Most people are familiar with Italian food. There’s pizza, gelato, and all manner of pastas. And the food is great. But there’s much more to Italian culture than that. Casa Italiana di Las Vegas wants to clear up a few things about Italians. And in a way, that’s its mission: to promote Italian culture.

“We have to battle misconceptions on a regular basis,” marketing director for Casa Italiana di Las Vegas Claudia Costantino told KNPR's State of Nevada. Costantino said people have an idea that all Italian men wear gold chains and are in the mafia, which they're not. There is also the problem of food. While most Americans are familiar with the food, she said much of the Italian food served in America is not authentic.