https://www.wetheitalians.com/default https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/meet-phillys-first-family-pole-climbing https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/meet-phillys-first-family-pole-climbing Sat, 20 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Frankie Longo Jr. is climbing in his father's footsteps. The 18-year-old senior at Neumann Goretti High School — and son of grease pole climbing legend Frank Sr. — will take his first crack at scaling the pig lard-slathered pole at the Italian Market Festival this weekend. Pole climbing is practically an Olympic sport for Philadelphians who celebrate our sports teams' success by madly ascending city property, despite it being greased with hydraulic fluid as a deterrent. Pole climbing traces its origins back to Italy and is the marquee event during Philly's annual Italian festival. Dozens of pa...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/samantha-galantini-west-orange-high-school-sports-media-scholar-athlete-week https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/samantha-galantini-west-orange-high-school-sports-media-scholar-athlete-week Thu, 18 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 West Orange Sports Media is proud to celebrate Samantha Galantini as the latest 'Scholar Athlete of the Week'. Samantha, a talented senior, has consistently demonstrated exceptional skills both on the golf course and in the classroom. Samantha's passion for golf has propelled her to great heights. According to recent statistics, she boasts an impressive 9-hole scoring average of 38.6, a testament to her dedication and hard work.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-cinema-celebrated-jxj-dc-jewish-film-music-festival-italian-embassy-washington https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-cinema-celebrated-jxj-dc-jewish-film-music-festival-italian-embassy-washington Thu, 18 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Embassy of Italy in Washington and the JxJ DC Jewish Film & Music Festival organized an event celebrating Italian cinema to mark the screening of producer and director Giuseppe Piccioni’s film The Shadow of the Day (L’ombra del giorno), one of the two Italian motion pictures selected by the ongoing Jewish film and music festival from May 11th through May 21st in Washington. The other Italian film at the festival is Where life begins. The screening of the feature film, which tells a story of love and courage set in the Ascoli Piceno of 1938 and of the Italian racial laws, was followed by a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/franco-harris-way-unveiled-nfl-hall-famers-hometown-mount-holly https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/franco-harris-way-unveiled-nfl-hall-famers-hometown-mount-holly Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 There were a lot of Steelers jerseys in Eagles country on Tuesday morning - but for a special reason. There was street dedication for Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris in his hometown of Mount Holly, Burlington County. "He is Mount Holly's favorite son," said Mount Holly Mayor Chris Banks. Ridgway Street is now Franco Harris Way, and was unveiled by his son, Dok. "It's quite nice, it's a great honor. I think he'll look down and really appreciate this," said Dok. Harris, who died in December, went on to be the first Italian American and first African American to be named Super Bo...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-market-festival-celebrates-heart-and-soul-south-philly https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-market-festival-celebrates-heart-and-soul-south-philly Fri, 12 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The South Ninth Street Italian Market Festival will continue its beloved tradition later this month, bringing food, fun, vendors and more to South Philadelphia. On May 20-21, the festival will wind its way through the entirety of the South Philadelphia shopping, dining and lifestyle district, including a holy procession of the Saints celebrating Saint Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi Church (the first Catholic Italian parish in the US, established in 1852 by Bishop John Neumann). 
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/palminteri-bringing-bronx-tale-ballys-dover https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/palminteri-bringing-bronx-tale-ballys-dover Wed, 10 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Actor, filmmaker and playwright Chazz Palminteri will tell his story of the play and film “A Bronx Tale” at Bally’s Dover’s Rollins Center on June 23 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $40-$100 and will be on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at ballysdover.com. A portion of sales will be donated to the Delaware Italian American Foundation. Mr. Palminteri was born in the Bronx, New York, where he began pursuing his career at The Actors Studio. In 1988, he wrote a play about himself, depicting his childhood and bringing 18 characters to life in a one-man stage commentary. Over the subsequent years, he refused the sale...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-big-gay-italian-midlife-crisis-anthony-j-wilkinson-comes-due-fratelli https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-big-gay-italian-midlife-crisis-anthony-j-wilkinson-comes-due-fratelli Wed, 10 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Since its inception, the Hawthorne Pride Alliance has sponsored an annual theatrical production which helps fund its scholarship program. After a very successful run of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman last year, the HPA has decided to do a much more light-hearted dinner theater experience. This year’s production, My Big Gay Italian Mid Life Crisis by Anthony J. Wilkinson will be presented to the community on May 19th, May 20th, and May 21st at Due Fratelli Restaurant on Diamond Bridge Ave. Anthony J. Wilkinson, who is the writer and creator of the My Big Gay Italian franchise, has been w...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-cultural-institute-and-italian-embassy-washington-announce-eu-open-house-2023 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-cultural-institute-and-italian-embassy-washington-announce-eu-open-house-2023 Wed, 10 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Join the the Embassy of Italy for EU Open House on Saturday, May 13, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and discover the European chanceries around Washington DC. Explore the fascinating world of Italy’s palaces, museums, and other extraordinary places through the “Massimo Listri: Italian Wonder” photo exhibition, co-organized by the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington. Immerse yourself in Italian culture with a dedicated space for the Italian language in the US, in partnership with the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Casa Italiana Language School, and the Italian Cultural Soc...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-vibes-abound-seran-summer-music-festival https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-vibes-abound-seran-summer-music-festival Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 For lovers of great chamber music, the Serafin Summer Music Festival is fast becoming an event not to be missed. This year’s fourth annual festival will take place from June 9 to June 25 with performances in both Wilmington and Lewes, Del. Serafin Ensemble is a group of internationally acclaimed performing artists (string, wind, piano and vocalists) devoted to collaborative chamber music performances. Kate Ransom, CEO/president of the Music School of Delaware and artistic director of the Serafin Ensemble, knows and appreciates the Italian passion for classical music, and the Serafin Summer Mus...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/night-opera-ezio-pinza-claudia-pinza-bozzolla-and-pittsburgh-connection https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/night-opera-ezio-pinza-claudia-pinza-bozzolla-and-pittsburgh-connection Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 When: Thursday, Jun. 8, 2023 at 7:00 PM - Where: Heinz History Center - Ticvketing: $15 non-members, $10 members, $5 students with ID Discover the history of the Pinza family’s tremendous artistic impact on the field of opera in Pittsburgh from guest speaker and Pinza’s grandson Samuele Bozzolla. Hear the story of Italian-born opera singer Ezio Pinza, who came to the United States in the 1920s to perform on Broadway, and his daughter, 
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/yogi-berra-documentary-captures-yankee-legends-life-new-jersey-and-beyond https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/yogi-berra-documentary-captures-yankee-legends-life-new-jersey-and-beyond Wed, 03 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 On a certain street in Montclair, New Jersey, once you arrived at the fork in the road… Just take it, as Yogi Berra might have said. At some point, Edgewood Road splits, and both sides lead to Highland Avenue. That’s where Yogi and Carmen made the home Lindsay Berra recalls from her earliest memories, with summer backyard Wiffle Ball games and grandpa at the grill. There were big family holiday get-togethers and small moments – just Lindsay and her grandfather, watching a boxing match on TV – and usually something wonderful happening in the kitchen.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/music-director-goes-public-secret-stash-private-instruments https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/music-director-goes-public-secret-stash-private-instruments Sat, 29 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Crisp, warm, responsive. The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is on a journey to meet these benchmarks under the baton of music director Gianandrea Noseda. One of the ways in which he's shaping a new sound is through some very old instruments. The oldest is a violin made in 1686 in Cremona, Italy. Since 2019, Noseda has been quietly loaning 17th - 19th century Italian string instruments from his private collection to the NSO. The musicians playing them had no idea that they came from their conductor — until now. "I'm not saying that good instruments make the orchestra; the orchestra is made b...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/drew-maggi-makes-mlb-debut-after-13-years-minors https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/drew-maggi-makes-mlb-debut-after-13-years-minors Fri, 28 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Dreams do come true. Just ask Italian American and former Team Italy player Drew Maggi, who made his big league debut with the Pirates on April 26 after spending 13 years in the minor leagues. At 33 years old, he never held out hope that he would reach this level, and he experienced it with his family in attendance. Fans showered him with admiration when he got to the plate, forcing him to receive his first pitch clock violation.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/rome-nfl-draft-habakkuk-baldonado-discusses-pineapple-pizza-discovering-football-sky-sports-and-his-journey-italy-america https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/rome-nfl-draft-habakkuk-baldonado-discusses-pineapple-pizza-discovering-football-sky-sports-and-his-journey-italy-america Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Pineapple on pizza. The perpetual quarrel. And in the case of Rome's Habakkuk Baldonado, perhaps something of a repellent compromise facing relatives who may wish to visit the NFL prospect. Baldonado grew up worshipping Francesco Totti, before wanting to be Ray Lewis. He grew up conditioned to vilify pineapple on pizza, before living among American reconstructions of his native Italy's famed dish. Where his career path might have changed, pizza preferences have stood their ground.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/hobokens-st-ann-italian-festival-announces-2023-dates https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/hobokens-st-ann-italian-festival-announces-2023-dates Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Hoboken’s St. Ann’s Italian Festival is back for its 113th year. This year, the feast will take place from Friday, July 21st through Wednesday, July 26th at 704 Jefferson Street in Hoboken. Read on for what we know about the 2023 St. Ann Italian Festival in Hoboken. Hoboken has a thriving Italian population. Many who reside here descended from immigrants who came over from San Giacomo, a province of Salerno, Italy which was named after St. James the Apostle. A wave of immigrants came to Hoboken from Italy in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/gianandrea-noseda-reveals-his-secret-collection-rare-italian-string-instruments https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/gianandrea-noseda-reveals-his-secret-collection-rare-italian-string-instruments Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The 2022 – 2023 season marks Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda's sixth season as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington D.C. In June 2022, his contract was extended through the 2026/27 season. It was recently reported Noseda has been loaning 17th-19th century Italian string instruments from his private collection to the NSO. The musicians playing the valuable instruments did not know Noseda was the lender until this recent announcement.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/free-italian-heritage-event-hosted-basking-ridge-chapter-unico https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/free-italian-heritage-event-hosted-basking-ridge-chapter-unico Mon, 17 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Basking Ridge Chapter of Unico National is hosting a free Heritage Event called "Live Like An Italian." The event will be held on Sunday, April 30 from 1 until 2:30 p.m. at the Bernards Township Community Center at 289 South Maple Ave. in Basking Ridge. Guests will learn about the UNICO organization and celebrate the Italian heritage. The event will also include food, familia, traditions, sense of community, holidays and more, plus door prizes. Although the event is free, the chapter asks that guests RSVP to BaskingRidgeUNICO@gmail.com by April 20.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-american-community-cinema-celebrated-washington https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-american-community-cinema-celebrated-washington Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Embassy of Italy and the Middleburg Film Festival organized an evening in Washington celebrating the Italian-American community’s success in film, with a reception and the screening of producer and director Ray Romano’s feature film Somewhere in Queens, a comedy about a family at the heart of the Italian-American community in Queens, New York. “A simple but meaningful story, which highlights the authenticity of an Italian-American family” emphasized Ambassador Zappia at the opening of the event at Cafe Milano in Georgetown, in the heart of Washington, followed by the screening at the AMC T...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-big-gay-italian-midlife-crisis-comes-atlantic-city-next-weekend https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-big-gay-italian-midlife-crisis-comes-atlantic-city-next-weekend Sat, 08 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 It's a big gay weekend in Atlantic City on Saturday the 15th at 8PM in Ovation Hall at the Ocean Resort and Casino when "My Big Gay Italian Midlife Crisis," the third chapter in the "Big Gay" Franchise, marks its official debut at the property. The show made its original debut in December of 2015 at the Snapple Theater Center on 50th Street and Broadway, where it was extended seven times and ran for two years. Anthony Pinnunziato is approaching his forties and is faced with the challenges of balancing his successful company with past and present gay relationships. Crisis includes some of the s...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/baseball-icon-and-philly-native-roy-campanella-fame-far-and-wide-little-recognition-here-home https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/baseball-icon-and-philly-native-roy-campanella-fame-far-and-wide-little-recognition-here-home Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Roy Campanella, the Hall of Fame catcher who grew up in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia, was born more than 100 years ago, yet there are no baseball fields, playgrounds, schools, or streets in the city named after him. Besides earning the National League Most Valuable Player award — three times — “Campy” was such a pioneer for civil rights, and, later in life, for those with disabilities, that it is unfathomable that he merits merely a modest Pennsylvania historical marker outside Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter and a painting on the suite level at Citizens Bank Park.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-chicks-comedy-show-new-jersey https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-chicks-comedy-show-new-jersey Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Saturday April 22, Kathedral Event Center, 499 S. Egg Harbor Road, Hammonton, N.J. Get ready for The Italian Chicks Comedy Show. Comedians include Maryann “Boom Boom” Maisano, a singer, songwriter, musician, comedian, writer, and actor. She was the winner of the New York City Song-writers Festival. Her original song “City of Light,” was recorded by the late Danny Aiello and was nominated for a Grammy. She has opened for comedy greats such as Joy Behar & Ray Romano. Cara Amore has performed throughout the New York and tri-state comedy scene. She was in the acting troupe “Improbable Players” ded...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/screening-tell-it-woman-presented-producer-chiara-tilesi https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/screening-tell-it-woman-presented-producer-chiara-tilesi Thu, 23 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 On March 21, at 6 p.m., at the historic Avalon Theatre in the U.S. capital, the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington organized a screening of producer Chiara Tilesi's film "Tell It Like a Woman," as part of the initiatives dedicated to Women's History Month."An Italian film in Washington that tells with such passion and realism the great capacity of women to create and foster social change around them," Italian Ambassador Mariangela Zappia commented at the opening. "Change that women inspire in all areas, from culture to education, science to politics and diplomacy:...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/night-italian-comedy-eric-dalessandro-and-vic-dibitetto-comes-njpac-april https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/night-italian-comedy-eric-dalessandro-and-vic-dibitetto-comes-njpac-april Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents a night of comedy with the Italian monsters of comedy, Eric D'Alessandro ("Mask Off Remix - Walmart Diss") and Vic DiBitetto (Working Class Zero) on Saturday, April 14, 2023 at 8:00PM. The Goodfellas of comedy. They are comedy in a red sauce. One comes from a large Italian family in Staten Island. The other comes from a large Italian family in Brooklyn, then moved to Staten Island (which is Brooklyn with a cover charge). Now they're joining forces on the Funny How? Tour. Don't miss this hilarious, uncensored comedy duo.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/media-personalities-erin-como-fox-5-dc-nick-iannelli-wtop-host-italian-american-gala-metro-washington-dc-325-dr-anthony-fauci-dr-andrea-piccioli https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/media-personalities-erin-como-fox-5-dc-nick-iannelli-wtop-host-italian-american-gala-metro-washington-dc-325-dr-anthony-fauci-dr-andrea-piccioli Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 UNICO National, the largest Italian American Service Organization in America, plans for an exciting centennial year, celebrating the achievements of the Italian American community in the United States, as well as commemorating the enduring bond between the United States and Italy. UNICO is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a mission to promote a positive image of Italian Americans, one of the largest ethnic groups who are interwoven into the fabric of the United States and have substantially contributed in all areas and industries.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/film-festival-brings-movies-across-globe-umd-community https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/film-festival-brings-movies-across-globe-umd-community Thu, 16 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Restored masterpieces of world cinema were brought to life last week at the University of Maryland’s third edition of the Il Cinema Ritrovato film festival. The festival, hosted at this university by the languages, literatures and cultures school and the cinema and media studies program, features films that have been restored by the Cineteca di Bologna film archive. One of the world’s premiere film restoration centers, the archive’s work involves converting the original analog product of a movie into a digital format, amending any scratches or issues with high-definition color and sound.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/postal-museum-curator-speak-italys-stamps-and-postal-system https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/postal-museum-curator-speak-italys-stamps-and-postal-system Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 AMHS is pleased to announce that our second program of the year will feature a talk by a distinguished guest speaker and AMHS member, Daniel A. Piazza, who will give us an overview of Italian stamps and the Italian postal service. The meeting will take place at Casa Italiana on March 26. Dan has been the Chief Curator of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum since 2014. He is responsible for exhibitions, acquisitions, and research related to the museum’s collection of six million postage stamps and postal artifacts comprising one of the largest such collections in the world. Nearly half of...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/clarks-sofia-diprofio-honored-outstanding-female-athlete-national-women-sports-day https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/clarks-sofia-diprofio-honored-outstanding-female-athlete-national-women-sports-day Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sofia DiProfio, a senior at Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark,  joined over 140 female student-athletes on Feb. 12 in celebration of the 37th Anniversary of National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NAGWS).  NAGWS is recognized in all 50 states to honor the success of female athletes and recognize the struggle for equality for women in sports. Each year, Outstanding Athlete Awards are presented to one individual from each high school, junior college, and college throughout the country and DiProfio was nominated by her coaches at ALJ for her accomplishments as an outstanding female athlete i...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/its-good-fate-worcester-native-lucia-giannetta-hercules https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/its-good-fate-worcester-native-lucia-giannetta-hercules Mon, 06 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Actor/singer and Worcester native Lucia Giannetta's first large-scale theater production since the pandemic is a "Herculean" affair. She's in the cast of the new Disney musical "Hercules" at the famous Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. As fate would have it in a good way, there might be something positive and new coming out of the pandemic experience with regard to theater. "Post-COVID, theater is a little different for me in my experience. You really feel the movement of theater. You feel it growing and expanding," Giannetta said.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pitt-johnstowns-pecora-named-regional-coach-year-21st-time https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pitt-johnstowns-pecora-named-regional-coach-year-21st-time Sat, 25 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Pitt-Johnstown’s Pat Pecora, the winningest coach in all levels of collegiate wrestling, was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Super Region I coach of the year for the 21st time in his career at East Stroudsburg University. Pecora led his Mountain Cats to a 15-0 dual meet record and a share of the program’s seventh consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) dual meet championship with a 7-0 mark in conference duals. The undefeated dual meet season marked the first for his Mountain Cats since 1997-98.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/world-film-festival-march-9-12-il-cinema-ritrovato-tour https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/world-film-festival-march-9-12-il-cinema-ritrovato-tour Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The third Maryland edition of the film festival Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour (Re-discovered Cinema on Tour) takes place from March 9 through March 12, 2023 on campus at College Park (ASY 2203), and at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. It features historic films about revolutionary movements for national independence from around the world, and Buster Keaton’s classics with original live music accompaniment. Screenings are scheduled on campus at the University of Maryland, College Park (ASY 2203) on Thursday, March 9 and Friday, March 10, and off campus at the National Gallery of Art...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/academy-vocal-arts-reimagines-classic-italian-opera-1960s-south-philly https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/academy-vocal-arts-reimagines-classic-italian-opera-1960s-south-philly Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Opera lovers may not expect to see classically-trained singers wearing Phillies caps on stage, but a Philadelphia vocal school is subverting those expectations with their reimagined production of a 19th century show. The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is presenting performances of "Don Pasquale" over the next two weeks, with a twist. While the three-act opera was originally set in 19th-century Rome, AVA is relocating it to 1960s South Philly. "Don Pasquale" is an "opera buffa" (or comic opera, usually presented in Italian) composed by Gaetano Donizetti which premiered in Paris in 1843. The plot f...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/philadelphia-screening-premiere-autumn-beat https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/philadelphia-screening-premiere-autumn-beat Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Thursday, February 23th. Doors open at 5:30 pm Eastern Time – Film starts at 6pm. African-American Museum in Philadelphia 701 Arch St., Philadelphia 19106. Admission to the museum and exhibition: $5. Film screening FREE of charge. Light refreshment will be served. Click here to watch the Trailer. PI-Philly is happy to present, together with the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia screening premiere of "Autumn Beat" (2022), followed by a Q&A with the Director Antonio Dikele Distefano. Distefano is a talented Italian author...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/gianni-schicchi-comic-opera-presented-nj-festivla-orchestra https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/gianni-schicchi-comic-opera-presented-nj-festivla-orchestra Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Saturday, February 25. 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM. Renaissance Church, 639 Mountain Ave, Springfield, NJ 07081. The Sopranos meet The Addams Family in NJFO's production of Gianni Schicchi, Puccini’s rip-roaring comic opera about a last will and testament. Featuring Daniel Klein in the title role and MET Opera's Ashley Emerson as Loretta, a cast of internationally acclaimed guest performers joins NJFO to present this hilarious romp of deception, greed and double-crossing. Beth Greenberg directs, bringing high-jinks and irreverence to this Puccini favorite.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/taste-sicily https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/taste-sicily Mon, 06 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 On Friday, January 20th, 2023, Veronica Di Grigoli took members of the National Capital Lawyers Auxiliary on a virtual journey called “Escape to Sicily.” Little did they know it should really have been called, “A Taste of Sicily.” In an ingenious presentation, Di Grigoli guided the audience through 13 separate invasions of Sicily by highlighting the food and recipes they left behind. Starting with the cave paintings of the Sikeloi, the original tribe that gave Sicily it’s name, Di Grigoli explained the biblical “manna from heaven” is believed to be manna from the Fraxinus Ornus tree that can o...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nabucco-washington-concert-opera https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nabucco-washington-concert-opera Sun, 05 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Wednesday February 15th, 2023 at 6.30 pm. "NABUCCO" with the WASHINGTON CONCERT OPERA. Embassy of Italy - 3000 Whiteheaven Street NW - Washington, DC 20008. RSVP HERE. The evening is a preamble to the Washington Concert Opera’s Nabucco scheduled to be performed on March 4, 2023, in the Lisner Auditorium. For more information about this event visit here.  The Italian Cultural Institute of Washington and the Washington Concert Opera invite you to join Maestro Antony Walker in a discussion on the historical background of Giuseppe Verdi’s "Nabucco" and in a sampling of the opera's extraordinary mu...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nick-sirianni-was-laughed-during-introductory-press-conference-eagles-now-hes-one-laughing https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nick-sirianni-was-laughed-during-introductory-press-conference-eagles-now-hes-one-laughing Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 What a difference two years can make. Just ask Nick Sirianni. On Jan. 29 2021, he had his first press conference as the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite it being his first head coaching job in the NFL, expectations were high as Philadelphia was a team struggling just a few years after winning the Super Bowl. When he was introduced to the media, Sirianni tried to give multiple answers that he seemed ill-prepared for. He talked endlessly about systems when he was asked how he was going to make the team better. “Next thing that’s very important to me is that we build a smart football tea...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/73-festival-di-sanremo-watch-party https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/73-festival-di-sanremo-watch-party Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tuesday February 7, 2023 - 7:00pm. Join the Coccia Institute in watching the livestream of the 2023 Sanremo Music Festival! Italy's most famous and highly anticipated annual music festival launched the careers of such successful artists as Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, Il Volo, and Måneskin. Come watch this year's lineup and enjoy some pizza!  Sponsored by The Coccia Institute for the Italian Experience in America. This event will be held at University Hall - 1040 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ. Admission: Open to the public. Fee: Free. Contact: Gabriella Socio Phone: 732 484-2373 Email: cocc...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/academy-vocal-arts-present-production-don-pasquale-set-1960s-south-philadelphia https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/academy-vocal-arts-present-production-don-pasquale-set-1960s-south-philadelphia Fri, 27 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Philadelphia's prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts will present Gaetano Donizetti's "opera buffa" Don Pasquale this February - with a hometown twist. Audiences will be taken on a sentimental adventure, as the opera will be set in mid-60s South Philadelphia. This production will evoke nostalgia for that time, from the golden age of the Italian Market to plastic covers on furniture. Be transported back to this era of Dick Clark's Bandstand, Frankie Avalon, and Wilt Chamberlin on the Sixers. Have Sunday night dinner with the Italian family that you never knew you wanted (or needed!) in your life. A...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/american-ownership-team-acquires-italian-basketball-team https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/american-ownership-team-acquires-italian-basketball-team Fri, 27 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 After more than 20 years, American ownership has returned to the highest level of professional basketball in Italy, the “Serie A”. Cotogna Sports Group (CSG), a company founded in 2022 by a group of students of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has purchased 90% of Pallacanestro Trieste, a professional basketball team based in Trieste, a city that sits on the most north-eastern Italian border and with strong ties with the USA in its past. The only previous American ownership in Italian basketball was the acquisition of Olimpia Milano by the Italian-American entrepreneur Pas...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/real-field-dreams-pittsburghs-northside-sandlot-football https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/real-field-dreams-pittsburghs-northside-sandlot-football Tue, 24 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Art Rooney’s name should ring a bell. He was the fellow who started sandlot football on the Northside of Pittsburgh. He eventually turned a semi-professional football team into the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty.  Beginning with the Hope Harvey football team (1920s), Rooney was a player/coach. He was the quarterback, while brothers Dan and Jim played alongside. Brother Vince had the duties of water boy. They changed into their homemade uniforms in the N.S. Hope Ward Firehouse. Art’s pal, Dr. Walter Harvey, would care for injured players without charge. Sometime between the Pittsburgh Pirates pro...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/marco-langon-qualifies-united-states-team-world-cross-country-championships https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/marco-langon-qualifies-united-states-team-world-cross-country-championships Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Villanova freshman Marco Langon (Raritan, N.J.) recorded the most significant milestone to date of his young collegiate career and did so on a big stage during competition at the USATF Cross Country Championships on Saturday afternoon. Langon raced in the U20 Men's division and recorded a third place finish which earned him the opportunity to test himself against the top distance runner in the world. His finish on Saturday qualified him for the United States team that will head to the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia next month. The top six finishers in Saturd...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/who-nick-sirianni-eagles-head-coach-his-salary-contract-net-worth-age-wife-and-kids https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/who-nick-sirianni-eagles-head-coach-his-salary-contract-net-worth-age-wife-and-kids Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The Head coach of Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Sirianni, is making headlines after a clip of him from Saturday night’s game started making rounds online, know about his salary and net worth. For those who are unversed, let us tell you, in the footage the 41-year-old coach seemed to be yelling and cursing “I know what the f*ck I’m doing,” at a ref, which has now become a meme.  The social media users are using the footage to showcase all sorts of their emotions as they share the seven seconds long video. Meanwhile there are many who want to know more about the coach, including his wife and childre...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/jerry-blavat-geator-heater-dies-82 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/jerry-blavat-geator-heater-dies-82 Sat, 21 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Jerry Blavat, the fast-talking Philadelphia DJ and impresario known as “The Geator with the Heater,” has died at 82. His tireless promotion of pioneering Black artists of the 1950s and 1960s shaped the pop music culture of the city where he maintained an iconic presence for seven decades. Mr. Blavat first came to fame as a dancer on the teen-targeted pop music television show Bandstand in the 1950s. Having learned to jitterbug watching his mother, aunts, and uncles dance to Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey records — ”The Italians, when the radio was on, they would start to dance,” he said — he quic...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/s-amore-film-screening https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/s-amore-film-screening Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 When: Friday, February 10, 2023  at 6:00 PM EST - Where: Heinz History Center “That’s Amore” is a romantic comedy and a truly delightful story about family, friends, love and living. It is character driven with performances that will make you laugh and cry, filled with moments and personal relationships that the entire family will enjoy.   The story revolves around Lucia Lombardi (played by Tammy Pescatelli) a single, middle-aged nurse who lives with her feisty but ailing mother Rosa (played by Barbara Russell). Lucia finds herself in a difficult situation when she makes a deal with Rosa that...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/giorgio-litts-powerful-documentary-vagrant-screens-spring-2023-new-jersey-film-festival https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/giorgio-litts-powerful-documentary-vagrant-screens-spring-2023-new-jersey-film-festival Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Vagante (Vagrant), a short film directed by Giorgio Litt, opens the eyes of viewers to the harsh realities of the state of stray dogs in Italy. Following the story of one man named Stefano as he attempts to save as many dogs as possible, this short film dives into the true horrors of abandonment and abuse that these animals experience in rural Sicily.  Stefano’s individual interviews throughout the short film showcase the evident increase in stray dogs throughout Italy, as well as the worsening of their health and environmental conditions. Reflecting on his original visits to Sicily as a young...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/parsippany-wrestling-pasta-dinner-fundraiser-was-huge-success https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/parsippany-wrestling-pasta-dinner-fundraiser-was-huge-success Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 The cooking crew of Morris County’s Sons of Italy ~ Lodge 2561, armed with their pots, pans, and culinary skills, arrived at Parsippany’s Police Athletic Building, 33 Baldwin Road, to provide and prepare a hearty Italian dinner of pasta, meatballs, in support of Parsippany Wrestling Annual Pasta Dinner Fundraiser. Over Three Hundred attendees were expected as ticket sales were brisk, so the Lodge knew there would be a lot of hungry adults and children in the house. Head Chefs Joe Jannarone Jr. and John Gangone arrived around noon to prepare the homemade sauce for dinner, which was scheduled to...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/night-italian-opera-offers-music-and-food-fans-all-things-italian https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/night-italian-opera-offers-music-and-food-fans-all-things-italian Mon, 16 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 If you like Italian opera and Italian food, mark your calendar for Feb. 11. The Wheeling Symphony’s SoundBites Concert Series is offering a celebration of Italian heritage with an event called A Night At The Italian Opera. You can choose to attend a gourmet Italian meal at the Capitol Theatre Ballroom at 5 p.m., or just the concert in the theatre at 6:30. It’s presented by Tecnocap, an Italian company with a facility in Glen Dale.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-mothers-italian-my-fathers-jewish-and-im-therapy https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-mothers-italian-my-fathers-jewish-and-im-therapy Mon, 16 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 When: Wed, Feb 8, 2023 at 2:00 PM - Where: Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St, Bristol, PA, 19007 Steve Solomon is back by Popular Demand! Prepare to laugh! Prepare to cry! Prepare to join Steve Solomon for the updated, and funnier than ever, My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy!
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/ciao-delco-and-widener-university-present-italian-entertainers-concert https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/ciao-delco-and-widener-university-present-italian-entertainers-concert Fri, 13 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 CIAO Delco and Widener University will present singers Chris Ruggiero and Steve Silicato in concert, 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5 at Widener University Alumni Auditorium, 1 University Place, Chester. Donation is $25, which includes concert and refreshments and hors’ douvres during intermission. The event is sponsored by Cento, as well as Widener University and the groups of CIAO Delco: ARA Delco, ARA Delaware Valley, Columbus Memorial Assoc., Justinian Society and Societa Da Vinci, Sons and Daughters of Italy and the St. Anthony diPadova Society.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/goodfellas-comedy-eric-dalessandro-and-vic-dibitetto-are-performing-njpac-april-15-how-get-tix https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/goodfellas-comedy-eric-dalessandro-and-vic-dibitetto-are-performing-njpac-april-15-how-get-tix Fri, 13 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Standups Vic DiBitetto and Eric D’Alessandro are coming to New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Betty Wold Johnson Stage on April 15, 2023 at 8 p.m. and tickets are on sale now. D’Alessandro, a Staten Island native who in December 2022 sold out two shows at the St. George Theatre, will be performing with Brooklyn native Vic DiBitetto for their Funny How? Tour.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pianists-rome-delight-audience-casa-italiana https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pianists-rome-delight-audience-casa-italiana Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 AMHS members and their guests were recently treated to an outstanding performance by two very talented pianists visiting from Rome. The musicians, Vincent Catalano and Katrina Sudman, performed at Casa Italiana on December 11, 2022. Their trip had been months in the planning, since AMHS President Ray LaVerghetta visited Italy last spring. That is when he met Vincent and his wife Katrina who now live in Rome. They finally arrived here a few days before the concert and were hosted by Peter Bell and then Robert D’Onofrio. 
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/beppe-gambetta-mike-guggino-and-barrett-smith-plan-concerts-prallsville-mills https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/beppe-gambetta-mike-guggino-and-barrett-smith-plan-concerts-prallsville-mills Sun, 08 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Prallsville Mills hosts guitarist Beppe Gambetta, in concert with Mike Guggino and Barrett Smith of Steep Canyon Rangers, Jan. 13 and 14. Shows are at 8 p.m. Jan. 13, and 3 p.m. Jan. 14, at the Mill, 33 Risler St., Stockton, N.J. Gambetta is an acoustic guitarist, songwriter, producer and teacher whose art is fueled by the curiosity that arises from his journeys, personal encounters and keen research. He has brought forgotten artists back to life, invented and popularized many acoustic guitar techniques, produced unforgettable shows and released a plenitude of original music for which he is lo...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/south-jersey-times-boys-basketball-notebook-west-deptford-once-again-has-italian-flavor https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/south-jersey-times-boys-basketball-notebook-west-deptford-once-again-has-italian-flavor Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 For the second time in four seasons, J McKeown is brushing up on his Italian. Back in 2020, the veteran coach of the West Deptford boys basketball team saw foreign exchange student Antonello Baggi make a huge impact for an Eagles team that went 21-8. Coming into this season, he was happy to welcome in another import from across the pond in junior guard/forward Andrea Trazzi, who hails from the same region in Italy as Baggi. “He’s such a good kid character wise,” McKeown said. “He’s doing well academically in school and he just got some award for character. The teachers love him. I wish I had a...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/jimmy-roselli-biopic-about-frank-sinatra-contemporary-works-james-ivory-emp-remarkable-media https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/jimmy-roselli-biopic-about-frank-sinatra-contemporary-works-james-ivory-emp-remarkable-media Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Call Me By Your Name Oscar winner James Ivory is behind a new biopic about Italian American pop singer Jimmy Roselli, who was a competitive voice at a time when Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin were dominating. J.D. Zeik, screenwriter of Robert De Niro pic Ronin, has penned the screenplay. Roselli grew up in Hoboken five houses down from Sinatra, some considering his vocal talents superior to Sinatra’s. Frank’s mother Dolly privately considered Jimmy her favorite singer. But due to his combative personality and refusal to yield to mob pressure to control him and his earnings, Rosell...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/remembering-joey-giardello-south-philly-boxing-champ-who-beat-hurricane-carter-and-sued-over-hollywood-biopic https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/remembering-joey-giardello-south-philly-boxing-champ-who-beat-hurricane-carter-and-sued-over-hollywood-biopic Mon, 26 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Joey Giardello wasn’t born with that name, but it’s the one that became famous. Well, famous enough to land him a statue on East Passyunk Avenue, and to bring standing prominent enough for a defamation suit over a Hollywood movie starring Denzel Washington. (The lawyer who got that suit settled, George Bochetto, has a connection to another statue: the one of Christopher Columbus in Marconi Plaza.) Way before all that, Giardello was an NYC kid who enlisted in the army, learned to box, landed in South Philly, and was managed by a dude with alleged mafia connections. He was a good enough boxer th...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/dec-24-declared-franco-harris-day-city-pittsburgh https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/dec-24-declared-franco-harris-day-city-pittsburgh Sun, 25 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Christmas Eve is officially “Franco Harris Day” in the City of Pittsburgh, Mayor Ed Gainey announced. “50 years ago today Franco Harris made the immaculate reception and led the way to the Steelers winning 4 Super Bowls,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “Today we honor not just his talents on the field, but his success off of it. Pittsburgh will always remember him for his generosity and kind spirit. May his memory is a blessing for all of us.” Harris, a Pittsburgh Steelers Hall-of-Famer, died overnight on Dec. 21. He was 72. Franco was the first African-American and the first Italian-American to be nam...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/rock-roll-hall-famer-and-nj-guy-dino-danelli-rascals-dead-78 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/rock-roll-hall-famer-and-nj-guy-dino-danelli-rascals-dead-78 Sat, 24 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Dino Danelli had an amazing creative career. He was born in Jersey City to an Italian American family and by the time he was 17 he had played drums for jazz legend Lionel Hampton then took the train south and ended up playing soul, blues and R & B in New Orleans. He found a band that he liked, convinced them to come back to Jersey and played around a bit still searching for the right mix. In 1964, at the height of The Beatles, he found Eddie Brigati, then Felix Cavaliere and Canadian blue-eyed Gene Cornish who came to form the Young Rascals after composing some new material, they did one of th...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/franco-harris-parents-were-why-his-fans-called-themselves-italian-army https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/franco-harris-parents-were-why-his-fans-called-themselves-italian-army Thu, 22 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Franco Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hall of Fame running back, has passed away at age 79. Here’s a look at the NFL icon’s family and parents. Back in the day, Franco’s fans banded together and called themselves Franco’s Italian Army. They also wore World War II-inspired helmets with text written on them, to support the star. However, Franco’s parents were the reason that the name came to be in the first place. Franco was born on March 7, 1950, to African American father Cad Harris, who was a soldier, and an Italian mother, Gina Parenti. The New York Times notes that Gina hailed from Pisa, Ital...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nfl-legend-franco-harris-known-immaculate-reception-dead-72 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/nfl-legend-franco-harris-known-immaculate-reception-dead-72 Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers running back who was known for making a miraculous grab in the AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Oakland Raiders in 1972, has died. He was 72. Harris’ death came days before the Steelers were set to retire his No. 32 jersey and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception" at Acrisure Stadium. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin talked about Harris’ catch on Tuesday when he addressed reporters. "I was in Section 135 that day. I was eight months old. I think it's funny. Surprisingly, I’ve probably met 75,000 people that were there that...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/itll-take-army-francos-italian-army-fifty-years-later https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/itll-take-army-francos-italian-army-fifty-years-later Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 At the end of each calendar year, we reflect on the events of the past 12 months, noting the moments that stand out. Sometimes we look back farther into our shared history and recall the decades, acknowledging milestone events. This year the region reflects on one of the most exciting plays in NFL history, the “Immaculate Reception,” which celebrates its 50th Anniversary on December 23, 2022. This commemoration led me to examine the collections the History Center holds related to the fan group known as Franco’s Italian Army and consider what the “Army” tells us about Pittsburgh’s Italian Ameri...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/running-fast-lane https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/running-fast-lane Fri, 09 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 In the sport of cross-country running (XC), very few Italian Americans have made a mark. Indeed, looking down the list of this year's NCAA XC Men's Championship race, held in late November at Oklahoma University, very few Italian-American names appear. (This finding is based on identifiable surnames or other, personal sources.) The championship race was comprised of the top 250 collegiate runners from a pool of nearly 15,000 competitors. Among the few Italian Americans who do appear in the list is Marco Langon, from Villanova University and the heavily Italian American town of Raritan, NJ. Bar...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/come-celebrate-italian-space-dc https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/come-celebrate-italian-space-dc Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C. in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Space Agency, cordially welcomes space industry players and shareholders to attend a full day of celebrating Italy’s “National Space Day” and exploring new opportunities. The activities are planned for Thursday, December 15th. The whole morning will be dedicated to B2B sessions between Italian and U.S. industry leaders. All industry players interested in participating in the B2B sessions should express their interest to: houston@ice.it
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/la-traviata-sopac-its-opera-ive-connected-most-says-conductor-jason-tramm https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/la-traviata-sopac-its-opera-ive-connected-most-says-conductor-jason-tramm Sat, 26 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 When it comes to making music, conductor Jason C. Tramm throws himself into a little bit of everything. I don’t bother asking him why. It’d be like asking the sun why it shines. He’s just doing what he was born to do. His calendar has returned to pre-pandemic levels after nearly three years of COVID-19 cancellations. “There’s so much going on and I can barely keep up with it, but it’s a thrill,” he says. “Everything’s incredibly back to live music-making with colleagues I’d missed so much.” He wraps up this busy month with a concert version of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata,” presented by Seton...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/luca-costabile-nearly-didnt-join-maryland-mens-soccer-hes-now-one-its-key-cogs https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/luca-costabile-nearly-didnt-join-maryland-mens-soccer-hes-now-one-its-key-cogs Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Maryland men’s soccer’s Luca Costabile didn’t know anything about college soccer in June. He played for an academy in his home country of Denmark and spent a year in the fourth division of Italy before former teammates who made the switch to the United States convinced him to listen to offers from American colleges. Costabile signed to a recruiting agency and was contacted by the Terps just more than a month before he would need to report for college soccer’s preseason training in August. After taking a call from coach Sasho Cirovski, he asked his friend what he knew about Maryland and receive...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/anthony-rodia-road-rage-tour-coming-bergenpac https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/anthony-rodia-road-rage-tour-coming-bergenpac Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A first-generation Italian-American born and raised in Westchester, NY, Anthony Rodia came out of the womb making people laugh. With over 900,000 social media followers and over 22 million YouTube views, audiences love Rodia’s candidness about his personal life and razor-sharp observations on marriage, parenthood, road rage, and everything else worthy of a social media rant. With the onset of quarantine, Anthony made the most of a captive audience, delivering weekly videos. “ROAD RAGE WEDNESDAY” became a fan favorite. His Uncle Vinny and Zia Lucia characters transformed into a phenomenon.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/yo-adrian-i-did-it-philadelphia-sees-thousands-channel-rocky-balboa-rocky-run https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/yo-adrian-i-did-it-philadelphia-sees-thousands-channel-rocky-balboa-rocky-run Mon, 14 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Thousands of runners in Philadelphia channeled their inner Rocky Balboa Saturday, participating in the Rocky Run. Runners took to the streets to have the chance to complete a 5K, 10K or the full Italian Stallion half-marathon. The run, inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s infamous city run in the Rocky films, will see all proceeds from this year’s event benefit the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/birth-new-biccari-philadelphia https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/birth-new-biccari-philadelphia Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 When: Sat, November 19, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM EST - Where: History of Italian Immigration Museum 1834 East Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19148 Birth of New Biccari in Philadelphia is a bilingual book (Italian & English) that tells the story of a select family of Italian immigrants from the Comune di Biccari (Italy - Region of Puglia; Province of Foggia) who between the end of the 19th century and the initial years of the 20th century emigrated to Philadelphia to form a “New Biccari”.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/chazz-palminteri-brings-bronx-tale-one-man-show-pittsburgh https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/chazz-palminteri-brings-bronx-tale-one-man-show-pittsburgh Sun, 06 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 What do a charismatic mob boss, an Italian-American boy being brought up in a law-abiding family, and Bill Mazeroski have in common? They all factor into actor, writer, director and producer Chazz Palminteri’s “A Bronx Tale.” Before it was a movie, it was a one-man stage play and the 70-year-old Palminteri is bringing it to Pittsburgh’s Byham Theater next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 11 and 12) as part of a national tour revival. Any 9-year-old baseball fan living in the Pittsburgh area during the fall of 1960 undoubtedly enjoyed one of the most thrilling moments of their lives on Oct. 13. That’s...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-big-gay-italian-funeral-comes-ocean-casino-resort-november-12th https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/my-big-gay-italian-funeral-comes-ocean-casino-resort-november-12th Fri, 28 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Anthony J. Wilkinson returns to Ocean Casino Resort on Saturday, November 12 for My Big Gay Italian Funeral in Ovation Hall. This is the sequel to the Off-Broadway hit comedy, My Big Gay Italian Wedding and includes some of the same characters you know and love. Doors open at 7:00pm; showtime is 8:00pm. My Big Gay Italian Funeral picks up where My Big Gay Italian Wedding left off, at the funeral of Anthony’s father Joe. Anthony is reunited with his gay brother Peter Pinnunziato, who he hasn’t spoken to in over a decade. Personalities and culture collide in this music and comedy-filled extravag...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/michael-bonasera-takes-us-history-italian-immigration-museum https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/michael-bonasera-takes-us-history-italian-immigration-museum Tue, 25 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Dom welcomes Michael Bonasera, Chairman and Curator of the History of the Italian Immigration Museum, to tell what’s been going on at the museum on Columbus Day. First, Dom and Michael remember the time that Michael inducted Giordano into the museum, placing him between Frank Sinatra and Frank Rizzo. Then, Bonasera tells what’s recently been added to the museum, with producer Dan asking if he could be inducted as a great Italian American who happens to be Polish. In addition, Bonasera tells about the great Italian heritage in South Philadelphia, plugging also the Mario Lanza museum and a nearb...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/mpac-presents-comedian-eric-dalessandro https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/mpac-presents-comedian-eric-dalessandro Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) presents comedian Eric D’Alessandro on Saturday, November 5 at 7:00pm.  The New York native has always found his place in the spotlight. His passion for comedy is equally credited to his creative mindset, as well as his big Italian-American family which inspires his raw comedic sketches and uncensored, relatable rhetoric. Adults Only. Mature content and language. 18+/adult content. Having grown up with a camera in his hand, Eric created a YouTube channel where he developed his comedic skills from a young age. Through his sketches which feature original charac...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/vito-friscia-named-iabf-future-star-award-honoree https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/vito-friscia-named-iabf-future-star-award-honoree Sun, 23 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Phillies prospect and Team Italia player Vito Friscia is the 2022 IABF Future Star honoree. He will be honored at the annual IABF Gala in Brooklyn on December 1. Friscia, a Long Island native, is a Triple A catcher in the Phillies organization. A product of Hofstra University, he wore the uniform of the Italian national team for the first time during the 2021 European Championship. He hit three home runs in matches against Austria (grand slam), Croatia and Israel. The IABF Future Star Award is presented annually to a young Italian American player who is working hard to achieve the ultimate goa...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/prelude-famous-italian-car-race-comes-middleburg https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/prelude-famous-italian-car-race-comes-middleburg Sat, 22 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Drivers shouldn’t be surprised if they see some rare and vintage sports cars rumbling through the Virginia countryside Friday, and into D.C. on Saturday. The 1000 Miglia Warm Up USA is in town, with Middleburg, Virginia, as its home base. It’s put on in cooperation with organizers of the original 1000 Miglia (Italian for 1000 miles) in Italy. “They started looking around for places that embodied that small, rural town feeling of Italy,” said Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton. The top two finishers of the 19 vintage entries — including cars manufactured between 1927 and 1957 — will be able to r...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/russo-brothers-italian-american-film-forum-2022 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/russo-brothers-italian-american-film-forum-2022 Fri, 21 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The National Italian American Foundation and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America are excited to present the top three grant finalists for The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum, an initiative to fund films depicting and exploring the Italian American experience for the benefit of future generations. experience for the benefit of future generations. This exciting event will be a part of NIAF’s 47th Anniversay Gala Weekend in Washington D.C. October 29, 9 am, Omni Shore Hotel. This event is FREE and open to the public! Join us in viewing all three film projects and a Q&A with the f...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/candice-guardinos-italian-bred-comes-njpac-november-4 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/candice-guardinos-italian-bred-comes-njpac-november-4 Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) welcomes the Candice Guardino's Italian Bred on Friday, November 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. Back by popular demand! In her one-woman show Italian Bred, actress and storyteller Candice Guardino shares a heartfelt look at her quirky childhood on Staten Island. With humor and skill, Candice impersonates all of the members of her sitcom-worthy family, from her matter-of-fact father to her outspoken, chain-smoking grandmother. From learning to make meatballs to learning how to drive, Italian Bred is a story of growing up filled with hilarious, universal truths th...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/tiberi-earns-boxing-hall-fame-honor-atlantic-city https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/tiberi-earns-boxing-hall-fame-honor-atlantic-city Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Before every bout, boxer Dave Tiberi meditated on the same Biblical verse: “I can do ALL through Christ, who strengthens me.” He often does so today, 30 years after his last fight, a fight that Boxing News called “the great robbery” and “one of the most infamous decisions in boxing history.” “I believe God has me in the community to be a light, and that light ties into my Italian heritage to lead by action,” he said. And lead he does, in multiple nonprofits. “I’m very community-minded.”
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/princeton-folk-music-society-presents-beppe-gambetta https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/princeton-folk-music-society-presents-beppe-gambetta Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Guitarist Beppe Gambetta presents a fusion of American and Italian folk music traditions at a concert presented by the Princeton Folk Music Society on Friday, October 21 at 8 p.m., at Christ Congregational Church, 50 Walnut Lane. Gambetta is a guitar master (think Earl Scruggs meets Richard Thompson) who taught himself to flat-pick by listening to bluegrass LPs. He combines the folk music of Italy and points east with the bluegrass style of Kentucky. Gambetta is also a vocalist.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/author-present-his-sinatra-research-unico-meeting https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/author-present-his-sinatra-research-unico-meeting Wed, 12 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 UNICO Rehoboth Area will open its annual meeting season with a presentation about Frank Sinatra at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 in the St. Edmond Parish Hall. The guest speaker for the evening will be Richard Muti, a Rehoboth Area Chapter member and award-winning writer, who will present a Power Point lecture about his sixth book, “Cent’Anni: The Sinatra Legend at 100.” The book grew out of Muti’s lifelong interest in Sinatra and love of his music. Meticulously researched and vetted by its publisher, the book became a finalist in the USA Best Book Awards of 2015. “Sinatra,” Muti’s first screenplay, adapted...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/saint-joseph-fathers-club-announces-italian-night https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/saint-joseph-fathers-club-announces-italian-night Fri, 07 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Saint Joseph Fathers Club is proud to announce a new community event - Italian Night - coming to the Catanzaro Dining Hall on Friday, October 21. A wide variety of Italian dishes will be cooked and served by the fathers of Falcons past and present. Doors open at 5pm and close at 8pm.  Italian Night is a new entry in a longstanding tradition of bringing people together over the cooking of the Fathers Club. During the Lenten season, they offer up their annual Fish Fry. They are also at home football games, making hot dogs and hamburgers for fans to enjoy as they watch the Falcons compete.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-pride-will-be-full-display-all-month-parades-festivals-rocky-musical-golf-outings-comedy-stylings-and-all-you-can-eat https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-pride-will-be-full-display-all-month-parades-festivals-rocky-musical-golf-outings-comedy-stylings-and-all-you-can-eat Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Broadway musical version of “Rocky” finally makes its triumphant premiere! “ROCKY, the Musical,” based on the Academy Award-winning film, features new musical numbers, along with favorites including “Eye of the Tiger” and “Gonna Fly Now.” (Starts Oct. 4, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St, Philadelphia. www.walnutstreettheatre.org) Dedicated to the memory of Edward McBride of PECO this year, the annual Italian-American Pride Day begins with 10 a.m. Mass at St. Monica’s Church at 17th and Ritner streets. Following Mass, a parade commences from Broad and Snyder at noon and makes its way to...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/iabf-organizes-italian-heritage-night-nationals-park https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/iabf-organizes-italian-heritage-night-nationals-park Tue, 04 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Thank you, Nationals, for an incredible experience on #ItalianHeritage Night! IABF officials Joe Quagliano, Carmine Gangone and Chris Vaccaro were joined on field by GM Mike Rizzo, young pitcher Cade Cavalli and coach Gary DiSarcina. They’re all very proud of their Italian American heritage. IABF felt it was necessary to have representatives from the Italian Embassy to share in the cultural exchange. Alessandro Gonzales, deputy chief of mission (No. 2 in the #ItalianEmbassy) and Michela Carboniero, the director of social affairs, joined us on field. We were also joined in the stands by colleag...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/famed-italian-tenor-sing-ahs-thursday https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/famed-italian-tenor-sing-ahs-thursday Thu, 29 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Opera tenor Alberto Profeta, known as the “Pavarotti of Sicily," will project his voice at the new Arlington High School auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. Sabato “Tino” D'Agostino, AHS director of band and orchestra, told YourArlington: “I was able to catch Maestro Profeta for this concert because I have known him for a while and I have also played with him (we just played in Chicago with him). He is an amazing singer.” The event is free, but donations are accepted. Presenting “famous Italian arias and songs,” Profeta will be supported by Maxim Lubarsky on piano; Salvatore DiFusco, guit...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/otello-rossinis-not-verdis-staged-philadelphia https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/otello-rossinis-not-verdis-staged-philadelphia Wed, 28 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Rossini’s “Otello” premiered in 1816, and the musical adaptation of Shakespeare's famous play was a hit for seven decades. Then Verdi’s version debuted in 1887 and was acclaimed as a pinnacle of the art form, causing Rossini’s version to recede into a rarity.Opera Philadelphia excavated it Friday night at the Academy of Music for its O22 festival in a showcase for tenor Lawrence Brownlee, the company’s artistic adviser. “If you put it in the context of a year it was written, it is such a modern opera,” said Philadelphia music director Corrado Rovaris, who is conducting the run. “It was a great...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-comedy-wedding-fundraiser-rsvps-due-oct-10 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italian-comedy-wedding-fundraiser-rsvps-due-oct-10 Tue, 27 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Ovation Dinner Theater and the Italian-American Heritage Club will present “Joey and Gina's Italian Comedy Wedding” at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15, at the CHEER Community Center, 20520 Sand Hill Road, Georgetown. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. The fundraiser supports scholarships to benefit Sussex County high school seniors. It is a full wedding, so guests should be ready for plenty of eating, dancing and frivolity. With audience participation, everything and anything that can go wrong does.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pittsburgh-premiere-set-bruno-sammartino-documentary https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pittsburgh-premiere-set-bruno-sammartino-documentary Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 From humble Italian immigrant to world wrestling champion, Bruno Sammartino led a remarkable life. Fans can learn more about the late Pittsburgh legend when The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum ― part of the Sen. John Heinz History Center — hosts the Pittsburgh premiere screening of the film “Bruno Sammartino” at 7 p.m. Oct. 6. The documentary follows Sammartino’s improbable rise as a man who held honor above fame and dignity above fortune. After fleeing the Nazis with his family as a young boy in Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Italy, during World War II, he arrived in Pittsburgh and started a new l...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/baroque-hurdy-gurdy-francesco-giusta-and-elena-buttiero-italy-new-york-pennsylvania-and-maryland https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/baroque-hurdy-gurdy-francesco-giusta-and-elena-buttiero-italy-new-york-pennsylvania-and-maryland Tue, 20 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 On Saturday 8 October at 6pm an unusual tour of original Baroque music concerts for hurdy-gurdy and harpsichord will kick off in New York at Saint John's in the Village (218 W 11th St, New York, NY 10014). The program is entitled "The Baroque Hurdy-Gurdy at the French Royal Court" and the protagonists will be the Italian musicians Francesco Giusta at the hurdy-gurdy and Elena Buttiero at the harpsichord. On the program pieces by Antonio Vivaldi, Charles Baton, Philibert de La Vigne, Nicolas Chédeville, Charles Buterne. Francesco Giusta is a virtuoso of the baroque hurdy-gurdy and plays an extr...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/screening-americas-last-little-italy-hill https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/screening-americas-last-little-italy-hill Fri, 16 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 When: Thu, Oct 6, 2022 at 6:00 PM - Where: Montvale Public Library, 12 Depiero Dr, Montvale, NJ, 07645 In celebration of Italian American Heritage Month, join us for a screening of America's Last Little Italy: The Hill, which explores the roots of the Hill neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. Afterwards, join us for a discussion with Joseph Puleo, the documentary's director!
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/deck-two-baseball-themed-events https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/deck-two-baseball-themed-events Thu, 15 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Baseball at the National Postal Museum AMHS is pleased to offer an opportunity for a guided tour of the National Postal Museum’s baseball exhibit on Sunday afternoon, October 2, 2022. The free tour will be given by the museum’s curator, Daniel A. Piazza, who recently gave the AMHS a virtual talk on Italian stamps (see related article on page 3). The exhibit will feature stamps and artifacts including those of Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra, and it explores the surprising ways that baseball and postal history have been deeply intertwined since the early 20th century.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bari-club-celebrates-100-years-italian-heritage-and-fellowship-vandergrift https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bari-club-celebrates-100-years-italian-heritage-and-fellowship-vandergrift Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Vandergrift’s oldest Italian social club celebrated a major milestone last Saturday, Aug. 27. The Bari Club, the sole surviving Italian social club in the borough, celebrated its 100th anniversary with wall-to-wall well-wishers celebrating all things Italian. “All the other Italian clubs are gone in Vandergrift,” said Frank “Beans” Moliterno, 92, the financial secretary and oldest regular member of the club. Moliterno became a Bari member 67 years ago.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bambino-hays https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/bambino-hays Mon, 29 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 A few months ago, I was introduced to Rich Talarico. We began a series of conversations, and during one of our talks, we realized we had something in common: Hays, Pennsylvania (the bygone Italian-Pittsburgh enclave that shaped my childhood). Rich told me about his great uncle, Ollie Carnegie, who played ball for 15 seasons across the game’s farm system. It was a new story from my old neighborhood, and I had to learn more. I reached out to my Uncle Joe Falce, who, at 95, is the official historian of Hays. As it turned out, Joe’s older brother, Lou, played on the same Hays team as Ollie. Joe la...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/evening-italian-baroque-music-concordia-chamber-players https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/evening-italian-baroque-music-concordia-chamber-players Sat, 27 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 On September 10, Concordia Chamber Players will present an evening of Italian Baroque music featuring the works of female composers of the 17th century for ChamberFest 2022. Some of the lesser-known composers featured on the program are Catarina Assandra, Barbara Strozzi, Isabella Leonardo, and Francesca Caccini. The group returns to the barn at rustic Glen Oaks Farm where a “gutsy, plucky band” presents Il Fattore XX. The featured musicians, all specialists in Baroque music, include Edwin Huizinga and Manami Mizumoto on violin, soprano Chelsea Helm, Elliot Figg on harpsichord and Concordia Ar...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/solving-mystery-stolen-mona-lisa https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/solving-mystery-stolen-mona-lisa Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 How could a man who stole one of the most famous paintings in the world still be a mystery more than 100 years later? It was the question that South Philly filmmakers Joe Medeiros and Justine Mestichelli Medeiros promised to answer after years of extensive research and interviews. They knew who did it. That was the easy part. But the couple, who now lives in California, needed to unmask exactly why Italian immigrant Vincenzo Peruggia somehow walked out of the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911 with the Mona Lisa and kept it hidden in his French apartment for two and a half years. It’s all detailed...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italy-vincero-italian-opera-experience-comes-philadelphia-fringe-festival-2022 https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/italy-vincero-italian-opera-experience-comes-philadelphia-fringe-festival-2022 Tue, 23 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Harrowgate Park - 3455 Kensington Ave, Philadelphia, PA. Friday September 9, 2022, 3pm; Saturday September 10, 2022, 3pm; Sunday September 11, 2022, 3pm. Running time: 50 minutes. TICKET PRICE: Pay What You Can ($20 suggested). Italy comes to Philly when Vincerò- The Italian Opera Experience takes stage as part of Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Presented in a semistaged concert style, the show features the world’s most beloved and recognizable arias from Italian opera, with a storyline taking place during a fictionalized Masquerade Ball. The show’s international cast stars Mezzo Soprano and Rec...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pittsburgh-bets-bocce-events-heinz-history-center-and-little-italy-days https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/pittsburgh-bets-bocce-events-heinz-history-center-and-little-italy-days Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Bocce appeals to cultures throughout the world, from Europe to South America. But Italy lays the biggest claim to the pastime that combines elements shared with other leisurely games like bowling and croquet. In the U.S., bocce became most associated with Italian immigrants and has since grown to include fans and enthusiasts across the country.The sport has a place in Pittsburgh as well, something that will be highlighted when Heinz History Center hosts the Bocce Tournament & Festival. The event, taking place Sat., Aug. 20, adds to a local scene showcased in various tournaments and leagues. 
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/soundings-play-reading-series-smoke-screen-sicilianamerican-opera-mary-ann-castronovo-fusco https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/soundings-play-reading-series-smoke-screen-sicilianamerican-opera-mary-ann-castronovo-fusco Wed, 17 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Friday, August 19, 2022 7:00 pm. Madison Arts & Culture Alliance - 10 Lincoln Place - Madison, NJ 07940. Having given up on his American dream 20 years earlier, Nino Di Martino, a Sicilian lemon grower, returns in 1993 to seek treatment for lung cancer and is housed once again by his sister, Sali, in northern New Jersey. As this intimate immigrant family drama unfolds, cross-cultural values clash and regrets and resentments surface among Nino, Sali, and Nino’s children, Gianni and Lia. Straddling two worlds as they try to fulfill their aspirations and obligations, and bound by their love for e...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/franco-harris-steelers-prepare-mark-50th-anniversary-immaculate-reception https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/franco-harris-steelers-prepare-mark-50th-anniversary-immaculate-reception Sat, 06 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 This year will mark 50 years since Steelers fans witnessed the play that changed the franchise forever: The Immaculate Reception! With training camp underway for the Steelers, Pittsburgh's Action News 4 anchor Andrew Stockey caught up with the man who made the immaculate reception happen, Franco Harris. Half a century after making one of the most unforgettable plays in NFL history, Harris says he has no memory of it. “I see pictures of people doing drawings of the ball in the air and I have no visual image of anything, like I remember nothing, which really kind of blows my mind,” Harris said....
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/one-woman-broadway-comedy-italian-bred-play-robinson-grand-performing-arts-center-clarksburg https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/one-woman-broadway-comedy-italian-bred-play-robinson-grand-performing-arts-center-clarksburg Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 The Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center is excited to announce that the hilarious one-woman off-Broadway comedy “Italian Bred,” starring Candice Guardino, is coming to downtown Clarksburg on Saturday, August 20, 2022, at the historic Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center, located at 444 W. Pike St. in Clarksburg. Writer, actress, and storyteller Candice Guardino is quickly making a name for herself in the entertainment industry with her creative brand of comedy and family humor that’s captivating audiences through impersonating multi-dimensional characters she has created like the ones found...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/11th-annual-bocce-tournament-festival-pittsburgh https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/11th-annual-bocce-tournament-festival-pittsburgh Thu, 04 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Saturday, August 20, 2022, 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. Acrisure Stadium, South Endzone Gate A (100 Art Rooney Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA). Come throw out the pallino and throw down for a worthy cause! The 11th Annual Bocce Tournament & Festival invites up to 46 sponsors to play in teams of four in a double-elimination tournament. The event will feature delicious Italian Fare by Common Plea Catering and entertainment all day long by The Aces with special guest Shari Richards, The New Pure Gold, and The Jaggerz. Proceeds raised from this event will benefit the History Center’s Italian American Program. Foun...
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/help-bring-sammy-nesticos-story-life https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/help-bring-sammy-nesticos-story-life Tue, 02 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Sammy Nestico is one of the greatest contributors to the field of music of the last century, working in classical, jazz and big band. Born in Pittsburgh, he worked as a composer, orchestrator, writer, arranger, and last but not least, as an educator. Maestro Sammy Nestico fulfilled his lifetime dream. For the first time, check out this new documentary in the making that tells the story of Nestico's incredible contribution to music through exclusive access. Contribute today. Learn more here.
]]> https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/former-psu-boxer-join-list-pa-greats-national-italian-american-sports-hall-fame https://www.wetheitalians.com/default/former-psu-boxer-join-list-pa-greats-national-italian-american-sports-hall-fame Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 Jim Restauri is an Altoona native, a former State College resident, a former walk-on for Penn State football and a past national boxing champion. Now, the fourth generation Italian American is set to be inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Chapter, on Aug. 4 at the LeMont Restaurant in Pittsburgh. “It means a lot being that I’m from a family with Italian heritage from Altoona,” said Restauri, whose family has roots in Montorio Al Vomano, Italy. “I know that if my dad and my mom were still alive, they’d appreciate this a lot. Being inducted into the hall o...
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