Anyone who knows the history of Italian emigration in America says that the percentage of Abruzzesi who emigrated to the United States is far greater than the size of its territory and the number of its actual inhabitants, if compared with the other Italian regions. However, Abruzzo is among the first Italian regions, both for quality and quantity,...
READ MOREJoin the Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation for Highmark’s Italian StrEAT Festival, taking place in Pittsburgh, July 8-9. The festival, which is sponsored by NIAF, will include streets of Italian food vendors, eating contests, stage performances, cooking demonstrations, bocce and more! For more information, go to: https://www.hig...
READ MORESummer means the arrival of the festival season. From community festivals to church fairs, Pittsburgh promises something to do just about every day during the steaming summer months. Perhaps the most recognizable outdoor food fest in Pittsburgh, Bloomfield Little Italy Days is also a celebration of all things Italian. Soak up the sights, sounds, an...
READ MOREMost states have communities named Florence. Not all are cities. There are towns and villages and unincorporated communities in several states that still are important enough to get attention from Wikipedia. It seemed likely that some would have been named for Florence Nightingale but I found none. Several were named after Florence, Italy, the I...
READ MOREIt was a great time to be Italian. Cascade Park hosted the annual Italian Festival over the weekend, featuring a variety of food from the old country, as well as such other favorites as music, a baby doll dance and bocce and morra tournaments. “The music is great, but we’ve driven up every year for the last seven years for the food,” said Tony Izon...
READ MOREt’s great to be bilingual and there’s an easy way to learn Italian and it doesn’t cost much. The West Shore Sons of Italy is proud of its heritage and members show it through their love of the Italian language. “I think it’s one of the most beautiful languages in the world,” language instructor Santo Paese said. Every Sunday afternoon and every Mon...
READ MOREInitially dedicated in 1979 to honor the locally famous Palumbo family who helped many Italian-Americans assume daily life upon immigrating to the city, the Palumbo Recreation Center has since aged and has come to require maintenance. The City of Philadelphia, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Capital Projects Office and the Office of Cou...
READ MORESchool officials unveiled a plaque on Friday morning dedicating the School 16 media center to Italian-American trailblazer Mary Augusto who founded “The Italian Voice” newspaper and was the first woman to run for mayor in the Silk City. “My mother believed in trying to do good for people,” said Augusto’s daughter Cesairna Augusto Earl. When Augusto...
READ MOREThe corner-stall fishmonger in the "South 9th Street Curb Market" – titled as such from a historic plaque on the northeast corner of 9th and Christian streets – is as well-known as any fruit or vegetable vendor, shoe cobbler, dry-goods procurer or rare bookseller has been to the block. And the sale of freshly caught fish, crabs and other denizens o...
READ MOREEveryone in my family loves the Italian American comfort of a good breaded cutlet. There’s simply great satisfaction in the hot crunch and delicate chew of one done fresh and right — a thin sheet of tender meat cloaked in a seasoned and greaseless crust, blushing with just a thin but deeply zingy red smear of bright marinara. At Cotoletta in Belmon...
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