There is a reason sacred hymns are, well, sacred. Not only does their spiritual content speak powerfully to the faithful, but these songs are often ancient in age and steeped in ethnic identity.   Few cultures can rival the Italians as far as tradition and pride. And sacred music is an important piece of that tradition.   Read more &...

It's your lucky day! A replica of the Trevi Fountain is coming to Festa this year! Have you been to the Trevi in Italy? Submit a photo here for a FREE TICKET to Festa! Entering is simple.   Step 1: Submit a photo of you or your famiglia at the Trevi Fountain. Step 2: Receive a confirmation e-mail from the Festa famiglia. Step 3: Head...

Milwaukee's Italian families have a distinguished heritage, one that began in a great rush to the city shortly before the turn of the 19th century, when Italian immigrants poured into Milwaukee and quickly formed two distinct communities. The Bayview settlement was dominated by newcomers from northern and central Italy, many of whom took jobs in th...

Italy's ambassador to the United States visited Milwaukee Public Schools' Victory School for the Gifted and Talented and Italian Immersion on Monday. Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero visited and spoke with students, families and staff at the school, home to what is believed to be one of the first Italian Immersion programs in the country.   Re...

By Heather Ronaldson    No one is excluded from celebrating Festa Italiana. In fact, they say tutti Italiani — everyone's Italian.   At this year's Festa Italiana, which runs Friday through Sunday at Maier Festival Park, the cultural tent features products from Puglia. Forty other Italian vendors will sell traditional Italian-Ame...

by Kirstrin Roble   From roughly 1700 until his death in 1737, Italian luthier and crafter Antonio Stradivari produced more than 1,000 instruments, considered to be "bold and innovative" even in his lifetime. To call a Stradivarius bold and innovative today is an understatement.   The nearly 450 violins that have survived are consider...

Jim Milano, of Milano Monuments, and Trevor Behm, of Behm Monument & Granite Company, announced that Behm has joined Milano's family of companies. Behm's two locations, in Geneva and Madison, have become Milano affiliates.   "We're very excited to join forces with Behm Monument & Granite Company," says Milano. "They have a long histo...

The public is invited to attend the 2015 Celebrazione Italiana at 5 p.m. Friday, April 24, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 900 Wood Road. The event celebrates Italian-American heritage and raises funds in support of the educational partnership between UW-Parkside and the University of Calabria in Calabria, Italy.   The 2015 Celebraz...

Menzione d'onore dell'Università del Wisconsin alla "carta dei caratteri del paesaggio", 24 tavole in scala 1 a 50mila, che fanno parte del ricchissimo corredo cartografico del Piano paesaggistico regionale.   Un bel risultato quello raggiunto, nel concorso bandito dall'università americana, dalla cosiddetta carta "muscolosa" (l'aggettivo si...

Summerfest isn't the only Milwaukee event attracting big names in music this summer. Festa Italiana announced this week that it would welcome Matt Nathanson and the Plain White T's, who are slated to perform at the Spiked Island Adult Lemonade Stage on Saturday, July 20.   Nathanson, whose hits include "Come on Get Higher," "Faster" and "Run...