La vita italiana

Recently, our own San Francisco Italian Consul General, Mauro Battocchi posted an interesting observation in his San Francisco, Italy blog at www.sanfranciscoitaly.com. Mauro has noticed an increased interest in all things Italian in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He calls …

2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Meli, Sicily’s most celebrated poet, who died of pneumonia on December 20, 1815. Prof. Giovanni Ruffino, director of the Centro di Studi Filologici e Linguistici Siciliani, in collaboration with Sicily’s …

The Institute of International Education has released a report stating that more than 30,000 US students studied abroad in Italian territory for academic credit in the 2013/14 school year. That’s up 4.4% from the same period the year before and …

The traditional Christmas tree was erected in St Peter’s Square on Thursday in readiness for the opening of the Holy Year of Mercy on December 8.   An 82ft fir tree has been donated by the municipalities of Hirschau, Schnaittenbach …

Every Italian region has its harvest rituals that make quick and tasty use of the foods of the season. Umbria, lush land of endless vineyards and porky delights, makes salsicce all’uva, pan-roasted sausages and grapes, a dish that joins two …

Milan authorities announced a programme of over 50 events across the city to coincide with the annual Prima della Scala, or official opening of the 2015-2016 season at the historic opera house, which traditionally falls on December 7.   ‘La …

California olive oil producers are hard at work these days, with the olive harvest season currently under way. An unprecedented production of 4 million gallons of extra virgin olive oil is estimated for this year’s harvest, almost double what was …

Named one of the Top 200 Best Digital Artists Worldwide by Lürzer’s Archive, Josh Rossi is a blossom of Italian-American love. “My parents met when my dad was 18 on vacation to the U.S. He was staying with a friend …

There is no better time than fall for visiting Italy. The weather is mild. It’s low season, and autumn foliage brings some additional charm to the already captivating Italian countryside. Also, many of the food products that have made Italy …

On November 2, 1975, the Italian intellectual, poet, novelist, filmmaker – in a word: Artist in capital letter – Pier Paolo Pasolini, was brutally murdered in Ostia, coastal area near Rome. Forty years later, the Italian Cultural Institute in L.A., …