NEWS FROM : NEW ENGLAND  

By Lavinia Pisani Gigliola Staffilani is the only Italian woman teaching full time pure mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Originally from Martinsicuro, a town in the Abruzzi region, her future was supposed to be as a hairstylist.   "I am glad that I could be a role model for many girls who may be interested in beco...

by Mark Sullivan   Our Lady of Mount Carmel's pastor has issued a message to parishioners committed to reopening the shuttered, crumbling church: If you want it repaired, you'll have to pay for it yourselves. "I made very clear to them the ball is in their court," said Monsignor F. Stephen Pedone. "They have their work cut out for them....

Restaurants are notoriously short-lived, but Restaurant Bricco, a West Hartford mainstay since 1996, is not only alive, but thriving. How many dinners have crossed the counter from the open kitchen whose wood-burning stone ovens greet arriving guests? Assume an average of 275 covers per night, and Billy Grant, its chef and owner, is somewhere aroun...

Among the most influential films of the postwar era, Roberto Rossellini's JOURNEY TO ITALY charts the declining marriage of a British couple (Bergman and Sanders) on a trip in the countryside near Naples. More than just an anatomy of a relationship, Rossellini's masterpiece is a heartrending work of emotional transcendence and profound spiritualit...

The 86th annual Italian Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8, on Warren Street in East Cambridge. There will be food vendors, parades, amusement rides, games and live entertainment. There will also be a special healing service Sept. 7. Performers include local band, "The Reminisants," and "SeaBreeze,...

The annual Italian Festival will take place on the grounds of the Amerigo Vespucci Lodge, 10 Christopher Columbus Ave., from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday. The festival will continue from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday, and from 1 to 9 p.m. Sunday.   The Italian Festival, which has been held for more than 20 years, will feature authentic Italian food, mus...

"È finita la canzone," the song is over: it was the first quote by Johnny Shoes Cammarata that I ever put on television; many more followed.   The year was 1998, and I — 31 and hungry for the spotlight — had just begun telling Italian and Italian American stories for RAI, the Italian national TV network I still work for today; Johnny, then i...

From the rusted green overpass of Route 1A in Eastie, passersby catch a glimpse of perhaps the most iconic landmark in all the city — the unchanged and seemingly only remaining joint with an old school atmosphere that is so categorically "Boston."   Santarpio's — referred to as "Santaaapio's" or "Tarps" by locals — is not only hailed as Bost...

Siena, ItalyThis innovative 2-week study abroad program will be a faculty-led experience to one of the most beautiful and culturally significant regions in the world — Tuscany, Italy. The course will be an intensive, full-immersion academic and cultural exploration centered on the theme of Food and Culture in the perfectly preserved, magical mediev...

Votto Vines Importing, a rapidly expanding wine importing and marketing company, has announced the launch of a new incubator program to formalize and streamline its processes for importing wines into the United States.   The program will establish a standardized system for reviewing and evaluating wines not currently in the U.S. market, incl...

Boston could be getting its own version of Eataly, celebrity chef Mario Batali's wildly popular Manhattan food emporium that combines restaurants and a vast gourmet market to recreate the bustling experience of an Italian piazza.   The Eataly concept was introduced in Turin six years ago by businessman Oscar Farinetti, who partnered with Bat...

The Italian American Historical Society of Rhode Island (IAHS) will award scholarships to students of Italian American descent who demonstrate high potential and who intend on furthering their education full time at a U.S. college or university.   To determine the winners, a scholarship lottery drawing will be utilized for applicants meeting...