Ben Lariccia
Ben Lariccia, contributing writer, Youngstown, Ohio
A Chat with Frank Gallo, Mahoning Valley's Longest Performing Entertainer
April 2018
The recent celebration of Frank Gallo’s 90th birthday reminds us that this local celebrity continues to enrich our Italian American culture with his music and comedy. Born in Western Pennsylvania’s soft coal country, the veteran singer has a...
Alive and Thriving: Italian Radio Programming in the Mahoning Valley
March 2018
It was a weekly rite. Mom would get up early on Sunday to start the sauce, the same ragú that almost all our Italian neighbors were making at that very same hour. The base had pork and beef browned with garlic in the oil. After she added the tomato...
Liberty Township: The 1873 Coal War and the Italians
January 2018
Lo sciopero dei minatori di carbone del 1873 voleva essere una ferma protesta contro i tagli dei già bassi salari nella valle di Mahoning. Sfortunatamente, sebbene si protrasse per otto mesi, non raggiunse mai l’obiettivo desiderato. La pratica,...
The Mahoning Valley Loses a Loyal Son with the Passing of Tony Lariccia
December 2017
A leading light of the Mahoning Valley Italian American community, Anthony “Tony” Lariccia, passed away on Sept. 20, 2017. He is survived by Mary Olinick Lariccia, his wife, and daughters Natalie and Dana. Born in 1945, Tony was the grandson of...
From Indian Territory to the Mahoning Valley: A Story of Italian Immigration
October 2017
Nell’ultimo ventennio del 1800, i Territori Indiani che sarebbero in seguito divenuti lo Stato dell’Oklahoma furono la prima destinazione di molti italiani che emigrarono dall’Italia settentrionale e meridionale in cerca di migliore fortuna negli...
Newspaper Clip Brings to Life 1912 World of Youngstown Immigrants
September 2017
Il recente ritrovamento di un articolo del giornale Mahoning Dispatcher risalente all´11 ottobre 1912, rivela la realtà della vasta comunità italo-americana della zona di Youngstown. L´ignoto autore dell´articolo difende vigorosamente i...
Morra!!! Alive and Well in The Mahoning Valley
August 2017
Cinqueeeeeeee! Setteeeeeeee! Quattroooooo! Ottoooooooooo!
Two opponents face off, backs bent and adrenaline on overtime. Fingers and arms are flashing. A huddle of onlookers develops. Where are we? It’s any place where Morra, the...
Leonardo Di Caprio to Star in Film on the Black Hand
July 2017
Nel gennaio scorso la rivista Variety ha annunciato l’uscita nel 2018 di “The Black Hand”, con Leonardo Di Caprio. Il film renderà omaggio al tenente Joe Petrosino del Dipartimento di Polizia di New York che, un secolo fa,...
Angiuli's Farm Markets: Farm to Table Straordinario!
June 2017
The Angiuli story begins in 1981, at the Pyatt Street Market in Youngstown. From there, Rita Angiuli opened a fruit and vegetable stand outdoors, under a shady oak tree. This is how Carl Angiuli lovingly describes to La Gazzetta how his parents...
The U.S. Italian Community and the Immigration Act of 1924
March 2017
In 1924, Congressman Albert Johnson and Senator David Reed introduced and helped pass an act of Congress that drastically reduced immigration from Southern, Central and Eastern Europe. As one of the targets of the legislation, immigrants from Italy...
