Yesterday evening, the 16th annual ILICA Cultural Event took place at Brooklyn’s spectacular Liberty Warehouse. ILICA, the Italian Language Inter-Cultural Alliance, gathered esteemed members of the Italian and Italian American community again after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, to not only recognize Italian excellence within the communit...

In the latter half of the 19th century, Manhattan and Brooklyn became centers of everyday life for thousands of Italian immigrants entering the United States. Their numbers started off small — the 1860 federal census showed just 1,067 Italian-born people living in New York City and Brooklyn — but grew quickly by the end of the century, almost tripl...

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 duri...

Williamsburg’s treasured Settepani Bakery (602 Lorimer St.) is turning 30, and the Settepani family is inviting the whole neighborhood to celebrate with them. Settepani’s 30th Birthday Party, complete with great food, drinks, and music, will take place on October 23 from noon – 3 p.m. at 602 Lorimer Street. Settepani Bakery is a family-owned busine...

Former big leaguer Mike Pagliarulo has been chosen as the 2022 IABF Achievement Award honoree. A longtime supporter and friend of the Italian American Baseball Foundation, Pagliarulo will be honored at the annual IABF Gala in Brooklyn on December 1. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now. Pagiliarulo spent 11 years in the big leagu...

A cherished Howard Beach tradition returned to the proud South Queens enclave this weekend as hundreds of families gathered on Cross Bay Boulevard to mark Columbus Day and celebrate their Italian heritage. “What an amazing day celebrating Columbus Day on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach! Thank you to all of the businesses who participated and ma...

La Bella Ferrara has been delighting denizens of Little Italy and countless visitors since the late 1800s, according to its fourth-generation owner Liz Lee Grazioso, but it never expanded to Brooklyn before she took the business over from her godfather in 2021.  “I grew up in the cafe and the bakery,” Lee Grazioso says, referring to the present Man...

Brooklyn’s Federation of Italian Organizations will host its 40th annual Columbus Day Parade at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8. In addition to saluting the famed Italian seafarer, explorer and navigator, the march heralds Italian heritage and culture. The route runs along 18th Avenue (Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard) from 61st Street to Benson Avenue, wit...

Assemblyman William Colton (D – Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) is happy that he was able to provide a $250,000 Assembly Legislative Grant to the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn (FIAO). “The Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn, Inc. (FIAO) is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization wh...

This crypto trader is bullish on her career in comedy. Brooklyn-born, Staten Island-bred Elyse DeLucci is a digital marketing officer by day and a standup comedian at night, and will be headlining at Caroline’s on Broadway on Sept. 29. “I don’t go on and talk about bosses. I do talk about how at my last job, I was going for drinks, and next thing I...