Staff

After this necessary preamble, let us look at this week’s word, the Italian for New Year, more closely. For those familiar with the language, its etymology is clear: Capodanno comes from capo d’anno, the literal “head of the (new) year.” …

You’re in Italy. You’ve just finished to eat an incredible meal with a bunch of friends and it’s time to pay the bill. Needless to say, someone will say the magic words: facciamo alla Romana? I’m sure you’ve heard the …

Those familiar with the Christmas presents’ delivery business know there is more than one person in charge. Santa may be the most popular, but kids from the northern regions of Europe do get early parcels from Saint Nicholas, and Italian …

Indovina (een-doh-vee-nah) comes from the word indovinare, which means to guess. This little verb of ours is worthy of some more discussion. It comes from the vulgar Latin indivinare and, through it, from the Latin divinare, to foretell. So, indovinare …

Happy Epifania to you all! While the rest of the world says goodbye to the holiday season on the 1st of January, Italy likes to hold on to the festive atmosphere a few days longer, officially bringing the Christmas period …

Un tempo nelle vie e nelle piazzette dei nostri villaggi erano presenti immagini ed edicole dedicate alla Madonna. Alcune sono ancora visibili, nonostante l’incuria e l’azione del tempo. La pietà popolare esprimeva in questo modo il proprio affettuoso legame con …

Happy Christmas, Buon Natale a tutti!  Festivities, even in this dreadful Covid-19 climate, remain a time to think positive and smile. And is there a better way to celebrate that making a toast? In English, we use the word cheers, …

Christmas traditions in Italy are varied and each  region has a bunch of its own. In Naples, one of the most popular involves eel, or capitone as it’s commonly known in the city of  Parthenope. On Christmas Eve, capitone is …

“Il mio albero di Natale è il più bello del mondo”. Questo è quello che pensavo da piccola quando, incantata, osservavo dal basso quell’abete luminoso e colorato che mi sembrava altissimo, maestoso, il più grande che avessi mai visto. Oggi, …

In a year of uncertainty, and even with the shutdown due to the pandemic, ‘Westside Italian Culture’ group kept moving forward. The group was started in January of 2016, and grew in numbers while serving the Italian community by celebrating, …