Culture

Dear Readers, A September selection of Italian connections: Andrews Sisters Patty, Maxene and LaVerne were in Naples, Italy, on a U.S.O. tour in August 1945. The Andrews Sisters were about to perform for some 5,000 weary GI’s, gathered in the …

Have you ever noticed the jaunty vintage streetcars rolling along Market Street and around the Embarcadero?  Have you ever wondered why some of them have foreign identifications on them? That would be because they are vintage streetcars from around the …

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius lasted two days. The only witness to document his observations was Pliny the Younger, who recorded what he saw from Misenum, on the other end of the Bay of Naples. His uncle, Pliny the Elder, …

For most immigrant groups the idea of upward mobility is an inevitable byproduct that is caused by the blood, sweat and tears of past generations.  In most cases immigrants from the past and present, arrive in the US and yearn …

Major in the Italian Air Force, test pilot, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut, Luca Parmitano was born in the province of Catania in 1976. Thanks to an intercultural exchange program, he had the chance to get to know the …

While film lovers eagerly await Jurassic World, the fourth chapter of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic saga – despite the nonsense debate caused by a viral picture of the director posing with a dinosaur – architecture lovers look forward to Renzo Piano’s …

Sono appena quattro minuti e mezzo in bianco e nero. Girati clandestinamente e inediti.  “The March of Sorrow-The Good Shoemaker and the Poor Fishpaddler” è il video breve, ma intenso che aiuta a raccontare un pezzo di storia su un …

Dear Readers, The Labor Day holiday reminded me that back in the days when chips were made of wood and not silicon, the labor that enriched the Santa Clara Valley was predominantly Italian. The fertile land and mild climate attracted …

The ancient Roman city of Pompeii has received a lot of coverage recently. From exhibits to a song by the band Bastille, Pompeii has surely been a popular topic of discussion.   The city will now present an opera festival …

Birthday “numero 88” was celebrated by singer Tony Bennett of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” fame in North Beach recently. The following day he had a “very public lunch” at another S.F. Restaurant. According to S.F. Chronicle columnist, …