Columns

Over the centuries, writers have pondered the question, “Che cos’è l’amore?” “What is love?” And since the Italian poet Petrarch expressed his great love for Laura in the 14th century, love poems have often taken the form of he used — the sonetto, or sonnet. These “little songs” are 14 lines long and follow a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme. When Shakespeare took up the sonnet in the 16th Century, he changed Petrarch’s form and made it his own; Shakespeare used the sonnet to write some of the most famous lines about love in existence today. Shakespeare’s contemporaries and many poets who …

Let’s discuss how this all works. Most records are hand-written. Problem number one. So for them to be indexed on-line, someone has to read them and type them in. This, of course, is called “indexing.” I know they are working on computer technology to try to read handwriting and convert it into computer text, but let’s presume that such technology is a long way from perfection, especially when reading handwriting from a century or two ago. So who is indexing the billions of records so we can search them so easily? We could probably end all unemployment if people could …

When it comes to love and the month of February, we don’t have to look any further than the good old days in Kensington, Pullman and Roseland. The mere mention of a time, place or event from those neighborhoods brings back a flood of fond recollections about growing up in the greater Roseland community. When it comes to our love of all things Roseland, who doesn’t remember the earliest days of their youth running around the neighborhood with the other kids. Sometimes, the best memories were created with siblings and other times with the kids next door or across the …

Founded in 2003 by Franco Rina, Cinemadamare is an Italian-based international program offering hands-on filmmaking to the directors of tomorrow. Now in its 20th edition, the program gives film students the freedom and equipment to explore their creativity surrounded by the picturesque and seascapes and landscapes of the Italian peninsula. On a recent stay in Matera, the participants of the program made 16 short films in just one week. Upon completion, the filmmakers presented their works in a special community screening followed by an awards ceremony. That’s where I met up with Rina to talk with him about the program …

I am writing this the morning after Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris’ American League record of 61, which he set 61 years ago. I immediately thought of my dad, his youth, my life as his son and our relationship with the American pastime. Anthony Quilico was born in 1901 in the coal mining Italian enclave of Seatonville in Bureau County, Illinois. His dad worked the mines until 1909, when the mine fire in nearby Cherry, Illinois, convinced him to take a job with the railroads. Many miners …

For the past two months, I have been writing about how we need to talk to our older relatives and learn everything you can, because once they leave us, their memories of those who are long gone will no longer be accessible to us. That happened on Nov. 3 when our family matriarch, Mary Purpura, finally succumbed to old age just short of 101 years old. Technically, she was my grandfather’s kid sister. In reality, she was “Big Nonna,” grandmother to practically everyone whose lives she touched, including me. Why “Big Nonna”? Well, she was mother of 11 children and …

Here we go again, rolling into another year whether we’re ready for it or not. After all these years, one thing we’ve learned for sure is that we’re moving ahead regardless of how we feel. Let’s take a look at some of the happenings from 2022 as we look forward to good things to come. Pullman is always a happening place, ever since President Obama proclaimed it a national monument. As a part of the National Park System, the Ranger staff is always busy doing their job of promoting the park and enticing new visitors. The programs they have promoted …

The power of movies has proven itself time and time again throughout history. Cinema often mirrors the plights of society or recounts life-changing events. Such is the case with Peter Miller’s documentary film, “Projections of America.” My first encounter with Miller happened in 2006 when I reviewed his stunning, heartfelt documentary, “Sacco and Vanzetti.” Since then, I have remained in contact with Miller on social media and followed his projects. One of them is Miller’s 2015 documentary, “Projections of America” in which he focuses on the years immediately following World War II when Hollywood was called upon by the U.S. …

Every day, we all compare the characteristics of one person, place or thing to another — and many times these characteristics are similar or the same. For instance, there are so many places in Italy that are beautiful, and one may be as beautiful as another! Or one place in Italy may have as many important sites of interest as another. In these cases, to make a comparison we must use the Italian adverbs come and tanto… quanto to relay the meanings “as,” “as well as,” and “as much as.” When comparing two different nouns — people, places, or things …

Among the best in the rarified and highly dangerous world of speed skiing, Ivan and Simone Origone risk life and limb to hurtle down slopes at close to 160 miles per hour. Two Italian brothers are trailblazers in speed skiing, often described as the fastest non-motorized sport on Earth. Simone Origone, 43, is the most decorated speed skier of all time, with a resume that encompasses 13 World Cup wins, including the last one in 2022. His brother, Ivan, 35, holds the speed skiing world record, which he set in 2016 at 158.424 miles per hour. Speed skiing takes place …