Culture

Originally known by its Italian name, “Figli d’Italia,” the Order Sons of Italy in America was established in New York City in 1905, by Italian immigrants in order to assist their countryfolk with obtaining United States citizenship, expanding educational opportunities …

Born Domenico Gebbia in Palermo, Sicily in 1886, Domenic Jebbia immigrated to the United States at age six, and arrived in California in 1925. Jebbia established the West Coast Banana Distributing Company at the Los Angeles Produce Market, and because …

In 1904, Los Angeles Bishop Thomas Conaty, concerned about the religious welfare of Italian Catholics in Los Angeles, ordered the creation of two churches, St. Peter’s and Immaculate Conception. St. Peter’s Italian Church, still in existence today, began as a …

Who is this man credited with promoting love and passion and sales in the billions of dollars, world-wide, of flowers, candy and skimpy garments of a diaphanous nature?  My search to know more about the saint who came to be …

Il Circolo Operaio Italiano (Italian Worker’s Club) was one of the groups headquartered at the Italian Hall. The club’s exclusively male membership sponsored Saturday evening dances at the building and hosted charitable events, including footraces and May Day celebrations. While …

Requiem for a Filmmaker: Sergio Leone, His Life, Work, and Legacy (Part two)   Sergio Leone’s first directing job in the United States was said to be a work of art.  The film, Once Upon a Time in the West …

The survival of most media organizations is to obtain that exclusive interview or story.  Publishers and editors attempt to separate their media group from the rest, in order to get the exclusive rights to a story even if this implies …

Italian Cowboys at the greatest celebration of the American West – The 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Elko, Nevada – The 29th National Poetry Gathering was a week-long celebration of culture, tradition, and life of the rural West in the …

Home of Parmigiano cheese aims for recognition as a World Heritage Site   Reggio Emilia – The Italian region of Emilia, homeland of the world-renowned Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, is aiming to obtain recognition of its “Intangible World Heritage” by the …

Growing up an ardent baseball fan in New York City during the seventies and eighties meant rooting for either the New York Yankees or Mets.  If you were “truly” a Yankees or Mets fan there was an unwritten rule (like …