Culture

President Barack Obama met with French President Francois Hollande, and both world leaders discussed the economic and political issues of their respective countries as well as the Syrian crisis.  Since President Obama played host to the French president’s visit to …

At dusk, millions of starlings invade Rome. After feasting all day on ripening olives, they fly south from the Sabine Hills and fill the sky. A cyclone of feathers swallows the sun. The birds scatter and regroup, form a living …

Ferrari is a status symbol and synonymous with the best of Made in Italy. It is a guarantee of success and competitiveness in motor races, a high technology product, and a winning brand.   This year, in fact, Ferrari is …

Those of us of a certain age may perhaps remember when history textbooks claimed that one of the “problems” with our immigrant ancestors was that they had no democratic tradition.  The authors either ignored, or were ignorant of the fact …

27 Febbraio: centododici anni fa nasceva a Salinas John Steinbeck, uno dei più grandi scrittori californiani ed uno dei giganti della letteratura statunitense, maestro di realismo e testimone e cantore di un’epoca di cambiamenti profondi.   Steinbeck, considerato uno dei …

Naming conventions for given names in a country of origin can help to tie together records of family members.  In researching those who were born in Italy and emigrated to the United States, it may also be necessary to know …

Dear Readers, March brings shamrocks and my annual “St. Patrick was Italian” column: A “St. Patrick was Italian” remark, tossed into your March conversations, can make boring talk into boiling talk if you have some conversational fodder, to buttress your …

He got it. Director Paolo Sorrentino brought home the Academy Award for the best foreign language film. A glorious career for his “The Great Beauty” after the Golden Globe, the European Film Awards Efa, and the British Academy Film Awards …

After one year in office, Pope Francis surprised the Catholic and non-Catholic world once again, by abstaining from celebrating this first anniversary. Instead of a public appearance, as one would have expected, he preferred to escape the cameras and the …

Finally Italy is beginning to come out of the recession: in the last four months, the economy has marked a slow but encouraging +0.1% increase. More positive news arrived from New York: Moody’s agency confirmed a new rating for Italy, …