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Much is being written and on TV about Pope Leo's connection to New Orleans. Little is being noted that one of his maternal great-great-grandfathers, Giacomo Martino, was born in 1806 in San Remo Italy.  Louisiana-Italians are celebrating this connection to the Vatican. Giacomo Martino’s name became Jacques Martinez in the 1820s after he arrived i...

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Pope Leo XIV also has Italian ancestry, similar to Pope Francis, who came from across the world. Robert Francis Prevost's grandfather was born in Italy on June 24, 1876, the feast day of St. John, the patron saint of Turin. The individual listed as John R. Prevost in a death certificate and a 1950 census could very well have been born in Italy as G...

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Before it was prime San Francisco tourist turf, Ghirardelli Square was pumping out chocolate for a gold-crazed city. In 1852, Italian immigrant Domingo Ghirardelli turned his failed mining dreams into something sweeter – starting with a little shop that grew into the massive brick chocolate factory we now know as SF’s favorite square. Here’s the st...

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Two Italian New Haveners, Francesco Coiro and Peter S. Saldibar, contributed some astonishing artistic vision and talent to Yale’s collegiate Gothic buildings in the 1920s and 1930s. Sadly, like many craftsmen of the era, they received no recognition during their lifetimes. The two artisans will finally get their due during a lunchtime webinar f...

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Danielle La Monica La Vecchia Rauso’s ancestors immigrated from Palermo in the 1890s. Her great-grandparents Peter and Mary La Monica started their small fish store at the market on 13th Avenue in Brooklyn in 1923. At the time there wasn’t a Garden State Parkway and very few bridges, so they eventually wound up moving the family operation to the Ca...

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For this week’s edition of “Songs of Home,” I go back to a home that was home for my ancestors before their immigration to Chicago and the tunes they brought with them. My mother is half Sicilian and my father is Sicilian and Calabrese. It is safe to say that I grew up Italian-American, and I’m forever proud that I did. More so, I’m proud that I gr...

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As an Italian American, I know that our story is one of perseverance, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence. It is a legacy of individuals who, despite challenges, have built thriving communities, contributed to society in remarkable ways and remained deeply connected to their roots. My father emigrated from Brienza, Italy, located in the...

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A local monument honoring Italian immigrants is set to expand. According to a community announcement, the Italian Heritage Committee plans to add names to the monument located in front of Norwich Free Academy. Erected in 1992, the monument honors those who immigrated to the United States before 1940 and settled in Norwich. Currently, over 400 names...

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Over the last two decades, Thomas P. Valenti has put his arbitration and mediation skills to use across the globe, traveling to places like Greece and India, and now helping young people in Afghanistan via online mentoring. Valenti is a Chicago-based dispute resolution specialist who has held a law license since 1977. He first worked as a trial att...

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An Italian pope? It's been since 1978 Rome is preparing to host a conclave with three major problems Pope Francis’ love for Italy April 25th, Italy's Liberation Day: thanks to the American soldiers who made a huge contribution to our liberation How three Italian teens turned speed bumps into clean hydrogen energy Video game industry in Italy sees...

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