rita cipalla

Some of Seattle’s most iconic landmarks – Space Needle, Seattle Center, Monorail – were built as part of the Century 21 Exposition, known more popularly as the Seattle World’s Fair. During its six-month run in 1962, this extravaganza introduced 10 …

This spring, cities and counties statewide were forced to shut down, or slow down, their economies to control the spread of the virus. Consumer demand fell because of stay-at-home orders, rising unemployment and overall economic uncertainty. A report from Downtown …

Raised in Spokane as part of an Italian-Greek family, Jackie Cross had grown up embracing both her cultural heritage as well as the lush agricultural traditions of eastern Washington. Her mother was an avid gardener and her grandparents instilled in …

One glance at the hot-pink cardboard box with the dark blue lettering and chances are you know exactly what’s inside. If any doubts remain, you have only to read the store motto, prominently printed on the lid: “Cakes decorated while …

The ties between Seattle and Perugia, capital city of Umbria, go back more than 25 years when a pact of friendship was signed by both mayors. As with many new friendships, there was an immediate interest to get to know …

When viewing the work of former Seattle Times chief photographer Josef Scaylea, certain adjectives keep popping up: stark, dramatic, powerful, bold. Scaylea, who died in 2004, was a local treasure known for creating portraits of working men and women that …

Italians who arrive in the United States and end up starting restaurants are a dime a dozen. But every once in a while, the journey taken by one Italian family is so memorable that it becomes the stuff of legends. …

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to decimate businesses, arts and cultural organizations across the state, every once in a while there comes a silver lining. That was the case this fall when a business in Burien, Wash., forced to close …

This is the story of a little bean that came from Italy more than 70 years ago. It was called the monachine, or “little nuns” in Italian, because of its distinctive white cap. The taste and texture of this bean …

The great wave of Italian immigration, which began in the 1880s and lasted until 1920, brought more than four million Italians to America. About 75 percent of them settled in cities on the East Coast, including lower Manhattan, Boston, Philadelphia …