Columns

In the shadow of the church where I was baptized, the defunct Our Lady of Pity on East 151 Street in the South Bronx, squatted the residence and professional office of Pasquale DiCarlo, MD, the general practitioner who had delivered me. Since old Dr. DiCarlo didn’t subscribe to newfangled notions, he never insisted on appointments for visits. Besides, many of his patients were Italian immigrants who hadn’t yet acquired a phone. On the shingle outside his office he might well have inscribed the motto, “Walk right in, sit right down.” And sit we did, my mother and I, perched for …

May has always been a special month for St. Anthony graduates. I recall when I began writing Petals from Roseland many years ago that my May column struck a chord. The column brought back food memories for many St .Anthony’s parishioners so I’m rerunning it here today. I asked a few St Anthony’s girls for their memories of the May crowning and all these years later, the event still holds a special place in their hearts. Each recounted the lifelong impression the May Crowning had on them. They also mentioned how their memories have been triggered throughout the years by …

In her 2023 documentary “We Are Art Through the Eyes of Annalaura,” Naples-based multimedia artist and filmmaker Annalaura di Luggo embarks on a creative journey to construct an interactive multimedia art installation in the shape of a giant eye. Di Luggo’s project is not just about art; it also tells the stories of four young individuals who have overcome personal challenges. These young people have found a path out of darkness, reclaimed their self-esteem, and discovered new value in life. She explains that the name of the multimedia installation — Occulus-Spei — was inspired by the Latin words “Colloquium,” which …

Many readers of Fra Noi have ancestors who left Italy generations ago in search of better opportunities, making this topic especially relevant. For those whose families emigrated long before World War II, the connection to Italy may feel more like a matter of heritage than daily life. Yet, despite the distance, the thread of Italian descent remains a powerful symbol of identity and pride with many of our U.S. clients seeking our assistance in citizenship recognition. However, with ongoing global migration and shifting perspectives on citizenship, it seems that Italy is beginning to implement stricter rules regarding the recognition of …

The Modal Verb Phrase “Supposed to” Meaning and Uses In last January’s blog, we discussed how to use dovere to express the meaning behind the English modal verb “should” in Italian.  The focus of this blog will be the English modal verb phrase “supposed to,” which conveys a similar meaning to “should,” but has different overtones and is used in a slightly different way. In Italian, the verb dovere,  with its official translation of “must/to have to” will be recruited to express the meanings of “duty” and “obligation” that come into play with “supposed to.”  Of course, dovere will be conjugated …

The Italian-American community is about to embark on its most challenging and important project in recent history: the creation of a National Museum of Italian American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Italian Americans have made tremendous sacrifices while making monumental contributions to our country. A national museum would serve to memorialize our exceptional history and preserve it for the benefit of future generations. This initiative began last year when the Museum and Cultural Affairs Committee of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations recommended to me that we begin to explore the prospect of creating …

Directed by the Italian filmmaking duo Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti, “Bestiaries, Herbaria, Lapidaries” is an encyclopedic documentary that features non-human protagonists, offering reflections on humanity. The film is divided into three segments, each approximately 40 minutes long, focusing on a single subject: animals, plants, and stones. In this tripartite format, each segment pays homage to a specific genre of documentary filmmaking. The first volume, “Bestiaries: Cinema Invents New Cages,” is a found-footage exploration of animals and their representation throughout cinema’s history. The second segment, “Herbaria: The Cure,” is an observational documentary about the world’s oldest botanical garden, founded in …

For many Italian Americans with personal or business interests in Italy, a pressing concern is the length and cost of litigation when disputes arise. Italian litigation is infamous for its protracted timelines and substantial expenses. Court cases can drag on for years, accumulating hefty legal fees, administrative costs, and — if you are based abroad — the additional burden of international travel. However, few people realize that Italy, like the U.S., has embraced alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures that, in some cases, are not just advisable but mandatory. When mediation is legally required, parties involved in certain types of disputes …

In some of my recent columns, I have discussed some lesser-used resources, mostly because A) I have discussed the “most-often-used” resources a lot more, and B) I am finding out how useful these lesser-used resources can be. A recent example was the atti diversi, the records of stillbirths and orphans, with occasional deaths of adults in other towns that you might never have found otherwise. Today’s column concerns something very simple but very necessary sometimes. It is called the “indici decennali.” These are indexes for each town that cover a ten-year period. As we have gone over before, in every …

It’s been more than three decades since I last saw Aunt Achilla and Uncle Tony’s second-floor, three-room apartment on Hoffman Street, but its image often surges into my mind. Their building was on the corner of 187th Street, in the heart of the Arthur Avenue (or Belmont) section of the Bronx, a neighborhood often called “The Real Little Italy of New York City.” For the longest time, they didn’t have a phone, so we showed up unannounced, though they more or less expected us on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons. Besides visiting my mother’s aunt, however, our frequent visits had …