Culture

Since Antonio Meucci invented the telephone – and yes, by now the whole world knows it wasn’t Alexander Graham Bell who invented it – so much has changed, especially given the recent news.   Last month, the Michigan State House …

Dear Readers, When Shirley Jane Temple was born April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California, little did her parents George and Gertrude dream that their little “bambina” would influence the next decade more than any other child in the century. …

A mile and a half from the Circus Maximus, sheep graze in Caffarella Park. Warming themselves in the April sun, they are indifferent to the ruins of towers and mausoleums and oblivious to an annual rite of spring. Shepherds gather …

I recently had the chance to spend some time in various cities in the United States and Canada, where I attended several community events and celebrations. These are great opportunities for me to get in touch with my constituents and …

Five years after his last visit to Italy, on the occasion of the G8 held in L’Aquila in June 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama was in Rome on March 26-27, following the summit on nuclear security in the Netherlands and a …

Dear Readers, My South Bay friend Ken Borelli, author, president emeritus and longtime cultural chair of the Italian American Heritage Foundation (I.A.H.F.) based in San Jose, California, shared with me this fascinating bit ofCalifornia history. Ken recently was vacationing in …

Over two thousand named characters, action which spreads across the earth and even to the moon, female warriors, monsters, magic, three main plots, numerous sub-plots, and witty asides by the author all woven together into a veritable “page turner”  make …

Easter is the most important holiday in the Christian world, on par with Christmas, as it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Besides religious practices, each culture has its own ways of celebrating this festivity, which reflect people’s lifestyles and …

Guido Piovene, scrittore e giornalista vicentino, fu in America tra l’autunno del 1951 e quello dell’anno seguente.    Viaggiava a briglie sciolte per gli States, e dal suo viaggiare trasse oltre un centinaio di articoli di varia natura, che venivano …

Ironically, the most well-loved manufactured two-wheeled object of Italian pride takes its name from one of the most hated and petulant insects, a wasp, vespa in Italian.   While the new Vespa campaign aims to target people who follow their …