Alba Longa and its Legendary Kings
Alba Longa, an ancient city located in the Latium region of Italy, holds a prominent place in the realm of myth and legend. According to tradition, this fabled city's origins can be traced back to the aftermath of Troy's fall, attributed to the legendary hero Aeneas. Within the confines of Alba Longa, the Silvian dynasty, descendants of Aeneas, gov...
Italian Community partners with Missouri History Museum for Italian Family Fun Day
After partnering with The Magic House for the Ciao Bambini exhibit, the Italian Community of St Louis will partner with the Missouri History Museum for an Italian Family Fun Day as part of their Summer Family Fun Series. The event takes place Wednesday, June 12, 2024 from 10am-1pm.The resounding success of Ciao Bambini, which opened September 2023,...
Is Amalfi or Positano Better? Exploring Italy's Coastal Gems
In short, if you’re looking for gloss – high-end boutiques, haute cuisine and a nightlife as polished as the cliffside views – Positano is the place to go. It’s an enclave for the jet-set, with Instagram-ready moments around every corner. But if you’re more flip-flops than stilettos, the town of Amalfi is your ticket to sprawling historic ruins, an...
59-Year-Old Classic Italian Restaurant Andre’s Has Reopened in Mid-Wilshire
LA’s longtime old-school favorite Andre’s Italian Restaurant reopened in Mid-Wilshire. For 59 years, the family-operated eatery was located across the street from the Original Farmers Market. As of April 11, it now resides inside the historic Dominguez-Wilshire Building on Wilshire Boulevard and Cloverdale. Andre’s owners were forced to close in 20...
This Italian Town Is the World Capital of Violin Making. How to Plan a Music-focused Trip
When I was my son's age — 13 — it wouldn’t have occurred to me to connect music and travel. I was a reluctant violinist, and would have quit in an instant if my mother had let me. When I brought it up, she would quote master violin teacher Shinichi Suzuki: “Music exists for the purpose of growing an admirable heart.” And that would be the end of th...
Mattern to preside over Arcolians
While growing up, pediatric dentist Dr. Jessica Mattern watched her father, a general dentist, open several dental practices and enjoy the autonomy and flexibility of running his own businesses. She initially was set on a career working with children with special needs, but eventually veered toward her father’s profession after going with him on de...
Engineering students gain real-world knowledge for future success during Italy trip
More than 20 Vanderbilt engineering students recently visited Italy during their spring break to not only see some iconic structures, but also learn the engineering behind the Pantheon and Venice’s sophisticated floodgates so they could apply that knowledge to future engineering projects of their own. The trip was part of an inaugural class taught...
National Museum of American History Acquires Marcella Hazan Culinary Tools
Marking the centennial of Marcella Hazan’s (1924–2013) birth, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has received a donation from the family of the influential cookbook author and legendary teacher of regional Italian cuisine in the United States and United Kingdom. Hazan is widely known for her six cookbooks on the cuisines of Italy...
100 years of Marcello Mastroianni, the star who never wanted to be a heartthrob
The iconic Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (1924-1996) recalled that, when he was offered the chance to star in La Dolce Vita (1960), he asked the director — Federico Fellini — to see the script. What he got was a folder containing a pornographic drawing. Any heartthrob worthy of the label would have reacted with a complicit gesture, or perhaps...
History center, partners awarded Italian American research grant
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Senator John Heinz History Center and its partners at the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University to support and grow the Italian Diaspora Archive Resource Map project, which catalogs archival materials that document the Italian American experience in Western...
Republic Day in Italy: what it is and how it is celebrated
The Italian calendar includes 12 national holidays, plus a whole series of other "lesser" holidays that are celebrated only in some cities, such as those dedicated to patron saints. Among these special days, the Republic Day, in italian Festa della Repubblica, is one of the most heartfelt by the population, despite the fact that, for historical rea...
IAP 323: better in Basilicata? Rediscovering roots & revitalizing villages: your future home in Latronico
In recent years, the phenomenon of “One Euro Homes” has spread across Italy, as rural villages across “il Bel Paese” struggle to curb the steady population decline that is endemic in a country with constant urban flight and one of the world’s lowest birth rates. But as these cheap property schemes have become a dime-a-dozen, there is one town in...