Settepani: The family conquering Brooklyn with Italian sweets: "Panettone all year round here"
Bilena Settepani wasn't even born yet when her parents, Nino and Leah, the former Sicilian and the latter Ethiopian-Eritrean, laid the foundation stone for what is now an Italian-American institution: Settepani Bakery in Brooklyn, a place dedicated to promoting the national baking art. "Nomen omen," one might say. And indeed, they never stopped: wh...
NOIAW’s Gala Awards in New York, with a Surprise Appearance by Topo Gigio
On Saturday, April 13th, the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW), the organization that has brought together Italian American professionals for 44 years, celebrated its annual luncheon awards in New York City. In an elegant room at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, two women were honored for their success in their work: Jodi Pul...
Five Hundred Years After Giovanni da Verrazzano
The Montauk Library will present a series of concerts and live performances in the coming months as part of “Waterways: Commemorating The 500th Anniversary of Verrazzano’s Voyage in 1524.” Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485-1528), an explorer for France, was the first European to sight New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay. After receivi...
Arvedo Arvedi: Corporate Art, From Art to Fashion at the IIC-NY
Corporate Art: From Art to Fashion is an exhibition by Arvedo Arvedi presented at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York on April 19 at 6PM. On this occasion, the author, in conversation with the Institute’s Director Fabio Finotti, will also present the e-book Corporate Art. Embracing a New Mentality in Marketing and Sales Strategies. The exhib...
Bar Primi brings its casual Italian eats to the Penn District
For a decade, Bar Primi has been a reliable go-to for New Yorkers craving a good pasta all'Amatriciana or a four-clove tangle of linguine. And, now, the Bowery staple from NoHo Hospitality—the folks behind fellow downtown favorites Locanda Verde, The Dutch and Lafayette—is getting an uptown sibling, with a new location in Penn District. Debuting t...
Celebration of the 500th Anniversary of Giovanni da Verrazzano by Italian American Leadership Forum (IALF)
The Board of Directors of the Italian American Leadership Forum (IALF), founded in 2023, have coordinated a wreath laying ceremony at the Giovanni da Verrazzano Statue in New York City’s Battery Park at 11:30 AM to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the arrival of Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian navigator and explorer who traveled under the flag...
New RAI Docufilm to Debut in New York on the 500th Anniversary of the Arrival of Renaissance Navigator Giovanni Da Verrazzano
A new and revealing documentary about the life of the 16th century Italian explorer Giovanni Da Verrazzano will make its debut in New York City on April 17th. The film will be shown on the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Da Verrazzano’s ship, in what is now New York Harbor, on April 17, 1524. The film "Giovanni Da Verrazzano: From the Renaissan...
Popular Italian restaurant Rosemary's is opening a new location in midtown Manhattan
Over a decade after first opening in the West Village and garnering much-deserved attention for its excellent Italian food, Rosemary's will debut a new location in midtown Manhattan tomorrow, joining the brand's other restaurant at 250 First Avenue by 20th Street. Rosemary's Midtown will open at 825 Third Avenue by 50th Street boasting a 100-seat d...
Congresswoman calls for toll-free Verrazzano Bridge this coming Wednesday
In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano's arrival to New York, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) is trying to pass a bill to make the Verrazzano bridge toll-free this Wednesday. The Verrazzano bridge, which opened in 1964, was named after the explorer who arrived in the New York Bay on April...
Pavarotti kept a secret pasta stash at the Met Opera for snacking between arias
Best known for his thundering tenor voice, inimitable stage presence, and jubilant personality, the great Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti also had a lifelong penchant for pasta. Nicknamed ‘The King of the High Cs’, after a 1973 Metropolitan Opera performance saw him sing nine consecutive crystal clear notes, Pavarotti’s rider reportedly call...
ISDA Officers Receive ‘Reputation Award’ From Italian Dignitaries
ISDA National President Basil Russo and VP John Viola were presented with the inaugural “Reputation Award” at the Italian Cultural Institute of NYC (Istituto Italiano di Cultura di New York) by Davide Ippolito, a celebrated publisher, filmmaker and producer. At the ceremony, Russo and Viola were honored for creating the Italian American Future Lead...
They met in New York’s Plaza Hotel in 1970. Here’s what happened next
In 1969, Stefano Ripamonti was feeling good about life. He was in his late twenties, working a glamorous job at an Italian high fashion shoe firm. He’d recently married his childhood sweetheart and the newlyweds were settling into an apartment near the Vatican city walls in Rome, Italy. While their new home had great potential, the couple wanted to...