https://www.wetheitalians.com/default https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/after-flooding-pandemic-italian-club-reopens https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/after-flooding-pandemic-italian-club-reopens Sat, 03 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 First came the flood. In February 2020, three pipes burst at the Italian Community Center, sending 180,000 gallons of water flowing through the building at 302 Rantoul St. By the time the water could be turned off, the interior was completely destroyed. Next up? The COVID-19 pandemic, which arrived in force the following month. Several members of the club died from the disease. Construction costs soared, putting into question whether the club could afford to rebuild. Members wondered if the ICC, whose roots in the city date back nearly a century, would ever reopen. “We were in shock,” Italian...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/festa-italiana-taking-place-june-10-waltham https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/festa-italiana-taking-place-june-10-waltham Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Come One, Come All! Cheers everyone! The much-acclaimed Festa Italiana, an Italian style festival, is returning to the (Waltham Common): 610 Main St. Waltham, MA 02452. Saturday, June 10, 2023 (10 am – 5m). (Rain date June 11th). Come and enjoy a fun-filled day of live entertainment; music; dancing; food; crafts; children’s amusements; games and activities; culture; etc. The event aims to please everyone, young and old.  It is hosted by The Italian American Alliance; www.theitalianamericanalliance.com; and it is a celebration intended to promote the ITALIAN culture and heritage. The Alliance a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/radio-giant-john-labarca-passes-away-famed-italian-house-party https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/radio-giant-john-labarca-passes-away-famed-italian-house-party Wed, 31 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 John LaBarca, the jovial giant of radio who spread love for his Italian heritage with his flagship Sunday show Italian House Party on several area radio stations most prominently WICC, has passed away, according to posts on his Facebook page. He was 76. Born in Brooklyn, New York, LaBarca landed a captain’s job at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan as a young man that helped ignite his flourish as a story teller with a toastmaster’s touch. He regaled audiences with relatable stories from his childhood: food, holidays, family and music. He was also generous with community organizations, leverag...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/yale-university-art-gallery-receives-gift-italian-works-paper-largest-private-collection-19th-century-italian-drawings https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/yale-university-art-gallery-receives-gift-italian-works-paper-largest-private-collection-19th-century-italian-drawings Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Yale University Art Gallery announces the extraordinary gift/purchase of more than 190 late 18th- and 19th-century Italian drawings, watercolors, and sketchbooks from the collection of Roberta J. M. Olson and Alexander B. V. Johnson.  Comprising over 400 individual sheets, this superb trove is among the finest in private hands anywhere in the world and represents a comprehensive, panoramic view of drawings by Italian artists made between 1780 and 1890, a period known as the Ottocento. Together, these works define and illuminate the multiple artistic trends at play in the art and politics o...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/new-havens-italian-immigrants-village-took-care-its-own https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/new-havens-italian-immigrants-village-took-care-its-own Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 It was always important for families to keep their personal issues in the family. When something went wrong, or a difficult time was encountered; the family came together to help each other. This attitude of self-reliance was instilled in the cultural practices that many of the immigrants understood from their own family experiences back in the villages and towns that they left in Italy. So here in the new community that was now their village, the attitudes regarding self-reliance remained powerful incentives to always take care of the necessities first. Bills were always paid when due, especi...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/johnston-adopts-christopher-columbus https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/johnston-adopts-christopher-columbus Sat, 20 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Scrap metal or monument? Johnston picks the latter. Removed from its Providence pedestal in 2020 and locked away in storage, a 130-year-old statue depicting Christopher Columbus will be re-erected in Johnston’s War Memorial Park in October. In the 1890s, the same French artist who sculpted the Statue of Liberty — Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi — crafted a sterling silver statue of the Italian explorer credited with rediscovering the New World. Impractical for outdoor exhibition, the silver statue was melted down into 30,000 ounces of scrap silver. However, in an effort to immortalize the work of a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/ermano-luigi-paolucci-two-italian-immigrant-potters-peabody-mass https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/ermano-luigi-paolucci-two-italian-immigrant-potters-peabody-mass Fri, 19 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The second book in my New England pottery book series, The Moses B. Paige Company: The Last of the Peabody Potteries (published by Historic Beverly, 2020), told the story of Moses Paige (1847/48-1941), who was born in Weare, N.H., before he moved to Winthrop, Maine, for school, around the age of ten. Once he reached adulthood, Paige became a farmer and relocated to Peabody (formerly South Danvers), Mass., about 1872. His career path quickly changed and he was soon employed at Joseph Reed’s (1809-1884) Pottery in Peabody, the former location of the longstanding Osborn family pottery, which date...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/returning-columbus-statue-its-pedestal https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/returning-columbus-statue-its-pedestal Fri, 19 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Hi, the Italian-American Defense League Monument Task Force and IADL members want unity and justice. We believe on June 24, 2020, the City of New Haven illegally removed Wooster Square's Columbus statue. That day the protests of 50 or more people of Italian descent were ignored when the city lifted the statue off its pedestal and placed it face-down in storage. The symbolic bond that cemented the acceptance of Italians as Americans in Connecticut was broken. New Haven's Christopher Columbus statue was dedicated by Paul Russo, representing united Italian societies, on October 21, 1892. The stat...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/getting-know-your-neighborhood-north-end https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/getting-know-your-neighborhood-north-end Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Unofficially known as Boston’s “Little Italy,” the North End is one of the Hub’s smallest neighborhoods—a one-square-mile area jutting into Boston Harbor. But it has played an outsized role in the city’s cultural, historical, and culinary history. Within convenient walking distance of Government Center, it’s Boston’s oldest residential area, with a history of European settlement stretching back to the early 17th-century Puritans. Over the past 400 years, the area has been home to an early African American community and to waves of Irish, eastern European Jewish, and more recently, Italian immi...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/paolino-selects-johnston-new-home-columbus-statue https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/paolino-selects-johnston-new-home-columbus-statue Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The former Christopher Columbus statue that was vandalized numerous times in Providence before being taken down will find a new home in Johnston. Former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino, who bought the statue in March, announced Johnston will be the new home as a way for the town to celebrate the Italian community. “I am thankful that Mayor Polisena Jr. has agreed to host the statue and create a destination for Italian American history in the Town of Johnston. The Mayor is playing an important role to ensure that this historic symbol is not melted down and turned into scrap metal,” said Paolino.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/made-connecticut-brookfield-author-terri-lynne-defino-talks-family-food-inspiration-new-book https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/made-connecticut-brookfield-author-terri-lynne-defino-talks-family-food-inspiration-new-book Wed, 10 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 "Family is at least as important as food," says Brookfield-based author Terri-Lynne DeFino. That's just part of the message behind her latest offering, "Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story." The book was inspired by her own family experience, growing up in an Italian-American household in New Jersey. "Any get-together we have... everybody is talking over each other, and the hands are going you know," she said. While the book may be a reflection of her New Jersey heritage, DeFino says the fact remains "Connecticut is home."
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/anniversary-gala-vermont-italian-cultural-association https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/anniversary-gala-vermont-italian-cultural-association Thu, 04 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Anniversary Gala of the Vermont Italian Cultural Association (VICA) celebrating 40 years of service to the community. Outstanding commitment to the preservation of Italian heritage and traditions and to the promotion of Italian culture in Vermont. Discovering Burlington’s “Little Italy”, the two farms Agricola Farm and Shelburne Farm. Productive meeting with the teaching staff at Middlebury College. Conclusion with the visit of Barre, land of the historic community of craftsmanship. The Italian community of Barre, besides showing a lesser-known side of the US, lives in an innovative and sustai...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/buon-giorno-italy-opens-consulate-springfields-monarch-place https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/buon-giorno-italy-opens-consulate-springfields-monarch-place Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 With the new Italian Consulate of Western Massachusetts officially open, as of late Monday, it was already Tuesday in Italy. April 25 is Liberation Day, a holiday recognizing the victory of the Italian resistance — with Allied help — over Nazi Germany and its puppet state. “We recognize what Americans did for us,” said Arnaldo Minuti, consul general of Italy in Boston. “You made us free.” Minuti was part of a parade of speakers — including Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi and Italian-American businessman Paul Picknelly — who extolled Springfield’s Italian-...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/longmeadow-unico-host-21st-wine-beer-and-food-tasting https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/longmeadow-unico-host-21st-wine-beer-and-food-tasting Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Longmeadow chapter of UNICO, an Italian American service organization, will host its 21st Wine, Beer and Food Tasting on Saturday, April 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. As always, the event, which brings eateries, distilleries and wineries together, will be at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1000 Hall of Fame Ave., Springfield. Longmeadow UNICO Vice President Heather Marchetta said the Wine, Beer and Food Tasting is UNICO Longmeadow’s largest fundraiser of the year. On average, between 350 and 500 people attend each year.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-consulate-establish-office-springfield-ma https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-consulate-establish-office-springfield-ma Sat, 22 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Italian Government is going to establish an official Italian Consulate office in Springfield. The 25th floor of Monarch Place in Downtown Springfield will become the space of the official Western Massachusetts Consulate of Italy. This new location means residents will no longer have to travel to the Boston Italian Consulate office for business or important personal matters to conduct with or in Italy. That can range from trade and tourism to dual residency. The official opening of the office will be Monday April 24th.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/southingtons-unico-picks-leary-gold-medal-award https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/southingtons-unico-picks-leary-gold-medal-award Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 John Leary, a Boy Scout leader for decades and volunteer with town, church and school groups, is UNICO’s Gold Medal of Honor recipient for this year Southington UNICO, an Italian-American club, honors someone each year whose actions reflect the group’s motto of “service above self.” Leary, who’s not a member of UNICO, although half-Italian, said the award came as a complete surprise. Mark Berardi, a UNICO member and Leary’s former neighbor, told him about the honor.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/vincent-marzullo-appointed-interim-executive-director-davinci-center-board https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/vincent-marzullo-appointed-interim-executive-director-davinci-center-board Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 As a result of last month’s passing of John DeLuca, founder, and longtime Executive Director of the DaVinci Center, the Board of Directors has appointed Vincent Marzullo to serve as Interim Executive Director.  Board Chair, Michael DeAngelis, stated that “the Board has enthusiastically approved the appointment of Vincent Marzullo as the Interim Executive Director.  As a former federal civil rights & social justice director (31 years) for the Corporation for National & Community Service (RI), Mr. Marzullo has aided hundreds of nonprofit organizations while promoting national service and older a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/jeff-biggers-presents-sardinia https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/jeff-biggers-presents-sardinia Thu, 20 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 When: Tuesday, May 23 · 6 - 7:30pm EDT - Where: I AM Books 124 Salem Street Boston, MA 02113 United States The second largest Italian island and a keystone in Mediterranean history, Sardinia is known largely as the playground of the global jet-set, the Blue Zone phenomenon and bandits. Award-winning historian, journalist, travel writer Jeff Biggers is shining a new light on the island with his book, In Sardinia: An Unexpected Journey in Italy (Melville House | Nonfiction | HC | On Sale 5/16/23).
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/joseph-nigrelli-sr-named-dante-society-person-year https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/joseph-nigrelli-sr-named-dante-society-person-year Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 When Joseph Nigrelli Sr. — the patriarch of Westerly's "First Family of Jewelry" — answered the knock on his front door one recent afternoon, he was a little taken aback to see Dr. Daniel Gaccione standing there before him. When Gaccione announced he was there to tell Nigrelli he'd been named the Dante Society of Westerly's 2023 Person of the Year, Nigrelli was doubly taken aback. "It was quite a surprise," said a smiling Nigrelli earlier this week as he sat at his kitchen table, recounting the story.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pirandello-lyceum-award-best-mind-and-deeds-dr-gilda-rorro https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pirandello-lyceum-award-best-mind-and-deeds-dr-gilda-rorro Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Cavaliere Dr. Gilda Rorro was one of the honorees in Massachusetts on April 1, 2023 to receive the Pirandello Lyceum I Migliori in Mens et Gesta: The Best in Mind and Deeds, 2023 Honor Awards. Her category was as an Italian Culture Advocate, Educator, Author. Boston Magazine has called the I Migliori Award the most prestigious honor to be received by a person of Italian descent. She is pictured with the Consul General of Italy in Boston, Arnaldo Minuti. She will be a guest speaker about her Italian American Heritage curriculum “The Universality of Italian American Heritage” and her other work...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/multipli-forti-2nd-edition-italian-literary-festival https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/multipli-forti-2nd-edition-italian-literary-festival Sun, 09 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Wednesday, 04/26/2023 - 3:00pm to 8:00pm. The Italian Cultural Institute in New York in collaboration with FUIS (Italian Unitary Writers Federation) - THE BRIDGE Award – CIMA (Center for Italian Modern Art) – NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò - RIZZOLI Bookstore - Italian General Consulate in Boston – Boston Chilton Club – I AM Books presents Multipli Forti, Voices from Contemporary Italian Literature  NEW YORK CITY (25 – 26 – 27 April, 2023); BOSTON (28 – 29 April, 2023). An initiative aimed at the public of readers and the international publishing world (publishing houses, literary agencies,...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/la-dolce-fiat-our-favorite-reader-story-about-vacation-gone-wrong https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/la-dolce-fiat-our-favorite-reader-story-about-vacation-gone-wrong Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Readers of the Boston.com Book Club had their minds on vacation this month as we read Elin Hilderbrand’s “Hotel Nantucket” and asked the writers among you to share your own vacation stories. In the latest novel by the “queen of beach reads,” protagonist Lizbet takes on the general manager of a Nantucket Hotel burdened with construction problems and a possible supernatural presence. Hilderbrand joins Boston.com to discuss her book with bookseller Tim Ehrenberg on March 28, at 6 p.m.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/wakefield-sons-daughters-italy-are-planning-annual-auction https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/wakefield-sons-daughters-italy-are-planning-annual-auction Fri, 24 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 We are excited to announce that our 13th Annual Charity Auction will be held on Tuesday, April 18th at St. Joseph’s Church hall. As in the past, the night will include dinner, dessert, a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction. We will also be featuring donated items from our favorite local businesses and our (infamous) auction of mystery items donated by Lodge members. You’ll want to save the date, because we have commitments from many generous businesses and individuals already. Last year, one favorite activity auctioned off was a private boat ride for up to 15 people out of Gloucester. So, tal...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/welcome-tristate-italian-art-prize https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/welcome-tristate-italian-art-prize Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 A new prize for Italian art in the United States is born. In fact, the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in New York have announced the first edition of the "Tristate Italian Art Prize" art competition. The Prize aims to to promote and recognize the artistic creativity of the Italian and Italian-American community in the Tristate area, which includes the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Thus, the Prize is aimed at and individuals with Italian citizenship or with Italian ancestry who reside in the Tristate area are eligible to compete. The Prize may be...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/providence-celebrates-st-josephs-day-italian-songs-pastries-federal-hill https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/providence-celebrates-st-josephs-day-italian-songs-pastries-federal-hill Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Two days ago was St. Joseph’s Day and bakeries on federal hill said it was one of their busiest days of the year. Thousands of residents flocked to the hill to pick up their favorite Italian pastries. “Its the most important thing in my life to keep these Italian bakeries alive, to keep the culture present,” the general manager of Scialo Bros. Bakery, Olivia DeAngelis said. “I think for my generation some of our heritage has started to die down a little bit, but I’m an old soul and the Italian culture means everything to me,” she continued. The bakery manager said the next busy season for them...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/school-committee-wilmington-debates-keeping-columbus-day https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/school-committee-wilmington-debates-keeping-columbus-day Sun, 19 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The School Committee meeting brought debate and contention during their second reading of the 2023-2024 school year calendar last Wednesday night as they discussed changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day and changing the day before winter break to a full day of school. Superintendent Dr. Glenn Brand provided the committee with a range of examples of what other districts have done relative to the issue of celebrating Columbus Day, including no change, re­moving the name and just using “holiday” or “no school,” and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Jesse Fennelly pointed out that Columbus Day mi...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/profound-loss-painter-constance-lapalombara-dies-87 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/profound-loss-painter-constance-lapalombara-dies-87 Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The first thing you notice is the light. The pears are mere suggestions of themselves, with hints of blue and green that pool at the ends and edges. They fall into each other, luminous and impossibly airy. Shadows bloom beneath them in gray and blue. Even the paper seems to glow with a warm crispness. At the lower right, a signature from Constance LaPalombara graces the page. Friends, family, and members of New Haven’s arts community are mourning LaPalombara this month, as news of her death makes its way across the city and into the wider world. A talented painter, sharp-tongued conversational...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/trailblazing-former-hartford-mayor-ann-uccello-dies-100 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/trailblazing-former-hartford-mayor-ann-uccello-dies-100 Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Former Hartford mayor Ann Uccello has died at the age of 100, according to Gov. Ned Lamont. Ann Ucello took office as Mayor of Hartford in 1967. She was the first female mayor in Connecticut and the first woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. capital city. She was re-elected to a second term in 1969 and is the last Republican to be elected to the position. Ucello then went to Washington, D.C. to work in the U.S. Department of Transportation under President Richard Nixon. She went on to work for the Ford and Carter administrations as well. “Ann Uccello was a trailblazer who was born and raised in...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/legislators-host-st-patricks-st-josephs-celebrations-honor-irish-and-italian-cultures https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/legislators-host-st-patricks-st-josephs-celebrations-honor-irish-and-italian-cultures Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly will honor Irish and Italian cultures Thursday, March 16, with their traditional celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day. In the House, the celebration will begin at the conclusion of business at the 4 p.m. session.  Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) will regale the chamber with an original poem celebrating Irish culture. Speaker of the House Pro Tempore Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Hopkinton, Westerly) and Rep. Samuel A. Azzinaro (D-Dist. 37, Westerly) will introduce resolutions celebrating St. Patrick...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/heartfelt-and-delicious-sicilian-homecoming https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/heartfelt-and-delicious-sicilian-homecoming Wed, 08 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 This is a story about a Montpelier family finding their people in present-day Italy. But the story began in 1885 with the birth of Carmelo La Terra Bellina (“Carmelo” meaning “the beautiful earth”) in Pozzallo, Italy, a small city on Sicily’s south coast. The city’s location on the Mediterranean contributed to its value as a seaport and reflects the island’s multiple layers of war and conquest from pre-historic settlers to Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Moors, Normans, and finally the Bourbons. During World War II, allied troops landed just west of Pozzallo as part of Operation Husky.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/former-providence-mayor-new-owner-providence-columbus-statue https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/former-providence-mayor-new-owner-providence-columbus-statue Fri, 03 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino is the new owner of the Providence Columbus statue. In a unanimous vote Thursday, the Providence Board Park Commissioners, headed by Mayor Brett Smiley, selected Paolino’s bid to purchase the statue. “[Paolino] was the most responsive bidder,” said Smiley. “There were two bids, effectively the same dollar amount. One of the bidders gave very little detail what his plan was, and definitely would’ve moved it out of state.” Paolino bid $50,000 for the piece. He added, “I want to preserve a beautiful piece of artwork and let people be able to appreciate the art,...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-immigrants-found-new-paths-maintained-traditions-new-haven https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-immigrants-found-new-paths-maintained-traditions-new-haven Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 In the late 19th century, during the period of great political upheaval in Italy, people from all classes were affected, both financially and economically. The great migration to America was one that included Italians from all walks of life and from various social classes. The population that immigrated to New Haven seeking financial and social security reflected that: In addition to those who left rural homes behind, there were those who left behind positions in government or the professions.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/noiaw-honors-3-wise-women https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/noiaw-honors-3-wise-women Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 NOIAW, a national organization dedicated to empowering, connecting and inspiring women of Italian American descent recently celebrated the Epiphany by recognizing the achievements of “Three Wise Women,” and the role their heritage has played in their achievements. According to Pat Tinto, president of the 43-year-old nonprofit, the traditional ceremony is usually held in January in each of NOIAW’s four regions. The 2023 recipients of the award in Connecticut were: Renee DiNino, (Hartford) Director of Community Affairs & On Air Programming, iHeartMedia; Anna Francese Gass, (New Canaan) Cookbook...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nino-antonelli-leader-stamfords-italian-american-community-mourned-nino-helped-everybody https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nino-antonelli-leader-stamfords-italian-american-community-mourned-nino-helped-everybody Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Annino “Nino” Antonelli never complained, was willing to take a chance on people, loved politics and managed to participate in a host of community organizations while remaining devoted to his family, said his wife of 37 years. Nino Antonelli died Feb. 3 after a hard fight against prostate cancer, his wife Marylena said. He was 70. Marylena Antonelli said there has been an outpouring of support from the local community since her husband’s death. “Anybody who came to him for help, he was always trying to help them or get them in contact with people who could help them — and the names are endless...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/former-providence-mayor-places-50k-bid-controversial-columbus-statue https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/former-providence-mayor-places-50k-bid-controversial-columbus-statue Sat, 11 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Former Providence Mayor and real estate mogul Joe Paolino has set his sights on purchasing a controversial statue. Paolino tells 12 News he’s attempting to preserve the capital city’s Christopher Columbus statue, which has been vandalized numerous times in recent years. “It turned my stomach to see red paint thrown on it,” he said. “It was a slap in the face.” The statue was boarded up a few years ago after vandals threatened to tear it down. The city decided to put in storage a few days after the plywood box it was encased in was vandalized. Paolino has offered to not only buy the statue from...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/light-rome-brings-exceptional-photography-collection-bcma https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/light-rome-brings-exceptional-photography-collection-bcma Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Harpswell resident John McGuigan began his collection of early Roman photography as something of a side project to his work as an independent art historian. Now, more than a hundred of these photographs fill the Halford Gallery and the Bernard and Barbro Osher Gallery on the first floor of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA), representing one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind. First opened at the BCMA on December 8, the new exhibit “In Light of Rome: Early Photography in the Capital of the Art World, 1842-1871” is the culmination of a three year collaboration between McGui...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/mark-defranco-giving-through-shared-culture https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/mark-defranco-giving-through-shared-culture Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joining the Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge 2805 began as a family affair for Mark DeFranco. Mark, the group’s treasurer, who joined in 2004 to be with his cousin and the group’s founder Neil Velleca, Sr., saw it as an opportunity to socialize and work with other Italian-Americans. “My cousin, Neil Sr., thought it would be a great idea to have a Sons and Daughter chapter in North Haven,” Mark says. “I’ve been in there since the beginning. I’ve been the treasurer the whole time, the whole 19 years. I think because it’s quite a bit of work.”
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/new-havens-italian-immigrants-valued-heritage-well-assimilation-achievement https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/new-havens-italian-immigrants-valued-heritage-well-assimilation-achievement Sat, 04 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 St. Michael School was built in 1940 during the period when the immigrant children were being more fully exposed to the influences of the secular education opportunities that were part of the American system. The ethnic parishes were encouraged to create local schools that were more aligned to those in their countries of origin, where there was less distinction between church and state. The school on New Haven's Green Street, a neo Art Deco-fronted building, was adjacent to the original parish center, St. Michael Hall. With space for eight classrooms, it was designed to accommodate children ri...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/150th-anniversary-st-leonards-church-north-end https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/150th-anniversary-st-leonards-church-north-end Sat, 07 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 St. Leonard's Parish in the North End is kicking off their 150th Anniversary year with a special mass to be celebrated by Boston Archbishop Sean Cardinal O'Malley OFM Cap. at Noon, this Sunday, January 8th, at St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish, 320 Hanover Street, Boston, MA 02113. St. Leonard's holds a special place in the hearts of the Italian-American community of Boston and with the IAA especially. Please come and join us as we help the St. Leonard's community celebrate 150 years! More information can be found here.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/la-befana-2023-come-join-us-celebrate-festival-della-befana-special-guest-visit-la-befana-herself https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/la-befana-2023-come-join-us-celebrate-festival-della-befana-special-guest-visit-la-befana-herself Mon, 02 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sunday, January 8, 2023, 4:00 PM EST. Dante Alighieri Society of Massachusetts - 41 Hampshire Street - Cambridge, MA. Please join us as we welcome La Befana back to Boston this year! This annual event sponsored by the Consulate General of Italy Boston, The Dante Alighieri Society, Comites Boston, and C.A.S.IT celebrates the traditional Italian holiday, la Festa della Befana, which occurs on January 6th. Our joint event, open to the public, will be held on Sunday, January 8th at 4pm at the Dante Alighieri Society in Cambridge. There will be music, dancing, and prizes for children! We hope to se...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/fairfield-native-curates-show-italian-artists-charming-funny-and-very-colorful-work https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/fairfield-native-curates-show-italian-artists-charming-funny-and-very-colorful-work Fri, 30 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Steven Guarnaccia is something of a renaissance man in the art world. Born in Fairfield and now living in Brooklyn, N.Y., Guarnaccia is a graphic designer, illustrator of children’s books, a professor in the department of Illustration at Parsons The New School for Design in New York and a curator. “I grew up in Fairfield and my parents were both school teachers in the public school system,” Guarnaccia said. “New York was always a beacon for me and the cultural life of New York was really my cultural life growing up. My grandfather was a jeweler who had an office across from the Museum of Mode...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/back-my-roots-returning-italy-italian-american https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/back-my-roots-returning-italy-italian-american Wed, 28 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Lately, I’ve got about 16+ tabs open in my browser at all times. There are a few duplicates–dedicated to the same family tree page on Ancestry.com, a scan of my great-grandfather’s naturalization document, Google Translate, a Facebook group dedicated to Italian Americans pursuing Citizenship, a half-drafted email to the small commune where my great-grandparents lived requesting birth and marriage certificates, flight searches to Rome, The 1950 US Federal Census and multiple YouTube videos listing out “The best things about living in Italy.” This array of tabs tells a contradicting story. It is...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/menino-family-donates-toys-hundreds-families-boston-community https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/menino-family-donates-toys-hundreds-families-boston-community Sun, 25 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The family of late Boston Mayor Tom Menino continues to carry out his legacy through his annual Christmas Eve tradition. For the 29th year, Menino's family teamed up with Catholic Charities Boston to donate toys, food and clothing to more than 300 families in the Bowdoin-Geneva community. Saturday's event marked the 29th annual toy delivery since Menino established the tradition in 1994. "Our Dad loved this city and all its neighborhoods and people. He especially loved Christmas Eve and wanted to make it special for families in this neighborhood," the late mayor’s son, Thomas M. Menino Jr., sa...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/good-old-days-memories-italian-christmas https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/good-old-days-memories-italian-christmas Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Once upon a time, there were so many Italian relatives in my family that every table, chair and corner was occupied in my Nonna’s large kitchen. Every Christmas Eve, my grandparents’ house was bustling with laughter and sweet homemade wine poured from my grandfather’s own hand. I grew up in the late 1950s, enjoying my father’s seven siblings and families that congregated on Talman Street every holiday. Many of you will relate to this phenomenon: of people and places we loved in the past, yet somehow disappeared through the passage of time. As we aged, the memory of them never faded but grew st...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/geno-auriemma-coaches-uconn-womens-basketball-team-days-after-mother-dies https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/geno-auriemma-coaches-uconn-womens-basketball-team-days-after-mother-dies Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma coached the Huskies Sunday at No. 20 Maryland just three days after losing his mother, Marsiella. Marsiella Auriemma, who turned 91 in June, died on Thursday, according to a UConn spokesperson. Auriemma's father, Donato, died in 1997 during the Big East Tournament and associate head coach Chris Dailey took over head coaching responsibilities. But Auriemma was with his team Sunday. The Hall of Fame coach flew to Philadelphia last week to be with his mom. He returned to Storrs on Wednesday and coached the Huskies during Thursday's game against Prince...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/stamford-italian-americans-protest-change-school-calendar-columbus-day-being-canceled https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/stamford-italian-americans-protest-change-school-calendar-columbus-day-being-canceled Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The fight to preserve the legacy of 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus in Stamford has moved from the city square to the school board. After successfully staving off pressure in 2020 to remove the statue of Columbus in a downtown city park, a group of Italian-Americans is now fighting to keep Columbus Day a holiday in Stamford schools as the local school district weighs the option of no longer making the holiday a day off for students and teachers. A large contingent showed up to the Stamford Board of Education meeting Tuesday night to advocate for keeping the holiday as is. They carr...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/council-italian-american-societies-honors-eight-area-leaders https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/council-italian-american-societies-honors-eight-area-leaders Fri, 09 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Council of Italian American Societies of Greater Bridgeport presented eight area Italian Americans with the John A. Arcudi, Esq Award for their professional success and service to others. The following eight Italian Americans were honored at Trumbull’s Tashua Knolls banquet facility before 180 guests: Mario Bartoli of Trumbull, Frank T. Gennarini of Milford, Judy Marella of Shelton, Michael Parente of Bridgeport, Vincent Procaccini of Fairfield, Barbara Rogo of Bridgeport, Tammy Orfino-Silva of Monroe, Maurizio Viselli of Easton.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/north-end-athletic-association-holds-50th-anniversary-christmas-parade https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/north-end-athletic-association-holds-50th-anniversary-christmas-parade Sun, 04 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Celebrating the 50th Anniversary, the North End Athletic Association will bring Santa to visit the residents of the North End. Santa will arrive by helicopter on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, at 12:30 pm, at the Christopher Columbus Park on Atlantic Avenue, Boston. Miss Massachusetts Scarlet Ramirez, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Wally and Tessie of the Boston Red Sox, Blades of the Boston Bruins, Elsa and Anna, Darth Vader and many other Christmas characters, along with Santa's Elves, will be joining the Parade. Santa and all his friends will join the Annual Christmas Parade that makes its way through...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/document-its-historically-italian-neighborhood-keene-turns-crowd-sourcing https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/document-its-historically-italian-neighborhood-keene-turns-crowd-sourcing Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 In a residential area west of downtown Keene, there are still signs of what was once the city’s Italian neighborhood. Drive up Island Street and you’ll pass Carbone’s Window and Awning, founded decades ago by a son of immigrants. A few blocks away, members gather at the William Marconi Italian Club. Now, the Keene Heritage Commission is turning to crowd-sourcing to better understand the history of that part of town. Supported by a state grant from the Division of Historical Resources, the group has launched an online tool where residents can upload written or recorded memories, family photos a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/new-haven-unveils-statue-design-will-replace-christopher-columbus-statue https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/new-haven-unveils-statue-design-will-replace-christopher-columbus-statue Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The design for a new statue for Wooster Square in New Haven has been approved to replace the Christopher Columbus statue that was removed in 2020. The new statue that will honor Italian-American heritage was approved at a Board of Alders meeting on Monday night. The statue depicting an Italian family will be just feet away from where the Christopher Columbus statue once stood before it became the center of protests and dispute. “The design for the new monument has now received all necessary approvals from the Historic District Commission, the Cultural Affairs Commission, the Parks Commission a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/seminars-aim-help-vermonters-get-their-italian-citizenship https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/seminars-aim-help-vermonters-get-their-italian-citizenship Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 When Lisa DeNatale set out to obtain Italian citizenship based on her Sicilian lineage, things got complicated fast. Non-Italians can obtain citizenship if an ancestor was born in Italy, even one as far back as great-great-grandparents. DeNatale's paternal grandparents, for instance, were born in Sicily and came over to the U.S. in the early 1900s. But the rules for proving that connection are byzantine. Would-be Italians must track down birth, death and marriage certificates that might have been recorded on paper decades or even a century ago, and disqualifying exceptions abound.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/tuscan-village-host-new-holiday-market https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/tuscan-village-host-new-holiday-market Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Tuscan Village is debuting its first Holiday Shoppes this Friday, which will run weekends and Christmas week, until Dec. 31. Thirty small businesses will set up shop for this six-week, open-air market to sell products ranging from jewelry, clothing, home décor and sweet treats. The market opens Thursdays and Fridays at 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. It’s open daily the week leading up to Christmas. Tuscan Village has hosted other holiday markets, but this will be the first time small businesses will have permanent “storefronts” for the market’s duration.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/statue-depicting-italian-american-immigrant-family-replace-columbus-monument https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/statue-depicting-italian-american-immigrant-family-replace-columbus-monument Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Board of Alders City Services and Environmental Policy committee approved a finalized plan for a new monument that will replace the previous statue of Christopher Columbus in Wooster Square park. This decision — made by the Alders on Nov. 3 — along with the detailed plan, was the culmination of over a year’s discussion following the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue in June 2020 after contentious public debate over colonial statues. 
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/design-columbus-statue-replacement-wooster-square-gets-committee-approval https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/design-columbus-statue-replacement-wooster-square-gets-committee-approval Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The proposed new "Pointing the Way to the Future" Wooster Square monument to replace the controversial Christopher Columbus statue gained a unanimous positive recommendation of a Board of Alders committee. "It's a great thing that they've done," said Dixwell, Newhallville and Prospect Hill Alder Steven Winter, D-21, just before the vote.  He pointed out that the Wooster Square Monument Committee, which Mayor Justin Elicker commissioned to come up with a design for a new monument, had gone through "a very long process with many rounds of feedback" while coming up with designs to replace the Co...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/providence-again-seeks-buyer-columbus-statue-after-first-proposal-yields-little-interest https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/providence-again-seeks-buyer-columbus-statue-after-first-proposal-yields-little-interest Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Despite heartened pleas from community residents and Italian heritage groups to save the Christopher Columbus statue, only two people offered to buy it from the city, and at less than 10% of its appraised value. In light of the lack of interested buyers, the city is reissuing its request for proposals, as approved by the Providence Board of Parks Commissioners on Oct. 26. The decision continues the yearslong saga of what to do with the historic, yet controversial city statue, which was taken down from its pedestal in Columbus Square in June 2020 after being repeatedly vandalized.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/worcester-christopher-columbus-statue-removal-council-says-no-again https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/worcester-christopher-columbus-statue-removal-council-says-no-again Wed, 02 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A towering Christopher Columbus statue in Worcester has again proven to be one of the most potent political forces in the city, dividing the city council and driving hostility between local ethnic communities. The Worcester City Council Tuesday voted against having a discussion about the removal of the Washington Square monument, which stands outside Union Station. District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera sought to convene a community discussion on the statue, citing the legacy of Columbus' role in the slaughter of indigenous people in the Caribbean.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/worcester-city-councilor-push-removal-christopher-columbus-statue https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/worcester-city-councilor-push-removal-christopher-columbus-statue Wed, 26 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The City Council is scheduled to reignite the debate on the Christopher Columbus statue Tuesday night, as District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera is requesting the city manager organize a “diverse community discussion to determine the best course of action for removing the Christopher Columbus statue from any public space.” “It is a very hurtful and oppressive symbol that should not be in a public space,” Rivera said in an interview Sunday. The Columbus statue in Worcester was erected in 1978, donated to the city by attorney Nunziato Fusaro in memory of his wife, Esther. It is located in Washington...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/october-favorite-wakefield-sons-daughters-italy https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/october-favorite-wakefield-sons-daughters-italy Tue, 25 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The air is cool and crisp, the leaves are colorful, and you can get pumpkin-spice everything. But that’s not why we are excited for October. It is because October is Italian Heritage Month – a time for Italian Americans to embrace traditions, family memories, and yes, foods! Speaking of food, we enjoyed preparing a pasta dinner for members of the local Boys’ and Girls’ Club this month. It looked like the boys and girls who came out to the Civic Center had a fun night. The homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies were a huge hit also! We don’t know who had a better time – the Lodge members...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/st-giovanni-battista-scalabrinis-1901-visit-boston https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/st-giovanni-battista-scalabrinis-1901-visit-boston Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Earlier this month, on Oct. 9, Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, founder of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo (commonly known as the Scalabrini Fathers) and Missionary Sisters of St. Charles, was canonized. His life and deeds have been highlighted in many publications so, rather than reiterate these facts, we are glad to share some episodes about the arrival of the Scalabrini Fathers in Boston and St. Scalabrini's visits in September and October of 1901.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italy-usa-1922-2022 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italy-usa-1922-2022 Sat, 22 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 “Italy USA 1922 2022” CETIS inaugural lecture by David Forgacs, NYU. Friday, October 28 - 5:30 PM - Gasson Hall 100, Boston College, MA.  The Center for Transatlantic Italian Studies (CETIS) aims to explore the relationship between Italy and the United States through the promotion of scholarly research from a plurality of academic and cultural standpoints: history, political science, cultural studies, literature, film, women’s and gender studies, media studies, anthropology, economics, and exile studies. Established in 2022, CETIS is a collaboration between the University of Verona, Boston Col...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/columbus-statue-replacement-review https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/columbus-statue-replacement-review Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A new sculpture honoring New Haven’s Italian American community is one step closer to coming to Wooster Square now that the Elicker Administration has formally submitted plans to the Board of Alders for a public artwork to replace the long-gone Christopher Columbus statue. That Wooster Square sculpture proposal was listed as a so-called “communication” on the agenda for Monday night’s full Board of Alders meeting. That means that the legislative item will next head to an aldermanic committee for a public hearing and review before returning to the full Board of Alders for further discussion and...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/state-senator-leads-celebration-italian-american-heritage https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/state-senator-leads-celebration-italian-american-heritage Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Sen. Joe Vitale (D-19th Dist), in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus Council 6571, has honored two local residents for their service to the community. At the 18th-annual Italian American Heritage flag raising, held recently at Woodbridge Town Hall, Nicole Fancera was honored as “Ms. Italian America,” while Joseph Ragucci took the honor of “Italian American Man of the Year.”
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/remembering-anthony-v-riccio https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/remembering-anthony-v-riccio Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Thursday October 27, 2022 — 6:30 p.m. EST. I AM Books, 124 Salem St., Boston MA 02113 (Register Here). This event will feature several speakers who worked with and knew Anthony, including Prof. James Pasto (Boston University), James Peltz (SUNY Press), and Tommy Damigella (North End Historical Society). Anthony V. Riccio (1952-2022) was the author of several books on Italian American culture and history, including The Italian American Experience in New Haven: Images and Oral Histories; Farms, Factories, and Families: Italian American Women of Connecticut; and From Italy to the North End: Photo...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bridgeport-secretly-moves-columbus-statue-again https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bridgeport-secretly-moves-columbus-statue-again Sat, 15 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Just as abruptly as Mayor Joe Ganim had a 60-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus removed from Seaside Park over two years ago and placed in an old horse barn there, his administration last week relocated the bronze monument to the Circulo Sportivo Italian American Club. Where the statue, donated in 1965 by representatives of the local Italian community, winds up from there is unclear. Back at Seaside in the South End? On other public land? At the club or on other private property? The moving of the statue, done for the second time without the authorization of the city's park commission, ca...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/middletowns-kidcity-opens-new-hands-room-honor-sister-city-sicily https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/middletowns-kidcity-opens-new-hands-room-honor-sister-city-sicily Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A tiny, darkened hallway tucked away at Kidcity children’s museum leads to a new and cozy, wondrous room that evokes a piazza in Melilli, Sicily, just before dusk. A faux marble fountain of dolphins leaping high into the air seem frozen in time as the smell of coffee wafts from a cafe in the corner, and royal green handkerchiefs, scattered on the stone-like floor, are pushed into tiny portals by little hands. The scarves burst out of the top of the sculpture, lending a sense of magic to the play area. “They come out, and the kids find them, collect them, and the grownups sit as they feed the...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/evening-my-grandparents-stories-my-italian-american-family https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/evening-my-grandparents-stories-my-italian-american-family Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Acclaimed storyteller Monica Peterson shares fascinating family lore that she learned at the knee of her grandparents, as well as her own touching personal accounts. In an event at the E.C. Scranton Memorial Library in Madison, CT on Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m., Peterson shares, 'An Evening With My Grandparents: Stories Of My Italian-American Family.' Stories will include the romantic tale of how her grandmother’s aristocratic parents met in their native Italy, fell in love, lost a fortune, and immigrated to the United States. And the thrilling account of her grandfather’s brother Tony and his fight...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/southington-italian-clubs-celebrate-columbus-day https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/southington-italian-clubs-celebrate-columbus-day Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Town residents, led by local Italian heritage organizations, gathered at the Christopher Columbus statue at the Municipal Center Monday in celebration of Columbus Day. More than two-dozen residents gathered around the statue to celebrate Columbus’ voyage of discovery in 1492. Mums were placed at the base of the statue and later in planters on Columbus Boulevard in honor of the holiday. The celebration began with the Pledge of Allegiance, after which several speakers addressed the significance of Columbus. Speakers included Sons of Italy President Tony Cusano, Clementina Mennone, president of S...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/calabria-society-new-rochelle-holds-annual-columbus-day-celebration https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/calabria-society-new-rochelle-holds-annual-columbus-day-celebration Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The City of New Rochelle celebrated Columbus Day on Monday with a brief ceremony at Hudson Park. The annual ceremony is presented by the Calabria Society of New Rochelle. The event was held at the site of a statue of Christopher Columbus. Officials say it's a reminder to remember the contributions of Italian-Americans and the major role they played in the city's development. The Calabria Society was formed in 1935 and since then has been active in civic affairs in New Rochelle, Westchester and Italy.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-american-alliance-celebrates-italian-heritage-east-boston https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-american-alliance-celebrates-italian-heritage-east-boston Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 In East Boston, people came out to celebrate Italian-American culture today. The Italian American Alliance hosted the event, which offered pizza and Italian music, as well as activities for kids to enjoy. Mayor Wu officially proclaimed today Italian Heritage Day on Twitter. Wu said in her tweet, “Boston celebrates our vibrant Italian American communities, their legacy & heritage!” According to their website, The IAA “serves to protect the national heritage of Italian Americans which includes the preservation of the Great Admiral Christopher Columbus who introduced the Old World to the new Worl...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/collecting-momentum-100th-feast https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/collecting-momentum-100th-feast Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 They collect. Joe Bella and Rich Padova collect with purpose and zeal. Bella’s movie star photos and posters number in the hundreds. Padova’s presidential election swag, memorabilia and torch parade lanterns could fill a room. But their items on display in the St. Alfio Society exhibit at the Lawrence Heritage State Park’s visitor center go deeper than celebrity and politics. Their pins, tickets, postcards, programs, framed newspaper front pages on display during October — Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month — speak to their persons, beliefs and families’ Immigrant City roots.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/red-graffiti-sprawled-christopher-columbus-monument-waltham-ma https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/red-graffiti-sprawled-christopher-columbus-monument-waltham-ma Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Police are investigating after a Christopher Columbus monument was vandalized in Waltham over the weekend. Words spray painted in red were scrawled across the front of the stone monument located on Waltham Common. One woman took it upon herself to start cleaning it up. She said the Italian community there has to deal with issues like this every year, around this time. Monday is observed as Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day or both, in various communities.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bridgeport-columbus-day-parade-makes-return-after-hiatus https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bridgeport-columbus-day-parade-makes-return-after-hiatus Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 It's been two long years, but the annual Bridgeport Columbus Day Parade returned to the city on Sunday. "We're coming back and we're coming back strong. And it's going to be a great day," said Chris Caruso, spokesperson for the parade and a former state representative, ahead of Sunday's festivities. The annual celebration is organized by the Council of Italian-American Societies of Greater Bridgeport. Caruso said the parade is not only coming back but it will mark a return of the Italian Street Festival. While Caruso and participants say they're excited for the parade, it's also occurring as t...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-month-springfield-means-bocce-and-cucina-al-piano-interrato https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-month-springfield-means-bocce-and-cucina-al-piano-interrato Sun, 09 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 What better way to celebrate Italian Heritage Month than with a little bocce and a lot of food, and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno got some of both when he accepted an invitation to one of the few private bocce courts in Western Mass. on Saturday.   Tomasso and Anthony Mancuso, a father-and-son team who built a regulation-sized bocce court in the backyard of the elder Mancuso’s home on West Allen Ridge Road, challenged the mayor to a match and the traditional meal afterward. Sarno accepted the challenge and brought a proclamation honoring the Mancusos’ dedication to preserving the old country...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/third-annual-padre-pio-lasalette-festival-draws-faithful https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/third-annual-padre-pio-lasalette-festival-draws-faithful Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 This year’s festival was a big success with groups traveling in on buses from Connecticut and Massachusetts. The day began with the Padre Pio Garden being blessed by Farther Flavio. This garden was built last year with the help of Spirit of Hope of Johnston. The garden is circular, about 30-feet diameter, with a custom steal sculpture of Padre Pio. There is also a kneeler and relics on-site. The movie, "We’ll Rise at Dawn," was shown. It is about two young boys in search of the life of Padre Pio, a concert featuring tenor Austin Burns, veneration of a Padre Pio relic, confession, lunch and a M...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-american-cultural-celebration-set-monday-oct-10-east-boston https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-american-cultural-celebration-set-monday-oct-10-east-boston Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Italian American Alliance (IAA), led by CEO Dom Amara and President Jim DiStefano, will host the first annual Italian American Cultural Celebration on Monday, Oct. 10 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at The Tall Ship East Boston, 1 East Pier Drive, Pier One, in East Boston. The event will celebrate Italian-American culture and feature Italian food, fun activities for families, and musical entertainment. A major sponsor of the event is NIAF (National Italian America Foundation. Italia Unita is also a sponsor. “It is our goal to promote and highlight our Italian legacy and the many contributions Italians...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/celebrate-all-things-italian-annual-heritage-parade-newport-ri https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/celebrate-all-things-italian-annual-heritage-parade-newport-ri Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The annual march, rebranded last year as the Italian Heritage Parade, will step off Monday at noon from St. Joseph’s Church on Broadway. The route takes participants through Washington Square and down Thames Street before turning onto Memorial Boulevard. It will end at the statue of Christopher Columbus at the intersection of Bellevue Avenue. Members of the Newport Seaside Garden Club, who have cared for the area surrounding the Columbus statue for more than two decades, will serve as grand marshals of the parade. “This is the year to honor them for their commitment to Italian heritage and tha...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/worcesters-italian-heritage-parade-returns-sunday https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/worcesters-italian-heritage-parade-returns-sunday Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 For 25 years, Worcester hosted an annual Columbus Day parade, with the last one held in 2018. This year, the parade returns and has been reimagined under the direction of a new committee and leadership. The Italian Heritage Parade will take place on Sunday with over fifty contingents consisting of floats and community groups marching down Shrewsbury Street. After the parade, a festival will take place in East Park on Shrewsbury Street with food vendors, music and rides for the kids. Local leaders and organizers said they are excited to share Italian heritage with everyone. "Even though the nam...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/milford-columbus-committee-names-2022-award-winners https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/milford-columbus-committee-names-2022-award-winners Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Milford Columbus Committee on Aug. 16 announced the 2022 award recipients for Italian-American of the Year, as well as the 2022 scholarship recipients. The announcement comes in advance of the committee’s 2022 Dinner Dance on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Vazzano’s Four Seasons in Stratford. Ticket sales for the Dinner Dance raise funds for the yearly scholarship awards. The committee named Dr. David Esposito, chairman of the Department of Surgery and chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Milford Hospital, as its Italian American of the Year. Gary Johnson, president and CEO of Milford Uni...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/torrington-honor-vic-muschell-italian-mayor https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/torrington-honor-vic-muschell-italian-mayor Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Torrington Chapter of UNICO National and the City of Torrington will hold its annual Columbus/Italian Mayor of the Day celebration at 9 a.m. Oct. 12 in the Coe Memorial Park Civic Center. This year's recipient of the Italian Mayor of the Day is Victor M. Muschell, who serves as counsel for the Torrington City Council, and has served his community in many ways for many years.  The celebration will also include a performance of the National Anthem by Anne DeMichiel and Chris Cogliano, followed by an invocation by the Rev. John Granato. A proclamation declaring October Italian-American Herita...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/john-vinci-mr-soccer-named-west-havens-italian-year https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/john-vinci-mr-soccer-named-west-havens-italian-year Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and the West Haven Italian Heritage Committee will honor the city’s “Mr. Soccer” as the “primo italiano” at the 23rd annual Italian Heritage Celebration. West Haven Youth Soccer League President John Vinci, a proud ambassador of his rich Italian heritage, will receive the Italian American of the Year award at noon Friday at City Hall, 355 Main St.  The award is bestowed annually on an Italian resident or couple who personifies service in the city’s close-knit Italian American community. Accompanied by Italian music and guided by Rossi, members of the committee and the West...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/conference-italian-american-organizations-connecticut-italian-unity-dinner-resolution https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/conference-italian-american-organizations-connecticut-italian-unity-dinner-resolution Sun, 02 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A call for unity and action!  That’s the message of Keynote Speaker Virginia Gardner, President of the Italian American Alliance – National, at the Conference of Italian American Organizations in Connecticut, hosted by the Italian-American Defense League.  Gardner began her speech by jokingly pointing out how “Anglo” her last name by marriage is, but then her speech took on a serious tone, “If you take nothing else from tonight’s dinner, please take the word UNITY.  Our unity is vital to our survival.  Every group, committee, club, here tonight, must pledge to work together.  We will never be...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-month-welcome-arnaldo-minuti-new-italian-consul-general-boston https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-month-welcome-arnaldo-minuti-new-italian-consul-general-boston Sat, 01 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Dear Friends of Italy, As I begin my tenure as Consul General of Italy in Boston with great pride and excitement, I wish to recognize the unwavering commitment and work of the Italian and Italian American community, organizations and associations in their efforts to promoting the values, culture, and traditions of Italian heritage in our consular jurisdiction. October is the month in which we celebrate, with renewed pride, our common heritage and the immense contributions made by Italians and Italian-Americans to help build this great country. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciat...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/rose-basile-celebrated-provincetown-artist-dies-91 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/rose-basile-celebrated-provincetown-artist-dies-91 Fri, 30 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Rosemarie Antoinette Basile, a longtime Provincetown resident and celebrated artist of local scenes, died peacefully on Sept. 25, 2022 at her home in Orleans. She was 91.  She was born on May 10, 1931 in Newark, N.J., the only child of Aurelio Artillio and Immaculata (Spallone) Basile. She spoke only Italian until age seven and spent childhood summers on the Jersey shore. There she became an avid fisherman. Her father gave her waders and a fly rod for her 21st birthday.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-parade-marches-worcester-oct-9-after-4-year-absence https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-parade-marches-worcester-oct-9-after-4-year-absence Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Four years ago, the tricolor of green, white and red doused Shrewsbury Street with the century-old parade and festivities that celebrated Italian heritage on Columbus Day.  The event with brass bands and floats is set to return on Oct. 9 starting at noon on Aitchison Street near Piccadilly Plaza, and marching down Shrewsbury Street and ending at Union Station.  The parade will breathe new life as the Shrewsbury Street Italian Heritage Parade, after the previous organizing committee of the Worcester Columbus Day Parade was dissolved in December 2018. Committee chair Maria Stella Fiore founded t...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/festa-italiana-celebration-culture-history https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/festa-italiana-celebration-culture-history Wed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Beaver Street was officially declared the city’s own “Little Italy” by Mayor Erin Stewart in honor of the Festa Italiana that took place there Sunday. Visitors to the annual event enjoyed pizza, pasta, wine, bocce, dancing and other Italian delights. The day began with a ceremonial carrying of St. Ann’s Church statue from the parish on North Street to the Generale Ameglio Civic Association, which donated its facility and property for the event. Fr. Israel Rivera presented a sermon in celebration of the special offering.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/town-debates-changing-name-columbus-day https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/town-debates-changing-name-columbus-day Tue, 27 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day? Several residents at the September 19 Select Board meeting argued in favor of changing the name of the holiday in Lincoln, though the speakers were not unanimous.  As of October 2021, more than 20 Massachusetts towns including Boston had changed the name of the holiday, and a statewide Indigenous People’s Day bill is being considered by state legislature.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-celebration-planned-sunday-oct-9 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-heritage-celebration-planned-sunday-oct-9 Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Steve Shire, owner of the well-known Sammy Carlo’s food business on Bennington Street, and Barbara Puopolo, a leader of a seven-generation East Boston family, have announced plans for the first Italian Heritage Celebration, to be held Sunday, Oct. 9 at the Salesian Boys and Girls Club in East Boston. Shire and Puopolo appeared at Monday’s Harbor View Neighborhood Association meeting where they made a brief presentation about the festive, outdoor celebration of Italian heritage. “There’s going to be a lot of entertainment and music, just a fun get-together,” said Scire. “The event will be simil...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/wilmington-sons-daughters-italy-hosting-heritage-month-events https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/wilmington-sons-daughters-italy-hosting-heritage-month-events Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Wilmington Sons and Daughters of Italy will be celebrating Italian Heritage Month in October with a number of events. The events will include a cooking demonstration, art history lecture, concert, car show and a golf outing, and many will take place at the Wilmington Memorial Library, located at 175 Middlesex Ave. "These events have been extremely popular in the past and are always filled to capacity," Michele Caira Nortonen, the co-chair of the Italian Heritage Committee, told Patch. Nortonen continued: "By offering these events and activities to the public at large, residents have an opp...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-group-wants-bridgeport-turn-over-columbus-statue https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-group-wants-bridgeport-turn-over-columbus-statue Mon, 19 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Over two years after Mayor Joe Ganim's abrupt decision to remove the Christopher Columbus statue from Seaside Park and stick it in storage, an Italian American organization has asked the monument be transferred to its custody. "That statue has been lying in a barn  —  in a barn  —  where horses once were," former state Rep. Christopher Caruso of the Council of Italian-American Societies of Greater Bridgeport told members of the park commission Tuesday. "That symbolism itself is disturbing and insulting."  
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/review-book-describes-long-history-immigration-us-and-reasons-it https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/review-book-describes-long-history-immigration-us-and-reasons-it Wed, 14 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 In some ways, nothing has changed. Throughout the long story of immigration to North America, people always did, and still do, come primarily for one reason: economic opportunity. Massachusetts Bay may have been founded as a theocracy, and there have always been refugees from religious and political persecution, but most come to work, to buy homes, start businesses, create wealth, and bring up their children in a place where they can prosper and do better than their parents. Some of them, like the Irish, Italians, and others from Southern and Eastern Europe, as well as Asia, went from being fe...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/ritmi-siciliani-live-sicilian-music https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/ritmi-siciliani-live-sicilian-music Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Thursday, September 29, 2022. 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT. I AM Books - 124 Salem Street - Boston, MA 02113. This is a ticketed event with limited seating. Please purchase your tickets here. Join I AM Books for an evening of traditional and modern Sicilian music with I Beddi! "Di folk in folk" is a performance with sounds, songs, lyrics and tales belonging to Sicily. Love songs, nursery rhymes, ironic mottos, serenades, tarantelle, alternate during the show, coming to life thanks to the sensitivity of these versatile artists. The vibrations of mandolin and marranzano blend with the timbres of the ac...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/noiaw-presents-love-food-sex-family-and-ancient-civilizations-linda-cardillo https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/noiaw-presents-love-food-sex-family-and-ancient-civilizations-linda-cardillo Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Thursday September 22, 2022 — 6:30 p.m. EST. I AM Books, 124 Salem St., Boston MA 02113. Register Here. NOIAW (National Organization of Italian American Women) and I AM Books invite you to a celebration of Italian culture, heritage, and history. Award-winning author Linda Cardillo returns to Salem Street (her home once upon a time and the setting for one of her novels) to talk about writing as an Italian American woman. From the seeds of her immigrant grandparents’ love letters to the passion of the most celebrated poet of 16th-Century Italy, she has woven themes of family, food, guilt, and re...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/celebrate-good-times-come-north-end-series-part-3 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/celebrate-good-times-come-north-end-series-part-3 Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston’s North End culminated with an explosion of Italian pride. While the Feast itself came to Boston by way of Montefalcione, there is no denying that this Feast has Beantown written all over it. Following a Mass in Italian at the North End’s St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church, the statue of St. Anthony is brought to the streets for a 10-hour procession so as many people as possible can venerate this powerful saint. We were able to meet some of the Feast Bands who were preparing to walk with St. Anthony outside the church, all of whom were excited and looking forward...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/way-say-i-love-you-north-end-series-part-2 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/way-say-i-love-you-north-end-series-part-2 Sun, 04 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A streetside Mass provided one of the most moving moments of St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston for me this past weekend. The outdoor Mass in honor of St. Anthony is held the Saturday evening of St. Anthony’s Feast, where Via Di Santa Lucia and Via Di Sant’Antonio meet. This year’s Mass was presided over by Fr. Michael Della Penna, the pastor of the North End’s St. Leonard of Port Maurice Parish, which was the first Catholic church in New England to be founded by Italian immigrants. My mother, Sean, and I were within the first two rows, so our vantage point was excellent.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/finding-montefalcione-north-end-part-1 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/finding-montefalcione-north-end-part-1 Fri, 02 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 It was a celebration not only of ties that bind, but of ties that could be created, then reinforced. This past weekend, Irpinia Stories had the chance to go on the road to Boston, MA, to participate in the North End’s Saint Anthony’s Feast, which is the largest of its kind in New England, as I have written in a previous post. The Feast was brought to the North End by immigrants from Montefalcione, and the tradition has continued for more than 100 years. I have been to the North End on many occasions, my books are sold at I AM Books, and the late Anthony V. Riccio, a dear friend and fellow Ital...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/fruits-summer-and-labor-part-italian-community-life https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/fruits-summer-and-labor-part-italian-community-life Tue, 30 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Many of the societies rented storefronts for use as a clubhouse. This must have been a major accomplishment — providing a physical space in which the business of the organization could be carried out. But equally important, a place for men to socialize and share ideas and comment on the state of affairs. Not many immigrants were overtly political, but many had opinions regarding current events both here and in Italy, and upon gaining citizenship and the voting franchise, many were developing a keener interest in local issues. But the conversations were usually confined to such places that didn...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/open-letter-italians-italian-american-organizations-and-friends-italian-community https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/open-letter-italians-italian-american-organizations-and-friends-italian-community Sun, 28 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Italian American organizations in Massachusetts have seen a revival as of late. The unwarranted attacks on elements of our Heritage have brought attention to the fact that Italian Americans have a rich culture that must be respected and maintained. What is clear is that Italian / Italian American organizations are seeing the need to work together to protect that Heritage.   The traditional Columbus Day Parade in East Boston was not scheduled this year. So as not to lose the essence of this long and popular tradition celebrating Italian American Heritage, the Italian American Alliance is making...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/cooking-alla-giudia-celebration-jewish-food-italy https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/cooking-alla-giudia-celebration-jewish-food-italy Sat, 27 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 “Cooking alla Giudia: A Celebration of the Jewish Food of Italy” is the ultimate tribute to the wonderfully rich, yet still largely unknown, culinary heritage of the Jews of Italy. From Roman deep-fried artichokes (carciofi alla giudia) to Venetian sarde in saor (sweet-and-sour sardines), Apulian orecchiette pasta and Sicilian caponata, some of Italy’s best-known dishes are Jewish in origin. But little is known about the Jewish people in Italy and their culinary traditions.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/author-leo-marino-presents-his-new-book-wooster-place-hagaman-memorial-library-east-haven https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/author-leo-marino-presents-his-new-book-wooster-place-hagaman-memorial-library-east-haven Sat, 27 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Join us at the Hagaman Memorial Library, 227 Main Street on Wednesday, September 7 at 6:30 p.m. for a special author talk and book signing! Leo Marino, author of The house on Greene Street : life and times of a first generation Italian American will talk about his new book Wooster Place. Wooster Place powerfully portrays the lives of people who lived and loved in an era of innocence. True stories of the history of illegal gambling, which was ultimately and recently made legal by the state of Connecticut. This is a story of a strong woman, her lust for love and her obsession with the hierarchy...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/its-beginning-look-lot-san-gennaro-danbury https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/its-beginning-look-lot-san-gennaro-danbury Sun, 21 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The lights are being hung as we speak, and history is about to be made in Danbury, CT. Well, the lights were hung, and then taken down but more on that later. The Galante family is working with the City of Danbury on the 1st annual San Gennaro Festival in Danbury. The Festival begins Wednesday September 7 and runs until Sunday September 11. The Italian Festival or Feast of San Gennaro is so close that the city has begun to hang the lights already. These lights are synonymous with this event, and I'm told these are the official lights that have been hung in Little Italy for so many years.
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