Columns

What’s in a name? More than you know, actually. More than I know. Today’s journey shows us that names are not consistent, even though we would hope they are. I hope I am able to explain how you should make decisions regarding names, even when they aren’t 100% perfect. Here are the traditional rules for naming children: Rule 1: First son is named for his father’s father. Rule 2: First daughter is named for her father’s mother. Rule 3: Second son is almost always named for mother’s father, except when there are two grandfathers with the same first name. They …

Here we are once again, with thanks on our mind, and we have plenty to be thankful for. Having grown up or lived in the Roseland-Kensington-Pullman neighborhoods, many of us have certainly had occasion to pay our last respects at the Panozzo Brothers Funeral Home. The business began on 115th Street and moved further east to Calumet Avenue until they eventually left Roseland for Chicago Heights. Throughout the years, our ability to have a steadfast reliance on Panozzo’s in their time of need was always reassuring. I recall as a child having to accompany my parents whenever a close friend …

Just as the Venice International Film Festival wrapped up in September with the Best Actor prize awarded to Toni Servillo for his role in Paolo Sorrentino’s “La grazia,” the Toronto International Film Festival began with 10 Italian films making their North American premiere. Among them was Pietro Marcello’s much anticipated “Duse,” which was featured in the festivals Centerpiece program. The film follows the last years of Italian stage actress Eleonora Duse who was active in the later part of the 1800’s until 1909 when she retired from acting. “The choice to focus on the last years of her life came …

When I was a little kid in the Bronx, I naturally imbibed my notions of thrift from my parents and our Italian American milieu. An example occurs to me from the time I conceived a craving for Silly Putty. My mother and I were in the five-and-dime on Third Avenue when, right there on a toy shelf, I spotted a few dozen of the little plastic eggs that had become the latest childhood craze. But it occurred to me, what can you really do with Silly Putty, which was essentially a big wad of gum? Yes, it bounced and could …

Even beginning Italian students tend to notice how similar many Italian words are to English. This is because most words used today in modern Italian, and many words in English, have their roots in the Latin language spoken long ago by the Romans.*   In linguistic terms, words in two different languages that have a common origin and a similar meaning are called “cognates.”  Given the close relationship between languages that cognates foster, these words can be thought of as “true friends.” This is good news for English speakers learning Italian as a second language; recognizing these words can greatly …

It’s a common — and unfortunately frustrating — story for many who rent property in Italy. The lease ends, the keys are returned, everything seems in order … and then the landlord vanishes, or worse, claims you’re not getting your deposit back. No damages? No unpaid rent? Still no refund. What can you do? And what does Italian law really say about security deposits? Let’s break it down. Under Italian law, the security deposit (deposito cauzionale) serves one purpose: to guarantee the landlord in case of unpaid rent or damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. According to Article 11 of …

October is often a time for fresh starts — new routines, new projects, and the return of structure after the haze of summer. If you’re an Italian citizen living abroad, this might also be the right moment to check whether your relationship with Italy is in good legal and bureaucratic shape. And right at the center of that relationship is AIRE: the Registry of Italians Residing Abroad. What is AIRE, really? And what can it do for you — not just in theory, but in practice, today, in 2025? Let’s start with the basics. AIRE stands for Anagrafe degli Italiani …

Probably all of us miss our relatives who have passed away. Many of us wish they were still here for many reasons. They might keep the “Italian culture” more the old way, with Sunday dinners and family being closer than they are today. Many of us just miss the people and would like to speak to them one more time, to let them know what happened since they left. And genealogists want to ask them a BUNCH of questions! I was reminded of this the last time I saw the movie “5000 Miles From Home.” If you do not own …

It’s taken a long time to get here, but you are now reading the 205th Petals from Roseland column that I’ve written! I took over writing this column from Mario Avignone when Fra Noi was still a tabloid-sized newspaper. That was when you were able to read all the publication’s content in print. But when the switch was made to a more manageable magazine format, the community columns appeared in whole on Fra Noi’s website, with teaser articles and e-blast links driving traffic to the online version. The transition ended up being a blessing in disguise. With the full-length version …

Gianfranco Rosi premiered his much-anticipated documentary at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival in September. “Sotto le nuvole” (“Below the Clouds”) takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. The film focuses on the inhabitants of the region over the millennia and their coexistence with the land and the volcano. The synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, …