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One of the longest-running controversies in New Jersey is which town is the “Italian-est.” The richness of Italian-American culture is a beautiful thing to celebrate, and just like other groups, when Italians first arrived in this country, they clustered together. And many who arrived in NY or Philadelphia stayed right here in NJ. So many towns cla...

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D ’Amici Italia! Friends of Italy picnic is held in Glenwood Springs each summer, Covid-19 years of interference excepted. For those who don’t know, Italians have had a huge influence on the Roaring Fork Valley, from Aspen to Glenwood Springs and beyond. The first to arrive, most likely, was Fred Clavel, who settled in Woody Creek around 1884. The...

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The early 20th century saw more than four million Italians immigrate to the US, according to PBS. This wave of migrants was escaping the poverty endemic in the southern part of the country. Of course, they were eager to bring the flavors of home to their new country, except at the time, the US had a strict ban on imports of pork meat. However, impo...

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Continuing our journey through the United States, we arrive in the northern part of the West Coast, in Washington State. We are a long way from Italy, but here too there are stories from the past, present and even the future that represent our country in its relationship with America. We talk about this with Elisabetta Valentini, Honorary Consul of...

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A number of Italian immigrants arrived in the uptown section of Pittsburgh in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They were mostly Sicilians and Abruzzi. Work became available on the Northside of Pittsburgh. Hundreds of Italian families moved into Manchester, and other Northside neighborhoods. Ethnic churches sprang up all around Pittsburgh. A need for...

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The old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words” can literally apply to my vintage Leto family portrait (circa 1923). Therefore, you might say this famiglia photo of my Italian immigrant grandparents and their second-generation children has a story of at least a thousand words. Many of us who cherish and share our old family photos know th...

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As many who know me know, I’m of Italian descent. My grandparents came from Italy, and we grew up in an Italian American home, with many Italian delicacies on our table, and many of the Italian influenced celebrations of holidays/feast days, but our family, like many of my schoolmates’ families, were proud to be Americans, just as much as being Ita...

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Not every famous personality who hails from Abruzzo is known in that central Italian region. Yes, people over there have heard of Madonna, Dean Martin, Alan Alda, Henry Mancini, Mario Lanza, Al Martino, Perry Como, Bradley Cooper, Penny Marshall, and the like, all of whom have Abruzzese origins. In Abruzzo, people might even know of Florida governo...

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Rising international migration flows have sparked a heated debate on the effects of immigrants on host societies. One recurring concern expressed by some native residents is that ethnic religious organisations might slow down immigrants’ willingness and ability to assimilate. Irrespective of their characteristics and the faith they are linked to, r...

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On July 8th 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano returned to France after having roughly surveyed the entire east coast of North America from Florida to Newfoundland.  A few months earlier, he had entered New York Harbor – the first European to do so. Thanks to the late Italian American activist John LaCorte of Brooklyn, that arrival was m...

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