Traditions

It’s noon in Florence, and you find a spot on the steps of the Duomo. After a bitterly cold winter, you feel your skin gladly soak up the sun shining down on you. You watch passersby marvel at Brunelleschi’s masterpiece. …

Let’s start with a definition of “industrial design,” by Argentinian-born, Milan-based, painter, designer and philosopher, Tomás Maldonado: “Industrial design is a creative activity whose aim is to determine the formal qualities of objects produced by industry. These formal qualities are …

Cannolo siciliano: is there any other Italian dessert this popular in the world? Tiramisù may be one of its more glorious competitors, but cannolo making is an art that you can’t reproduced at home with the same simplicity. We can …

We all know the legend of King Arthur and the Sword in the stone. But what you might not know is that Italy has its own version. And you can find it in the small chapel of Montesiepi, a few …

Representing the variety and beauty of Italian music in different ages and in different fields was the goal of “Music and culture: an Italian Perspective” held at the Musco Center for the Art at Chapman University of Orange.  It is …

You hear the word ‘ciambelle’ a lot in Italian baking. There are so many different types of ciambelle, ciambellette and ciambellini! Sweet, savoury, baked, fried, soft, hard, cookie, cake, or bread – you name it! Ciambelle di pane (bread ciambelle) …

For centuries they were the only way to travel, criss-crossing the shallow lagoon and navigating the city’s iconic canals. Today, whilst Venice’s gondolas still glide silently through the waterways few visitors know their history, happy to just enjoy the view …

In Italy, he became TV popular only in very recent months, after news and gossip outlets alike made known he custom made the shirt POTUS Donald Trump wore on inauguration day, but the much criticized American first citizen is far …

Masked balls. Fried sweets. Colorful costumes. In the weeks before Fat Tuesday (martedì grasso), Venice revels in Carnevale. Dating back to the 1200s, Carnival marks the start of the period of Lent – or, the 40 days that lead up …

As a community, Italian Americans are just beginning to understand the value of the written word.  For years publishers have been saying that the Italian American is not the target audience for most books–they don’t buy books because they don’t …