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In last month’s blog, we learned the singular forms for questo and quello. But there is more to this story, as the Italian plural masculine and feminine forms of questo and quello are used to say “these” and “those.” The ending change for questo is straightforward, while the ending change for quello is more complex. Luckily, both follow the basic rules off Italian grammar!   How I learned to say “these” and “those” in Italian As mentioned in last month’s blog about how to say “this and that” in Italian,  as a child in an Italian-American household, I learned snippets …

Last month, I promised I would write a column about “The Tree”. This is FamilySearch’s section where we’re all supposed to upload our data, and merge all the duplicates together, so that there is only one of each human being in “The Tree” with as much information about that person as we have all located. Let’s say for example that someone enters their great grandparents in The Tree but all they know is the birth years and the names. Then other people add the death year and the full birth date. Then someone else adds World War I draft information. …

It’s the time of year when we look back over the preceding months and take stock of all that we’re thankful for. In the Far South Side communities of Roseland, Pullman and Kensington neighborhoods there are plenty of things that qualify. I would venture to say that the one major thing we can all be thankful for is the election of Pope Leo XIV. America’s first pope came from our neighboring town of Dolton, and he has strong ties to Roseland in that his mother served as the Mendel Catholic High School librarian for six years. Also, his two brothers …

In light of the new documentary “Pompeii: Out of Time” by National Geographic and Disney Plus, let’s revisit one of the original interpretations of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius for film, which is an equally spectacular take on that fateful day. Eleuterio Rodolfi’s 1913 “The Last Days of Pompeii” is set in the ancient city during the day leading up to the eruption in 79 A.D. Based on Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s 1834 novel, it is one of early Italian cinema’s epic achievements. The film follows a large cast of characters behaving badly as they obsess over wealth, beauty and passion. Actress …

In 1905, my maternal grandfather, Luigi Ciavolella, came to this country, alone, at age 14 and went to live with his married sister in the Bronx. He soon got himself a shoeshine box that enabled him to make a quite respectable $5 a week. On Sundays, he sometimes attended the Metropolitan Opera, but on one gala occasion, when Caruso was singing, Grandpa’s fine seat cost him a full week’s earnings. Another time, the starched shirtfront he had to rent rolled up like a window shade during a performance and smacked him in the chin. Luigi subsequently went into business as …

Until recently, Italian citizen may hold an Italian passport, vote in Italian elections and own property in Italy, but if he or she resides permanently abroad and is registered with AIRE — the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad — registration with Italy’s National Health Service has traditionally ceases. For Italians living in the United States and other countries outside Europe, a new Italian law is now changing that framework. Law No. 111 of June 12, 2026, published in the Italian Official Gazette on June 27 and effective as of July 27, 2026, introduces a new system for Italian citizens registered …

How I learned to say “this” and “that” in Italian   As a child in an Italian-American household, I learned snippets of Italian from my grandmother, who would pepper her conversation with Italian phrases that always sounded so much more expressive than their English counterparts.  And, since they were a part of my everyday interactions,  these Italian phrases easily became a part of my vocabulary. For instance, take the demonstrative adjectives questo and quello.  Because my  grandmother used questo and quello often to point things out,  I knew what these adjectives meant and how to use them before learning the …

I am an only child. And I am not married. Why does this matter? It has forced me to be completely self-sufficient, having no siblings or spouse or children to rely on. I do not delegate or collaborate well. Ask my co-workers! As a genealogist, I find that I do not trust the research of others, so I stick to only what I have found myself. That’s partly because that I do not know anyone in the immediate area who is also working on the same ancestors as I am. My relatives, rightly so, are happy to see the results …

The Hotel Florence in Pullman is well known in architectural circles for its association with the Queen Anne style. Chief among the many examples is the Hotel Florence. She is “Our Fair Lady” and the gem of Pullman. From a curving veranda that extends across its entire red brick façade, to its mansard roof, the hotel has always cut an impressive figure, which was George Pullman’s intention. As a man of wealth in the 1880s, impressing others with opulence was practically a requirement. Working with Solon S. Beman, he certainly accomplished that goal with Hotel Florence. The Hotel Florence maintained …

As the Venice International Film Festival looks to spotlight the cinema of tomorrow, its Venice Classics program turns attention to the past and to the work required to keep film history relevant for new generations. Part of the festival since 2012, Venice Classics returned at the 83rd edition of the Venice International Film Festival with world-premiere screenings of significant restorations completed during the previous year. The program’s goal is to rediscover overlooked or undervalued films while also preserving important works of cinema history. This year’s lineup included 19 restored films from around the world. Among the Italian titles selected were …