In what may be his final chapter, the legendary film-maker – who has drawn so often on his Catholic upbringing – turns his attention to the saints. Lucy Lethbridge sees his new series, and hears why he’s made it Martin Scorsese, now 81, was brought up in a poor area of Little Italy in New York. All the film director’s grandparents were Sicilian, an...
READ MOREBetween the late 1800s and early 1900s, my great-grandfather Frank Fiorentino was one of 5.5 million people who moved out of Southern Italy to escape the mob, poverty, and disease—and they've been leaving ever since. While tourists flock to Venice and the Amalfi Coast, half of Italy’s small towns are already in an advanced state of abandonment or a...
READ MOREThe Watts Towers are an extraordinary symbol of immigrant resilience and artistic ambition and are, today, one of Los Angeles’ most beloved and unique landmarks. Conceived and built over three decades by Italian immigrant Sabato “Simon” Rodia, the Towers capture the cultural fusion of his Italian roots with the creative and lively world of Los Ange...
READ MOREWhen: Sat, Nov 23, 2024 at 3:00 PM - Where: Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Dr, Farmington, CT, 06032 - More info here Mary Elizabeth Basile Chopas is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants who settled in Farmington, CT in the 1930s. Her presentation will discuss the experiences of Italians living in the United States during World War II, with spec...
READ MOREOn Friday, Laura Sacco and her mom, Anna Maria De Zolt, came to Middletown Town Hall from Italy to meet with Mayor Tony Perry and to help trace their family's connection to Middletown. At 83 years old, De Zolt made her first trip to the United States to check out a sculpture her long-lost relative, Geremia Grandelis, made for his son’s tombstone in...
READ MOREDear friends, We the Italians is spending October, the Italian Heritage Month, back and forth between New York, Rome and Washington DC. This is the busiest month of the year for us, and for several friends in the Italian American community. October began with a very special moment for me. As you may know, I have the honor of being the representativ...
READ MOREIn an old brick building in what used to be Denver’s Little Italy, Italian traditions are still very much alive at the Potenza Lodge. “The 3 F’s of Italian culture are family, faith and food,” said Geraldine Pergola, the lodge’s historian. “I was born into the Potenza Lodge. My parents were both lifelong members,” she said. “The Potenza Lodge, out...
READ MOREAn important meeting was held in recent days at the Ellis Island Museum of Immigration as NY between the symbols of Italian-American emigration: the MU.MA and the MEI, with the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. This is a further step in the international collaboration between these prestigious institutions that will lead to the creation in...
READ MORELike so many other Chicago-area Italian Americans, Ron Onesti traces his stateside roots to the legendary Taylor Street Little Italy on the city’s Near West Side. His father’s parents settled there when they arrived from Italy, his father grew up and made lasting memories there, and Onesti was born in the neighborhood and went to school at St. Call...
READ MOREItalians in Long Branch, at the Long Branch Arts & Cultural Center, NJ, celebrates the history and legacy of Italian immigrants who made Long Branch their new home in the early 20th century. This exhibit pays tribute to the strength and spirit of the Italian immigrants who settled in Long Branch and whose legacy continues to shape the city. “It’s b...
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