Culture

There was something about Yogi Berra that simply did not attract attention.  Even his military buddies doubted his ability to play baseball, a judgment which was based solely on his appearance.  Not long after being discharged from the military, Yogi …

How many times we sing a song without knowing its meaning? It happens that when a song becomes part of the collective heritage of a country, we just take the lyrics for granted. All Italians can intone at least the …

The recent debate in New York City regarding stop-and-frisk has once again put the spotlight back on the city’s Police Department.  The controversial policy endorsed and supported by the lame duck Mayor Michael Bloomberg is being used as a campaign …

Se l’Europa allargata punta a diventare unita nella diversità, il Friuli Venezia Giulia è già così.  In una regione incastonata tra le cime delle Alpi, le onde del mar Adriatico, le Dolomiti e le colline del Collio, si incontrano la …

Dear Readers, A September selection of Italian Connections for you: United States Postage Stamps with an Italian connection, are the focus of Gerardo Perrotta’s newly published book Phila-Italy Americana, Italian Themes on United States Postage Stamps, in hardcover, softcover, E-book …

All great cultures and civilization have one essential thing in common. They all have great road networks. Roads, like rivers, are the viable arteries of life forces that transmit the elements of civilization. Roads carry travelers, armies, wanderers, and true …

Dear Readers, October, the month we traditionally celebrate our Italian Heritage, has unfortunately become the month when mean-spirited slings, arrows and Columbus bashers come out in full force. But be vigilant, those who wish to discredit us are busy throughout …

Dear Readers, In memory of Vincenzo, my September-born father, the “Sheik of Brook Ave.” (Bronx, N.Y.) and gents of a certain age who were once “Sheik wannabes” on the streets of Little Italys throughout the world, I thought I would …

Each year I dread September 20. On this day in 1870 Piedmontese artillery blasted a hole in Porta Pia, the fortified gate on the northeastern side of the Aurelian Wall. Black-plumed Bersaglieri routed pantalooned Papal Zouaves, ending a thousand years …

It was a Tuesday, June 6, 1944 when thousands of Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. Among the many young men who fought bravely was a nineteen-year-old kid named Lawrence Peter Berra from Saint Louis, Missouri. He was …