The lazy hazy days of summer are upon us. This month, instead of vocabulary requiring concentration and time to study, we offer you an informative, easy-to-absorb lesson which we hope […]
If you want to experience the culture of Italy, then you need to do more than just visit historic sites or museums. Markets are an integral part of the fabric […]
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) and the National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Associations (CIBPA-NF) recently announced the establishment of a strategic partnership […]
By Melissa Cannavo Marino with Maverick and Darla Summer is here and school is out! Time to decide cosa facciamo (what we are doing). Every day mamma teaches Darla and […]
At the end of part two of this series, we concluded languages on the Italian peninsula evolved from Latin into Vulgar Latin. At the same time vocabulary from non-Latin languages […]
In this issue we finish with Italian surnames that start with the letter V and move on to those beginning with the letter Z. VINCIGUERRA – This surname is derived […]
Traveling along major highways through Italy you will often see ruins of castles and old villages. In fact, there are thousands of these towns across the country, many in the […]
My friend and I sat quietly in the classroom at the acclaimed Wine School of Philadelphia recently, trying to absorb everything our instructor, school founder Keith Wallace, was saying. Good […]
This May 24 commemorates 109 years since Italy officially entered the First World War in 1915. As a nation they suffered losses of 650,000 victims among soldiers and 600,000 civilian […]
Mamma has been trying to teach us many things since she adopted us, but we still have a lot to learn! She hung a bell near the back door for […]
For followers of Padre Pio (1887-1968), May is an important month. St. Pio of Pietrelcina was born on May 25 and was beatified on May 2, 1999, then canonized in […]
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – La Festa di San Giuseppe on March 19 was celebrated in the traditional manner with a special service after the morning Mass at St. Edmond Church […]
In part one of this three-part series, we provided an example of an Italian proverb in Italian and the same proverb in six Italian “dialects.” However, linguists continue to debate […]
This issue’s featured surnames continue with additional surnames beginning with the letter V. VERRATTO – This surname derives from the Verrino river in Molise. The river’s name derives from the […]
About 20 miles southwest of the town of Siena in the magical land of Tuscany lies a town called Chiusdino, where a true tale of a knight and his sword […]
Italy, more specifically The Vatican and Rome, is preparing for its Jubilee in the year 2025. The motto for this Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope.” Pope Francis has put an […]
(as told by Maverick Darla Cannavo) A few weeks ago, Mamma mentioned she saw signs of spring and that meant we could be outside più spesso (pew spes-oh) more often. […]
In this issue we continue with Italian surnames that begin with the letter V. VASILE – This surname derives from the first name Basilio, from the Latin “Basilius” and from […]
Previous lessons have mostly focused on learning our heritage language and the importance of understanding some Italian history and the evolution of Italian from Latin through familial languages and “dialects.” […]
Just as Italians can watch programming to improve their English language skills, non-Italian speakers can watch programming in Italian to improve their language skills, whether they’re fully fluent or just […]
The first music festival (musica leggera) for popular music took place in Italy in the city of San Remo. The war had ended a few short years earlier and the […]
You may recall the hilarious 1956 episode of “I Love Lucy” where the barefoot Lucy Ricardo is tasked with squashing grapes in a vat with another barefoot woman, Italian grape […]
As part of the exhibits in Italy celebrating Women’s History Month, the works of Artemisia Gentileschi will be featured at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa throughout the month of March. […]
Darla and I abbiamo molto da fare (ah-be-ah-mo mol-toe da fa-ray) have a lot to do this month. On March 8 we are going to make it a special day […]
On the 31st of this month, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter. Therefore, it’s time to review a few practical expressions that you may have forgotten or might like […]