From the time she was 7 years old, Judi Stanley knew she wanted to open a restaurant. While living in San Francisco, a relative had taken her to see the original film, “Moulin Rouge.” “I came home and I said, “Daddy, I’m going to open a restaurant one day,” Judi Stanley said of her father, Michael Klein. “He said, ‘No daughter of mine will ever be...

I would not be surprised if one day soon Michelangelo’s David statue, a symbol for Sarasota, is replaced by a sculpture of a giant meatball resplendent on a mound of melting mozzarella. That’s how strong the Italian restaurant trend is locally. One out of two eateries that opens is Italian, and, frankly, there’s not much difference in the preparati...

Some would argue meatballs only belong on a swirl of steaming pasta  or wedged inside twelve inches of a hoagie roll, while others with a more laissez-faire approach to life would argue that when food rules are broken, magical accidents can happen. But neither party in this hypothetical argument would refuse a second serving of Pazzo Southside’s me...

Sarasota Film Festival president Mark Famiglio remembers going to the movie theater as a child. It was a cool respite from the noon-day sun where he and his friends could pay a dime, get some popcorn or ice cream and enjoy themselves. They might see a Fred MacMurray movie or a musical. Later, he was drawn to director Francis Ford Coppola, partly be...

Every year some of the top chamber musicians in the world are invited to the Suncoast for La Musica, a Chamber Music Festival. This is the 32nd year for the event. Funny how how it all started. 33 years ago, Italian musician Bruno Giuranna , from Rome, was playing on a concert tour in the United States and had a performance in Sarasota. He saw the...

Folks counting down the days until the The 30th Annual Venice Italian Feast & Carnival that starts Feb. 22 should check out the inaugural Saint Pio Italian Festival being held by Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in South Manatee. The fun event will offer a winning mix of Italian food, Italian wine and other beverages along with Italian music. 1-7 p.m. Sat...

Picking his way through Antelope Canyon, the Italian artist Fabio Dal Boni searches for the perfect shot. A visitor on this Navajo land by the Arizona/Utah border, he relies on the native guides for help—and if they like Dal Boni, they’ll show him the secret, if not sacred, spots that few outsiders have the privilege to see. The Navajo call the upp...

JUST HOW MANY PIZZA PARLORS, pasta houses and seafood linguine palaces can this area support? Apparently, there’s always room for one more.  Italian restaurants here are more than plentiful, from intimate, authentic family-run places to mid-price casual chain names to chic high-end Mediterranean experiences. Italian Tradition is a fresh arrival, oc...

The performance is described as “A shamanic experience not to be missed. It will change your life” – “creative synergistic genius” – “(the performance) brings DaVinci and Michelangelo alive”. “WOW. What an amazing show. It was joyful, meaningful, powerful, and inspirational! Thank you for doing a magical job! Your words and visuals were fantastic,...

The Guglielmo Marconi Award, the Order Sons of Italy in America’s (OSIA) highest honor, is named for the Nobel prize-winning Italian physicist who invented wireless telegraphy. It is presented biennially to an Italian American who has made significant contributions to the United States. This year’s honoree is Senator Maria Lorts Sachs, who served a...