This month in Italy marks the celebration of Ferragosto, or Assumption Day, on Aug. 15. The term Ferragosto comes from the Latin Feriae Augusti meaning Augustus’ rest which was a […]
Although most Italian immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries settled in the nation’s large cities to meet the demands of industry, many others had a different experience, […]
When summer arrives it often brings up the question, “Should we go to the beach or the mountains?” Mamma and nonna often reminisce about their time in Italy and told […]
Sicily and Sardinia, two of the Republic of Italy’s 20 regions, are the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea. However, there are also several islands, not part of Italy, […]
If you are planning a trip to Italy or just want to understand weather terms in Italian, then this month’s lesson offers the primary questions and terms you’ll need to […]
The Italian expression fare la bella figura may not be taught in classrooms but it is key to understanding some customs of Italian culture. It literally means to make a […]
Darla and I are happy the weather is warming up because that means mamma and papà will take us camping again soon. We love splashing in the lake, sitting by […]
This month we will finish Italian surnames starting with the letter Z. ZARA – This surname derives from the name of the town of Zara, in Croatia. It is registered […]
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 […]