Medical oddity museum and Italian-American kitsch in Philadelphia
Philadelphia has gotten a lot of tourist mileage out of cheesesteaks and people running up the stairs at the Museum of Art, a la Rocky Balboa. While I wouldn’t want to spoil anyone’s Philly fun, the city is packed with things to do the travel brochures often overlook. I grew up there, and go back at least a half-dozen times each year to visit famil...
Bill of Fare: Villa Francesco's thriving in Pennington
Six years after opening Villa Francesco's in Pennington, the Gonzalez brothers are firmly rooted in the community with a loyal following for their pizza, pasta and traditional Italian dishes. "We love Italian food," said Hernan Gonzalez, who manages the restaurant where his brother Miguel is the chef. "That's why we are here." They got their experi...
Pollini struggles yet shines in Chopin recital at Kennedy Center
Maurizio Pollini won the International Chopin Piano Competition over half a century ago. It launched him on a world-bestriding career that has been prodigious, but he is nearing the end of a brilliant career arc. Health problems forced the Italian pianist to withdraw from recitals in Washington in 2015 and 2011. The Kennedy Center’s Fortas series o...
Philly Art Museum and Italian foundation launch initiative to commission and acquire new works
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has joined with the Turin, Italy-based Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo to commission and acquire new video, film, and performance pieces from artists from around the world, museum and foundation officials announced Thursday. Every two years, the Future Fields Commission in Time-Based Media – as the joint initiative...
Philadelphia’s Italian Market Holds Annual Festival
There was Plenty to see and eat at this year’s South 9th Street Italian Market Festival. Just about everywhere you looked on Saturday people were enjoying pizza, pasta, sausage and peppers, meatballs and roast pork sandwiches and a whole lot more. “I think the Italian Market Festival is fun because it’s not as cookie cutter as some of the other fes...
A Lesser-Known Venus Visits The U.S. In New Botticelli Exhibit
The famous Renaissance painting of the goddess Venus, standing nude on a giant shell, has been appropriated, satirized and riffed on so many times — by everyone from Andy Warhol, to Lady Gaga, to The Simpsons — that it's easy to lose track of its origins. Now, a major traveling exhibition tells the story of Italian painter Sandro Botticelli, who pa...
New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera to Hold Auditions for Tosca
New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera's Artistic Director Lucine Amara invites soloists in all vocal categories to audition for solo roles in the professional opera company’s 2017 production of Tosca. New Jersey residents are encouraged to apply. Open auditions will be held on Tuesday, June 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 pm and Thursday, June 15 fr...
First-generation Italian mamma, 83, shares ‘reverse emigration’ story in immigrant book coauthored with her daughter who is a local author and founder of Promotion Center for Little Italy, Baltimore
Gina Mossa Molino handed her writer daughter, Suzanna Molino, 16 typed pages of her life story and said, “I would like to do something with this.” Two years later, mamma and daughter hold in hand a 237-page book, The Italian Immigrants’ Daughter, which honors their family legacy of growing up with Italian immigrants Antonica Cabras and Giovanni Mos...
RHONJ Restaurant Wars: Joe Gorga And Kathy Wakile Open Competing Italian Restaurants
“Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Joe Gorga is expanding his business portfolio. The younger brother of Teresa Giudice is opening an Italian restaurant. The restaurant will be located in East Hanover, New Jersey and will be called Gorga’s Homemade Pasta & Pizza. Joe’s main business is in construction and real estate. In 2014 he invested in a bus...
The Justinian Society Honors Gino Benedetti, Esq.
The Justinian Foundation & The Justinian Society will host their Annual Meeting, Election & Scholarship Reception on Monday, June 12, 2017, 11:30 a.m. at The Union League of Philadelphia. Gino Benedetti, Esq., General Counsel, SEPTA and Past Chancellor of the Justinian Society of Philadelphia is the honoree. He will be introduced by Pasquale T. Deo...
BeBlind, presenting Debora Petrina - DC Jazz Festival - Jazz in the 'Hoods®
When: FRI, JUNE 16, 2017, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM - Where: Embassy of Italy - Auditorium, 3000 Whitehaven St, NW, Washington, DC 20008 The Italian Cultural Institute of Washington DC, in collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival, invite you to attend the concert BeBlind, presenting Debora Petrina. BeBlind is the new album by Petrina, published by AlaBianca...
Feast of St. Anthony - Church of the Assumption
Church of the Assumption in Roselle Park, NJ will host their 17th Annual Feast of St. Anthony in June. Dates & Times: Thursday, June 8th from 6-11pm; Friday, June 9th from 6-11pm; Saturday, June 10th from 6-11pm; Sunday, June 11th from 2-10pm The Feast features a delicious assortment of traditional Feast foods and beverages, non-stop LIVE entertain...