Culture

It has been over ninety years since the death of the man known as the “greatest tenor of the century:” and to this day, fourteen years into the next century, the title still invokes the name Enrico Caruso. Every tenor …

In May 1988, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) was founded with the aim of coordinating the Government’s projects and investments in this sector, started in the mid-1960s. Nowadays, ASI plays a crucial role within the European Space Agency and collaborates …

Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, or perhaps Giuseppe Balsamo, man of mystery, magician, physician, alchemist, philanthropist or con artist?  Whatever it may be, there is no doubt he was one of the world’s most colorful, and still controversial, characters.     …

On December 26, 1900, Enrico Caruso celebrated the Christmas season with his debut at La Scala by performing the part of Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème with Arturo Toscanini conducting. As his career advanced, he went on to please …

In the 7th century BC, the Sicilian city of Syracuse was one of the gems of Magna Graecia, the coastal area of Southern Italy that was colonized by the ancient Greeks and influenced by their rich and vibrant culture. Hellenic …

Dear Readers, Looking back “Anniversario numero 36” coming up for the Museo ItaloAmericano in San Francisco, reminds me that actor Charlton Heston and his wife Lydia Heston were Charter Members of the Museo ItaloAmericano when it first opened its doors …

La Croisette, movie stars, photographers, premieres, parties and a portrait of Marcello Mastroianni from Fellini’s movie 8 ½ looking straight at you from his dark glasses slightly lowered on his nose: Cannes 2014. Looks like Italian cinema is living a …

Mysteries to solve and ancient texts to decrypt are always fascinating, aren’t they? And even more so when the stake is $1,000. In 2007, the University of Chicago Library received a rare 1504 Venetian edition of Homer’s Odyssey as a …

Hollywood is considered as the cradle of world cinema, but Italy also has its own small version of it: the Cinecittà Studios. Located just a few miles from the center of Rome, they are the largest film studios in Europe …

On a recent trip through North America with a fellow Italian senator, he made an interesting observation. “People still look you in the eye here,” he told me. I thought about it, and he is right. There seems to be …