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La Bella Figura: The Italian Way
It is no secret that Italians like the idea of “la bella figura” which literally translates to “the beautiful figure.” It specifically means to dress well to make a good impression. Wanting to look appealing is a common desire for…
Superstition or Religion? Religious Paraphernalia in My Young Life
Molte persone sono superstiziose e lo sono indipendentemente da cultura, luogo di origine, estrazione sociale o livello di istruzione. In generale si può definire superstizione ogni atto al {mprestriction ids="*"}quale si attribuisce il potere, misterioso e irrazionale, di favorire un…
Cleveland Italian Film Festival 2019
The Cleveland Italian Film Festival 2019 showcasing award-winning films from Italy opens Sept. 5-26 at the Cedar Lee Theater in Cleveland Heights, the Atlas Cinemas Eastgate in Mayfield Hts. and the Capitol Theatre in Gordon Square Arts District. All films…
Finding Your Family in Italian Census Records
In previous columns, we explored Italian civil, military and church records. This month, we are going to dig into Italian census records. An interesting aspect of Italian census records is their availability and contents vary based on the history of…
St. Francis of Assisi: The First Known Writer in Italian
Il 4 ottobre ricorre la memoria di San Francesco d’Assisi, nato nel 1182 e fondatore dell’Ordine francescano. La sua opera, il Cantico delle Creature, noto anche come Cantico di Frate Sole e composto nel 1226 circa, costituisce il testo poetico…
The Slow Food Movement
”A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life...our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food.” ~Petrini “Our Mother Earth brings us together in a universal brotherhood.” ~Petrini…
The Columbus Letters
When Christopher Columbus embarked on his first voyage west, he began writing a journal, noting the course and sailing conditions. As with the letters Columbus wrote on his return trip to Spain, the journal was also hand-copied and translated and…
Il Mio Viaggio alla Lingua d'Italiano
Learning a new language is a challenging and exciting feat especially when the language is significant to your family heritage. As an Italian American who only speaks English, I was always interested in the Italian language. Three of my four…
