La vita italiana

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 …

The iconic FIAT 500, symbol of Italy’s post war economic renaissance, became part of MoMA’s permanent collection last year, but 2019 brings even more lustre to the tiny Italian four-wheels, as it will be one of the centrepieces of The …

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 …

The beautiful walled city of Volterra, an ancient Etruscan town some 45 miles southwest of Florence, is famous for its well-preserved medieval ramparts, museums and archeological sites, and atmospheric cobblestone streets. Fans of American author Stephanie Meyer know it as …

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 …

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 …

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 …

There is an under-the-radar town that has a few secrets up its sleeve. Its name is Vico Equense and dates back to pre-Roman times. The picturesque village between Sorrento and Castellammare di Stabia, at the gateway to the breathtaking Sorrentine …