The Modica Chocolate Man
On a visit to Sicily my wife and I traveled to the province of Ragusa to explore the island’s Baroque architecture. Our home base, strategically located near the Mediterranean Sea on the southeast coast of the island was the seaside village of Sampieri, where we enjoyed excellent food and hospitality, local beaches and small shops. Beyond the Baroq...
Gail Reitano’s Italian Love Cake
Congratulations to NIAF Member Gail Reitano on her new book Italian Love Cake. A journey of feminist and political awakening during 1930s America, the book follows Marie Genovese who mourns the recent loss of her mother and struggles to manage the family’s failing Five & Ten, as well as her brother flirting with Fascism. Isolated and uncertain, she...
Italy’s David di Donatello Awards Set to Celebrate Resilience and Renewal of Cinema Italiano
Italy’s 66th David di Donatello Awards are set to celebrate on May 11 a year of resilience for Cinema Italiano that also looks likely to germinate some creative renewal, just as Italian movie theaters start to reopen and production is booming. Giorgio Diritti’s biopic “Hidden Away,” about crazed primitivist painter Antonio Ligabue, Gianni Amelio’s...
Misbeliefs: A Linguistic Look at a Beloved New Orleans Fruit
The residents of New Orleans have a history of creating unusual pronunciations of words. Local street names provide common examples of New Orleanians’ inventive pronunciations, such as Burgundy Street (pronounced bur-GUHN-dee, not BUR-guhn-dee) and a cluster of Uptown streets named for the nine Greek Muses, including Urania, Thalia, Euterpe, Callio...
Syracuse mayor creating Columbus statue task force
Renewed political debate continues over Christopher Columbus and the explorer’s legacy. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh is detailing plans to move forward with the removal of the statue at Columbus Circle. Walsh says the city is assembling a task force of Italian-Americans to decide how to respectfully relocate it. “As painful as it’s been at times, it’s...
Italy's small islands to become 'covid-free' in mass vaccination plan
Italy begins a mass vaccination campaign on the resident populations of its smaller islands as part of a plan to make them 'covid-free' ahead of the summer season. The vaccination programme, which focuses on smaller islands with minimal healthcare facilities, begins on 7 May with Capraia, off Tuscany, and the Aoeolian Islands, off Sicily. The natio...
‘Zio Peppe’ is opening for takeout & delivery on Monday, May 10
Local chefs, Devon Sanner and Mat Cable, have officially announced the opening of what they’re describing as their “culinary bromance” restaurant project. Zio Peppe, located at 6502 E. Tanque Verde Rd., is opening up the restaurant for takeout and delivery — lunch and dinner — on Monday, May 10. The new spot that’s located near the eastside is cons...
Judge Orders City, Italian Sons And Daughters Of America To Compromise Over Columbus Statue
A stalemate continues over the fate of the Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. The city’s Art Commission voted to remove the statue because of Columbus’ history of torture and slavery. The Italian Sons and Daughters of America sued to keep the statue, saying the allegations about Columbus aren’t true. They say he is an import...
'Food & Wine' Magazine Names Best Pizza in South Dakota and it's in Sioux Falls!
Food & Wine Magazine recently released their list of 'The Best Pizza in Every State'. As a pizza enthusiast, I was curious who ranked high for South Dakota, and to my surprise, it is right here in Sioux Falls. Food & Wine lists Pizza di Paolo as one of the best pizzas in South Dakota. They also gave a shout to Breadico as a one-of-a-kind bakery. Pi...
No Ketchup on Spaghetti
Join us on Tuesday June 1st at 7PM for an insightful conversation with Chef and Italian Food Advocate Ale Gambini . The Milan-born author of "No Ketchup on Spaghetti: The Complete Guide on How to Shop, Eat, and Cook Like an Italian" will share her experience here in the US and discuss her approach on how to shop and eat like an Italian. She will al...
The Roselle Archeological Park: In the Footsteps of the Ancient Etruscans in Tuscany
For the residents of an ancient Etruscan settlement, any time the Romans came to town, it could only mean bad news. That’s because, starting in the fourth century BCE, the Romans began a relentless campaign to overtake Etruscan towns, one by one. It was a slow and, at times, incredibly brutal process. The result was that by the first century BCE, t...
Pelino’s Pasta Plans Summer Opening for First Restaurant
While the pandemic has found some businesses embracing the pop-up, for Pelino’s Pasta it has meant making things permanent. Husband and wife team Vinny and Christina Pelino will take their traveling, pop-up concept Pelino’s Pasta and make things stationary with their first brick-and-mortar restaurant at 245 King Ave. It will occupy the former home...