into new countries, cities, and communities, often achieving successful careers and earning respect. Generations have passed, but for those with Sicilian blood, the call of thei...
Where the Chicken and Crispy Bits Snag the Spotlight
Sempre Oggi – “always today” – opened in mid-March on the Upper West Side, at 164 W. 75th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue. The Italian restaurant amps up simple dishes like Castelfranco served with pasta filata sliced from the teardrop-shaped caciocavallo; or a fava puree with Swiss chard, accented by sofrito. The restaurant comes from Robert Guarino...
A walk across Italy in Garibaldi’s footsteps: from Ravenna to the coast of Tuscany
Crickets leaping round our feet. A butterfly at the rim of my hat. Burrs on our socks. Smells of fern and pine. The rhythmic rasp of the cicadas. And, ranged around us, a never-ending green. Cypress and cedar. Peaks and parched pastures. The combed vineyards and the dark oak thickets. Moving through it all, feeling right inside it, sticky with it e...
Festa Italiana 2024 in Birmingham!
Experience a taste of Italy in the heart of Birmingham! Celebrate the very first Festa Italiana, hosted by the Italian American Heritage Society, on Saturday, June 15, 2024 from 3 to 10 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces (20 32nd St. N., Birmingham, AL 35222). Come immerse yourself into Italian culture with live music, Italian inspired acts, Italian cuisine, c...
The Chianti Classico “Sustainability Manifesto”: a guideline for the future of the territory
The Chianti Classico Consortium is the oldest one in Italy. It is celebrating its 100 year anniversary (as WineNews recently reported), recalling its glorious past while at the same time, looking to the future and opening the door to the path to follow, which is sustainability. They have, therefore, decided to put it down in black and white in the...
Cozy Fabiola’s Spaghetti House honors its Greenbush roots
The new Fabiola’s Spaghetti House and Deli, open since last November on 1301 Regent St., is all about connecting the past to the present — and making good food. Fabiola’s is both an Italian American spot and a Jewish deli, though not a kosher one. Spaghetti and deli? Yes, says owner Sam Brown. The Greenbush neighborhood, where the restaurant is lo...
Coffee affogato: history and curiosities of the Italian dessert that has conquered the world
Coffee affogato is an Italian dessert made with ice cream, typically vanilla, drowned in a cup of hot espresso. Its simplicity and goodness have made it a timeless classic, appreciated all over the world. But where does this delight come from? What are its traditions? What are its variants instead? Let's find out together in this article. Coffee af...
Italians in America – Our Immigrant Stories: From the ‘other side of the tracks’ to inspiring others, educator’s aim is helping youths
As the firstborn son in the family, Fred Cappello’s father originally named him Salvatore after his grandfather. But his mother deeply wanted her son to “blend in” so she paid a nun 50 cents to change his name to Frederick. This wasn’t the first name change the family faced, although not at Ellis Island as one may think, but at St. Philomena’s elem...
The labyrinth of Bufalini Castle in Umbria, one of the oldest in the world
In the heart of theUpper Tiber Valley, the Umbrian Valtiberina, stands one of the most interesting 15th-century architectural complexes in Italy: the Bufalini Castle in San Giustino, a town of ten thousand inhabitants between Sansepolcro and Città di Castello. The castle is located right in the center of the town, protected by an ancient wall that...
Necce’s Ristorante in Park Rapids Aims for Authentic Italian Cuisine
One restaurant in downtown Park Rapids is doing its best to make its Italian cuisine as authentic as possible. In 2008, Denese Jokela, a co-owner of Necce’s Ristorante and its head chef, took a trip to Italy and was so inspired by the restaurants and hospitality while she was there that she decided she wanted to bring that back to her home in Minne...
This couple was saving for their first home in Chicago, but bought a $25,000 house in Italy instead
Kristina Knighten and her husband, Paul Cordier, were living in the United Arab Emirates and working as TEFL-certified teachers when they decided they were serious about buying their first home in America. Knighten, 38, was raised in the Chicago suburbs, and Cordier, 45, was raised in London but loved the idea of living in the Windy City after havi...