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The cheesesteak is an iconic Philly staple, born here 94 years ago. It's taken almost a century, but our city's signature street food, created by two Italian immigrants, finally made its way back to the homeland. Philly native Michael Paparella is the man behind Philly's Steaks: Italy's first official cheesesteak spot! "I wanted to be the first to...

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Opponents and dates are not official: signatures are still missing on the (rich) contracts with the U.S. agency that is organizing the double commitment. What is certain, however, is the national team's return to the U.S. almost 19 years after the last time (Italy-Ecuador 1-1, in June 2005 at Giants Stadium in New York), with a first experience in...

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Bill Ronayne was just 7 when he became a fan of Mario Lanza, the tenor who was born in South Philadelphia in 1921 and made the cover of Time in 1951, when he starred in “The Great Caruso.” That fandom continues – even more so – today, with Ronayne semiretired and devoted to Lanza as president of the Mario Lanza Institute and Museum in Philadelphia,...

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Dear friends, the year ends as many things scheduled for 2024 overlap with the last things for 2023. For We the Italians, the year ended with participation in a prestigious conference entitled "Cultura ed identità delle comunità italiane all’estero: tra Turismo delle Radici ed internazionalizzazione del Sistema Paese." The event was organized in be...

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The Treccani Institute for the Italian Encyclopedia –one of the most prestigious Italian cultural institutions - published in November 2023 the Italian edition of the book "The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People and Ideas," edited by Andrea Canepari and Judith Goode. The U.S. edition of the book was published by Temple Univers...

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It's a scene as quintessentially Philly as a run up the Art Museum steps: In the heart of the Italian Market in South Philadelphia, a rusted-bottom metal barrel sits on the asphalt of 9th Street with flames licking out its top. What may appear post-apocalyptic to some is to others a convenient source of heat, if not a deep, nostalgic comfort. And n...

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Andrea Bocelli is going to make another attempt at performing in Boston this holiday season. The Italian tenor has announced rescheduled dates for a string of postponed concerts amid some rare struggles with his world-renowned voice.  "As many fans now know, Andrea Bocelli has been working through health challenges forcing the famed tenor to postpo...

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Why on earth would a celebrity TV star from Italy wind up living in Northwest Philadelphia? One can't help but ask that question of Simonetta Lein, who was born and raised in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of Northern Italy. In Italy, Lein was a very well-known TV personality, TV host, model and businesswoman. But her fame stretched beyond Italy:...

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Just like when he was a boy and his nonna Carmela guided his little hands, to chef Chris Scarduzio, making a meal is a feast for the senses. All four of his grandparents hail from the Abruzzo region in Italy. Dad’s side settled in South Philadelphia while mom’s settled in Overbrook, West Philadelphia, St. Donato Parish. The youngest of four, Chris...

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Fans sprinted up the steps leading to the Philadelphia Museum of Art as if they were running behind Rocky Balboa. But they were simply trying to get a view of the man who made the steps famous by climbing them nearly five decades ago. Unlike that “Rocky” scene, the celebration was at the bottom of the stairs rather than the top. That was where Sylv...

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