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In 2025, the National Italian-American Foundation (NIAF) celebrates its 50th anniversary, a landmark moment for an organization that has long played a central role in representing and supporting the Italian American community.  Established in 1975, NIAF was created to preserve …

In Italian, the word tremendo (trai-menh-doh) can be surprisingly slippery. On paper, it looks simple enough: it comes from the Latin tremĕre, “to tremble,” and tremendus, meaning “that which must be feared or makes one tremble.” The original meaning was closely tied to fear …

In the collective imagination, the invention of mobile phones is tied to the booming consumer culture of the 1980s. But long before the Motorola DynaTAC or the first brick-sized handsets made headlines, an Italian engineer had already envisioned – and …

The Italian word diamine (dee-ah-me-nai) is one of those expressive interjections that adds flair, emotion, and color to everyday conversation.  Though not offensive or vulgar, it belongs firmly in the category of informal language and is used to express surprise, …

Castel Gandolfo is a small but historically rich town located in the Alban Hills, about 25 kilometers (just over 15 miles) southeast of Rome, overlooking the waters of Lake Albano. Despite its size, this village is internationally known as the …

When we think of Pisa, we think of its leaning tower, but there is much more in town to enjoy, starting with the famous Luminara di San Ranieri, one of the most charming and visually striking traditions in Italy, celebrated …

Just outside Assisi, in the hamlet of Castelnuovo, a quiet transformation takes place every summer: for four weekends between late June and early July, the local Lavandeto di Assisi, a family-run lavender farm and nursery, opens its gates for the Festa …

The Italian word qualsiasi (kual-see-ah-see) is a commonly used adjective and pronoun meaning “any,” “whatever,” or “whichever,” depending on context. It is used to express indifference among a set of possibilities or to indicate that a statement applies universally within …

Venosa is a small town in southern Italy that quietly holds an outsized place in the country’s history and cultural heritage. Located in the northern part of the Basilicata region, it sits roughly halfway between Potenza and Foggia, with the …

Amaro Lucano was born in 1894 in Pisticci, a small town in Basilicata, when pastry chef Pasquale Vena began experimenting by blending more than thirty herbs in the back of his cookie factory to create a wonderfully balanced herbal liqueur. …