Valerie Schneider

Movie-Making Firsts by an Italian American: Robert Vignola was a Silent Era Movie Pioneer

August 2017
When we think of Italian entertainers, the people that most often come to mind are the world-renowned names like Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Frank Capra. Looking at the earlier days of film, we might recall Rudolph Valentino. But one of film...


Why Italian Americans Should Take a Homecoming Trip

November 2016
Roma, il centro della storia della civiltà occidentale, è innegabilmente uno spettacolo unico al mondo. Difficile anche competere con l’impareggiabile bellezza dell’arte a Firenze o il fascino dei canali di Venezia: le...


I Grandi Matrimoni, Southern Italian Style

September 2016
When my Italian friends saw “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” they shrugged and said, “Yeah, what’s the big deal?” The movie wasn’t an exaggeration of their matrimonial experiences here in Southern Italy. If anything,...