My father was ashamed of his Italian heritage. I hate to say that, but it’s true.  Allow me to start at the beginning: His mother, Assunta Bevevino, immigrated to the United States from Calabria, Italy, in the early 20th century, along with countless other Europeans. I believe she was in her teens. She married his father, Phillip Paone, who was Ame...

Chris Vaccaro, the executive director of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island, spoke about preserving Italian heritage and culture today at the annual conference for the Long Island Chapter of the American Association of Italian Teachers. “I told them emphatically that we will advocate to protect and maintain Italian language progra...

You can not tell the story of Italian Americans on Long Island without the first Italian native to settle on our land. That distinction belongs to Pietro Cesare Alberti, who immigrated from Venezia in 1635. Alberti settled in New Amsterdam, the landmass known as Manhattan today and lived on Broad Street with his wife until 1646. He moved to Brookly...

Long Island Italian American leaders have launched the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island (IAHSLI). This non-profit will serve as a harbinger of advocacy, community engagement, and education for the Italian American community.  As one of the most populated Italian American regions in the United States, Long Island embodies an ethos of...