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The scene: Superstar chef Marc Vetri, a James Beard Award winner and former Food & Wine Magazine Best New Chef winner, who trained extensively in Italy, is best known for his elevated takes on Italian cuisine at his acclaimed upscale Philadelphia eateries Vetri Ristorante, Osteria, Amis and Alla Spina. But no form of Italian cuisine is as beloved i...

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While I am preparing to assume my new responsibilities as Italian Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, I would like to extend my greetings to all Italian citizens, Italian-Americans and friends of Italy living in this region. It was a great experience enjoying the wonderful Italian-American community in Philadelphia and working with so many friend...

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When I visited Italy, I had the “Aha! So this is what really good pizza tastes like” moment. I am happy to say that I recently rediscovered that great pizza experience at PD Pizza (formerly DiMeo’s Pizzeria), a BYOB family restaurant/pizzeria in the Andorra Shopping Center, 8500 Henry Ave. in upper Roxborough. I dragged my husband along, a pizza af...

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For those that think opera is too esoteric, maybe an opera based in South Philadelphia sung in English will sway that notion. The Delaware Valley Opera Company (DVOC), a local opera house that employs emerging talent as well as established singers, has transformed Giacomo Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” into “Johnny Schicchi,” an Italian comedy about g...

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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,...

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Initially 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...

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School 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...

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The 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...

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Beyond the red neon sign at the entrance to this innocuous rowhouse on South 12th Street., there’s a little vestibule and a door with no handle. We press the antique buzzer, and a narrow window slides open to reveal doorman Guido Martelli’s friendly face: “Membership card, please.”  The reedy tunes of a live accordion filter past him through the op...

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It is no accident that many films shown on television between Memorial Day and D-Day the following week (June 6) center around World War II. After all, with more than 16 million men and women under arms, it was easily the largest and deadliest war ever fought by the United States. Only a tiny percent of them are still alive, and only one of them is...

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