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When Gail Reitano and her partner, Nick Bogle, want Italian food, they descend on San Francisco’s North Beach. Closer to home, which is in Bolinas, their favorite restaurants are Marin Joe’s and San Anselmo’s Insalata. If Reitano could have her favorite Italian dish, she’d have the vongole pasta in a white sauce, with fresh clams, that her father m...

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Ciao paesani… and Greetings From Italian CALIFORNIA! This past July, we made our way out West to explore the Italian side of the Golden State, as we set out to film four brand-new episodes of our popular YouTube web series, “Greetings From Italian America.”  Joined by our amici from the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), we took a whirlw...

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In his play of the same name, playwright John Guare popularized the concept of six degrees of separation — that everyone on average is six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. From the moment I first met Alessandro Baccari Jr., I discovered we shared more than a few personal connections and a love for our Italian heritage. Spanning n...

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This fall, one of the most venerated traditions in all of Italian history will be observed right here in humble North Beach: the Statuto Race. The fourth oldest foot race in the United States, the Statuto was originally scheduled to mark its one hundredth year in 2020. Of course Covid had other plans for us, and the race had to be canceled last yea...

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This summer Italy will open its first overseas National Centre for Innovation and Culture in the United States, as an experimental model that can be replicated in other countries. Promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation following a proposal by the Embassy of Italy in Washington, in collaboration with the Consulate...

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Saturday, May 29. 12:30 PM – 7 PM PST. Streaming Live on Howlarts.org. Earlier this year we lost the incomparable poet, painter, and social activist, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021). Howl! Arts and Bob Holman are honored to bring together a spectacular group of poets, writers, filmmakers, activists, musicians, and artists...

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For the past two years, famed neighborhood pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani has been working on his own bakery concept with the hope of returning European baking traditions to North Beach. Now open, his Toscano Brothers bakery is serving throwback vibes and classic breads. Designed by Gemignani himself (the chef designs all his restaurants), the Vallejo St...

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Alessandro Baccari Jr. was not an ordained priest, but that was just a technicality. He was ministerial in welcoming the flock to the annual Blessing of the Fleet at the Fisherman’s and Seaman’s Memorial Chapel on Pier 45, and he was priestly on a daily basis as he walked the streets of North Beach, visiting shopkeepers and all keepers of the villa...

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When Lawrence Ferlinghetti died in February, for some it felt like the poet and City Lights Booksellers & Publishers co-founder took a piece of San Francisco with him. Like the store, Ferlinghetti was a literary landmark, his presence in North Beach and around the city as much a given as the fog or cable car bells. While his death at age 101 was pe...

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Caffe Trieste, San Francisco's iconic high temple of coffee in North Beach, is marking its 65th anniversary on Thursday, a milestone that seems even more noteworthy after surviving through the pandemic and temporary closure.   San Francisco's Board of Supervisors declared Thursday "Caffe Trieste Day" in San Francisco, and the cafe planned to hold s...

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