Open Roads 2023
Open Roads: New Italian Cinema is the only screening series to offer North American audiences a diverse and extensive lineup of contemporary Italian films. This year’s edition again strikes a balance between emerging talents and esteemed veterans; commercial and independent fare; and outrageous comedies, gripping dramas, and captivating documentari...
James Saraceni is recognized as the outstanding Italian American for 2023
James Saraceni is the son of Thomas and Louise (Belluci) Saraceni. His grandparents, Arthur and Amelia (Soccio), immigrated to America from Vasto, Italy, which is located on the Adriatic Sea. They had the courage to leave their country, for a better life, at the young age of sixteen. They had twelve children. His maternal grandparents, Biaggio and...
A Maximalist Italian Restaurant With a Three-Foot-Tall Pepper Mill Lands in Brooklyn
The name Café Mars might conjure images of Mars 2112, the legendary shuttered Space Age Times Square restaurant, but there are no rocket ships, aliens, or freeze-dried space food to be found here. Either way, opening on Wednesday, May 17, at 272 Third Avenue, at President Street, Café Mars is unusual for Gowanus, a neighborhood due for a culinary s...
Sal Palmeri, the man who invented radio for Italian Americans, has died
Sal Palmeri, a Sicilian from New York, has died; he was the man who invented radio for Italian Americans. The man who was an absolute reference point for the music world of Italians in the "new world," organizing big events and big concerts at Madison Square Garden, bringing Domenico Modugno, Claudio Villa to New York, meeting Pope Wojtyla and head...
On Site Opera Presents ‘Il Tabarro’ On South Street Seaport Lightship, ‘Ambrose’
On Site Opera, New York’s opera company specializing in site-specific storytelling and immersive experiences, will present Puccini’s and Adami’s Il tabarro ((The Cloak) on the South Street Seaport Museum’s lightship Ambrose from today through May 17. On Site Opera describes the one-act opera as “a jealous love triangle that turns deadly on the bank...
The Metropolitan Museum of Art to Display Special Loan of Colossal Limestone “Giant” from the Mont’e Prama Foundation, Sardinia, Italy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the significant loan from the Mont’e Prama Foundation, Sardinia, Italy, of a colossal limestone statue of a boxer known as Manneddu (mannu in Sardinian means “large”). The nearly seven-foot-tall figure, dating from about 900–750 BCE, will be on view for six months—from May 25 through December 6, 2023—i...
Coni USA, Com.It.Es NY organize 3rd Bowls Tournament in Waterbury, Connecticut with Pondelandolfo Community Club
The Italian National Olympic Committee in the USA (Coni USA,) the Committee of Italian Abroad in NY (Com.It.Es NY) and the Pontelandolfo Community Club (Ponte Club) announce the 3rd Bocce & Picnic Tournament for families of the Italian, Italian-American communities and all citizens who love the Italian language and culture. The Tournament takes pl...
How Food Memories of Italy Inspire Chef Mauro Campanale
Chef Mauro Campanale was born in Bari, Italy, in the region of Puglia. As a young boy, he started working at his family’s agriturismo, where he discovered his passion for cooking. At age 19, he left Italy to explore the world and worked in various cities, including São Paulo, Milan, and London. He arrived in New York City in 2018 to cook at Antica...
One Of Naples’ Oldest Pizzerias Now Has A Location In Manhattan
One of Naples’ oldest pizzerias now has an address in Manhattan. Those who learned about L’antica Pizzeria da Michele through the film adaptation of “Eat, Pray, Love” don’t have to travel to Southern Italy to order their pies. Now, pizza enthusiasts can head to the West Village to experience this U.S. offshoot of this Napoli institution. With a sof...
Italian residents to visit for Batavia ‘reunion’
Descendants from Valva, Italy will be meeting for a second time to share stories and to make new connections at Roman’s restaurant in the downstairs lounge on May 27. The activity will take place 3 to 5 p.m. at the restaurant on 59 Main St. Those interested can bring a copy of their family tree to share with others. Many families immigrated to Bata...
At Ilio DiPaolo's, family dining values persist
When the far-flung members of our dining party finally coalesced at Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant, we immediately started causing problems. What started as a table of four grew into a party of six. Then seven, as another wounded duck swooped for shelter amid a nest of friends. That would have been enough to jam up the works at most places. At Ilio DiPa...
Bruno Codispoti put in line to become President of the Brooklyn Bar Association
Most of us don’t know what we’ll be doing in June 2028 yet, but Bruno Codispoti will most likely be getting sworn in as the president of the Brooklyn Bar Association. Codispoti will be announced as the association’s next treasurer at the BBA’s annual meeting on Wednesday. It’s the first step in a five-year-long journey in running the 151-year-old a...