Los Angeles still has bookstores. Not a lot of them, mind you, but they exist. On a recent visit home, I met a friend at The Last Bookstore in downtown L.A. (Yes, Los Angeles has a downtown, too) and spent some time browsing the shelves of new and used books about the city. I found some treasures—John Gregory Dunne’s Monster, Carey McWilliams’s Sou...

On the occasion of Italian Research Day in the World (Giornata della Ricerca Italiana nel Mondo, or GRIM for short), the Embassy of Italy in Washington, together with the Italian consular network and the Italian Cultural Institutes in the United States, has promoted a series of initiatives to highlight the contribution of Italian research at the gl...

In 2023, Jeremy Adler bought Beethoven Market, a former Mar Vista grocery staple that served the community for 75 years. The market was less than a mile from his home, and Adler hoped to turn this prominent corner into a breezy day-to-night restaurant and community gathering place. That journey takes a successful turn as Adler and chef Michael Leon...

Venchi, an Italian gourmet chocolate manufacturer founded by chocolatier Silviano Venchi, is getting ready to expand its presence throughout California, including several sites planned for Southern California. Currently, the company only has two locations in the Golden State, with sites in Westfield Valley Fair and UTC San Diego. This is about to c...

Sunday April 27th, 2025 Time: 6 pm. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre - 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027. Ticket Information here. Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Alessandro Martire is set to return to LA, bringing his breathtaking new show, Soundscapes. For all the friends of We the Italians, there is a special 15% discount to use...

It’s that time of year: The days are getting longer, the weather warmer and the likelihood higher that it’ll be months before we see rain again. So we thought it was the perfect opportunity to revisit our guide to L.A.’s best rooftop bars—and crown a new number one. That honor now goes to Dante Beverly Hills, a ninth-floor rooftop at the Maybourne...

On March 15, the broader Chapman Italian Studies community came together for a day dedicated to exploring and celebrating the human dimension of scientific inquiry. Guided and inspired by the core mission of the Ferrucci Institute—to uncover the universal meaning within Italy’s rich history and cultural fabric—two signature events took place. The d...

Last month, Barbara Broccoli ditched the family business. Not in agriculture but in Hollywood. The Broccoli Family was the original owner of the James Bond franchise, that action-packed series of movies regaling audiences with the exploits of fictional British spy 007.c It all began in 1951 when family patriarch Albert “Cubby” Broccoli decamped fro...

April 10, 2025, in Los Angeles: the Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles and the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco, in collaboration with the Research Center of Octagona and Bonfiglioli Consulting, present the “Guida Paese Smart: How to Launch Your Business in the Western Region of the United States of America.” This guide, is an ini...

Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis is set to open upscale restaurants at its new land-based Hollywood Casino sites in Joliet. The new dining experience will bring De Laurentiis’ signature fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence to the Chicagoland region for the first time. Sorellina by Giada will debut at...