LIFE & PEOPLE

With a gifted musician for a grandfather and an opera singer for an uncle, it’s no surprise that Rebecca Novelli chose an artistic path. A California native, she worked in southern California for years as a writer, editor and educator, …

Not many may know it, but musicians of Italian descent left an indelible mark in the history of Jazz. Jazz, the rebellious lovechild of ragtime and blues, of spirituals and traditional American ballads, has also Italian blood running in its …

Once you exit the freeway – whether the “605” or “5,” depending on your route – an Emerald City appears on the horizon. No, you’re not re-experiencing The Wizard of Oz in a dream. What you’re seeing before your eyes …

Fifteen years was the time of an investigation around the migrations of the Calabrese people. The final thoughts and insights can now be found in a book called “Fuga e ritorno di un popolo” (Escape and Come back of a …

As Italy prepares to commemorate its patron saint on October 4th, we’re reminded of his life’s work. Living in poverty, renouncing worldly goods and working with lepers, San Francesco lived a pious, humble life. And there are many legends around …

Murano glassmakers created Gallileo’s first telescope lenses. They decorated the palaces of Europe with their breathtaking chandeliers and glittering mirrors. And their glassblowing still draws thousands of visitors each year to the Venetian lagoon. But away from the blistering hot …

Thinking of Italian explorers means thinking chiefly of three names: Cristoforo Colombo, Marco Polo and Amerigo Vespucci. Of course, there are many other famous men of adventures hailing from the Bel Paese, like Antonio Pigafetta, who travelled with Magellan to …

Dan Giusti is a passionate and humble man, a young Italian-American who gave his job up in December as the Head Chef of NOMA, voted best restaurant in the world for four-years-running to feed and nourish American school children for …

Most of you probably know him better as “Chef Boyardee,” the name and face behind a popular brand of Italian style canned foods.  Established in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio, by brothers Ettore, Mario and Paul, “Chef Boyardee” (spelled phonetically to …

Producer, filmmaker, cultural ambassador, speaker, Italian gestures expert…Luca Vullo is a man possessed with a perpetual smile – and with a love of culture and humanity. He is a type of anthropologist, watching and enjoying the everyday human, discovering what …