The Italian Connection

Dear Readers, Abruzzesi e Molisani Club officers and members throughout the U.S.A. should note that a great activity for their calendar would be a Mario Lanza themed event because both of Mario Lanza’s parents had “roots” in Abruzzi and Mario …

Dear Readers, March brings shamrocks and my annual “St. Patrick was Italian” column: A “St. Patrick was Italian” remark, tossed into your March conversations, can make boring talk into boiling talk if you have some conversational fodder, to buttress your …

Dear Readers, during the month of February when we traditionally pause to celebrate lovers (Valentine’s Day) and Presidents’ Day. Once Lincoln (February 12) and Washington (February 22) were honored individually; now they are collectively celebrated on Presidents’ Day, February 17. …

Dear Readers, When Shirley Jane Temple was born April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California, little did her parents George and Gertrude dream that their little “bambina” would influence the next decade more than any other child in the century. …

Dear Readers, San Francisco’s Marina District has many Italian connections. The neighborhood known as the Marina District did not exist one hundred years ago. Much of the land where homes, stores and streets were built had been either salt marshes …

Dear Readers, More January jottings with an Italian connection: Avanti…Our Italian Heritage New Year resolutions should include becoming more active in Italo-American organizations. Admittedly, some of the sparkly has dimmed due to the fact that many of our beloved leadership …

Dear Readers, Rosaria Restaurant, in Saugus, Massachusetts, named after owner Joe Pace’s mother, Rosaria, who hailed from Abruzzo, the region known for its “forte ma gentile popolo” was the site of a “Ciao Italia Mary Ann Esposito Foundation Benefit Dinner” …

Dear Readers, My South Bay friend Ken Borelli, author, president emeritus and longtime cultural chair of the Italian American Heritage Foundation (I.A.H.F.) based in San Jose, California, shared with me this fascinating bit ofCalifornia history. Ken recently was vacationing in …

Dear Readers, The San Francisco 49ers’ quest for their first Super Bowl title in nearly two decades evaporated a few Sundays ago when they came up 18 yards short, in a 23-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC …

Dear Readers, January jottings from my “A” file with an Italian connection:   Avanti Awards, the Dinner and Artist Showcase and yearly fundraising event of the Joseph and Frances Brucia Foundation will take place on January 24, 2014, at 5:30pm …