La vita italiana

Last month Venice suffered the fourth highest floods in its history. Water seeped up through the drains, over the canal sides and into the houses, businesses and hotels of the city. And few were spared, with around 75% of streets …

Rank heists, police chases, beautiful actress, cruel gangsters, crooked cops and social criticism: Marco Ponti’s newest film, Reckless Life (Una Vita Spericolata), has a little bit of everything in it. The film is a combination of madcap comedy, pulp fiction …

The word cappuccino means, literally, small hood, but of course we think of coffee when we hear it. Or friars, and the link is not haphazard at all. You all know how the story goes: every morning, on the way …

You want clear lights on the tree, I think multi-colored are prettier; you prefer ham on the holiday table, I say turkey is tastier; you rock out to modern Christmas carols, I sway to the oldies; you insist on a …

Rome, caput mundi and glorious mother of western civilization, wasn’t the first power to rule over the peninsula. Naturally enough, a lot happened before that faithful April 21, 753 BC, the date selected by Latin historian Varro as the beginning …

A beautiful article appeared a while back on the renowned pages of the New York Times. It was an incredibly entertaining and informative account of the author’s voyage to one of Italy least known corner, Basilicata, a region mostly associated …

This year, 2018, marks the 90th anniversary of San Francisco’s premier Italian cultural club, Il Cenacolo. This impressive and important milestone was celebrated on December 7th with a stunning Christmas Gala at the St. Francis Yacht Club. In attendance were …

Nestled on a little island, off the southeastern tip of Sicily stands a gleaming white cathedral. As the hot Mediterranean sun hits its towering Corinthian columns and saintly statues, the Baroque façade lights up. It’s an architectural gem and beautiful …

On one of my many trips to Italy in the early 1980s, I had the good fortune to visit with Father Romano Romani, a friend of my good friend, Dr. Colosi, a preeminent physician of New York City. Fr. Romano …

Today, I feel like to write about Rome and Italian heritage, but for once – our regular readers may be aware of my penchant for classical history – I won’t delve into the depths and beauties of the Empire, but …