Maria Gloria Rando

Dear Readers, Just in time for your end-of-year parties, here comes the lyrics of one of Italy’s 1950s favorites, Volare, so you, or any of your senior citizens’ relatives and friends, can sing along, or at least reminisce! The best-known …

Dear Readers, November Notes with an Italian connection. November comes from the Latin word novem, “nine” because this had been the ninth month of the early Roman Calendar. *** November begins with All Saints Day. Since this feast, which has …

Dear Readers, An October assortment of “Italian Connections” for you: Anthony Fauci plans to retire in December after 50 years in government and will step down as head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Anthony Stephan …

Dear Readers, Christmas sing-alongs are always fun, be they in Italian, English or a little of both. Here are some lyrics to help you and your family get started: Silent Night Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is …

Dear Readers,  In pre Silicon Valley days, Santa Clara, then known as “The Valley of Hearts Delight,” had an abundance of “Italian Connections.” In a 1998 copy of “La Rivista,” Prof. John De Vincenzi, then president of the IAHF (Italian …

Dear Readers,  The same boat, but a different float… Figuratively speaking, all of our parents were “in the same boat” when they began their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. However, when Marisa Colombo Russo of Salinas, California, wrote the story of her first class …

Dear Readers,  October, official or not, will always be Italian Heritage Month in the hearts of Italian-Americans throughout the United States of America. Back in the days when Readers sent their “Italian Connections” to me via “snail mail,” Signora Madeline C. of …

Dear Readers, Veterans Day (November 11th) and Thanksgiving Day (November 24th) are celebrated in November. Since many of our readers or members of their families are veterans of one or more wars that have taken place in their lifetime – …

Dear Readers,  A September selection of “Labor” related Italian Connections as the first Monday in September, Labor Day, pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. First created and celebrated during the labor movement in the late 19th century, Labor …

Dear Readers, December has many Italian Connections. Following are a few December Birthday: Gianni Versace: 12-2-1946 Frank Sinatra: 12-12-1915 Louis Prima: 12-7-1910 Carlo Ponti: 12-11-1913 Fiorello La Guardia: 12-1882 *** Giacomo Puccini, born on the 22nd of December 1858, is …