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At least 3,100 meatballs. 2,000 pieces of lasagna. 300 gallons of sauce. 668 pounds of dough. These are just some of the ingredients that await at the 37th annual Festa Italiana. This three-day feast of Italian food, music and camaraderie has been a tradition the first weekend in August at Mt. St. Peter Parish in New Kensington for nearly four deca...

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Architect and artist Guglielmo Botter began drawing with an ink pen at age five, had his first solo art exhibition in Italy at age 11, won a national drawing competition in Rome at age 13, and at age 14, his sketch of his birthplace, Treviso, Italy, was made into a national postage stamp. Now in 2018, Botter brings his drawings, along with painting...

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Bradford’s Festa Italiana will never be the same again. Though the festival is slated for Aug. 9 through 11, emotions are still heavy after the passing of Tom Brown, who was actively involved in the Italian-American Progressive Club and the Festa Italiana Committee. But Mary Ann Colestro, Festa Italiana Committee secretary, says that the show must...

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Mario Lanza's birthplace has been reduced to a pile of rubble. Despite opposition from the local neighbors association and some South Philly residents of Italian heritage, a developer has moved forward and demolished the home at 636 Christian St., where the famous opera singer was born. The plan is to construct two buildings with seven apartments a...

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Carmella Mary Rizzo, 101, of Chestnut Hill, the tiny but powerful force behind the late Philadelphia Mayor Frank L. Rizzo, died Sunday, July 15, of respiratory failure at her home.Mrs. Rizzo was born in 1916 during World War I. The daughter of first-generation Italian Americans, she was one of seven children, and she understood the meaning of earni...

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While Bella Vista will always have strong ties to the history of Philadelphia’s Italian community, the neighborhood has historically served as a starting-out point for new Philadelphians since it began to be settled in the 1840s. The first inhabitants of Moyamensing Township were Irish immigrants and freed African-American slaves who had migrated u...

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Sipping limoncello and sangria in a country-like setting, listening to live performances on an open mic, nibbling on cheese and olives — I was whiling away a summer evening at Sunday’s Italian Night at the Rose Hip Barn in Thornton. Hosted by “Ciao Bella Living Italian Style,” the event was a perfect way to cap a weekend! When I received an invitat...

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Zanelli's Italian Restaurant & Bakery has joined New Cumberland. Earlier this month, the BYOB restaurant moved from Dover, York County into the former Shugar's Philly Deli at 314 Bridge St. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for July 14 with live music by Mike Henry on guitar and Ken Gehret on fiddle from 2-5 p.m.  Brother and sister, Dan Sta...

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“Everything tells a story,” Anthony Bellapigna said, as he gestured upward to a 360-degree mural on the cathedral ceiling of his restaurant, Ariano, in Media, PA. “This is my grandfather here — he loved to make wine.” Bellapigna, standing next to a compact spiral staircase on Ariano’s third-floor dining area, spoke about how his grandfather returne...

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An annual feast in part of Lackawanna County celebrated their kickoff Thursday night. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Feast in Carbondale celebrated their first year featuring beer and wine. Folks also enjoyed homemade food, Italian specialties and games at the feast. The feast runs through Saturday and concludes with a mass on Sunday with Bishop Bambera in...

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