La vita italiana

At a scant 157 pages, Petros Maneos’ self-styled “novella in letters” entitled, The Italian Pleasures of Gabriele Paterkallos, is brief—but far from effortless—reading.   The premise appears to be that the narrating character, Gabriele, is a student of literature and …

Growing up in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn is an unforgettable experience. Everyone around me was to some degree, Italian, that is to say that the guys I hung out with were descended from Italian parents, grandparents or great grandparents, …

There are political families that have had a profound history in American politics, just ask the Adams, Kennedys and Bushes.     Well, in New York City there is another family committed to political servitude, no, the surname is not …

The year was 1935. The depression was in full swing and jobs were scarce.  It was a time when Welfare went by another name: in 1935, it was called Home Relief.     We were embarrassed to let anyone know …

Sicilian poet Senzio Mazza was born in 1934 in Linguaglossa, Sicily.  Throughout his long, successful career, he has won many prizes, including most recently the 2010 Città di Giarre. Though he has published eight previous collections of poetry in his …

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Sal Giunta was attending classes at John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On that same morning, about a thousand miles away from Cedar Rapids, commercial airliners were being intentionally crashed …

It seems that the opera William Tell by Gioachino Antonio Rossini is intrinsically linked to the William Tell Overture or, as some might put it, “the music of the Lone Ranger.”    Rossini was born in February 29, 1792 in …

It was April 7, 1926. On this particular day, Benito Mussolini had given a speech to the International Congress of Surgeons in Rome extolling the wonders of modern medicine. When the speech was finished, he mingled in the crowd of …

An artist that gives food-inspired titles to his albums has to be one of a kind. Also, he has to be somehow Italian. Award winning musician Michéal Castaldo was born in Calabria, but grew up in Canada, when he moved …

As the 2012 Presidential Election heats up, many American citizens are divided on the issue of allowing new immigrants (legal or illegal) into our country. One reason for the division is fewer jobs for American citizens because many legal and …