Columns

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, …

Legend says there were no poor people in Prester John’s vast empire, but there were quite a few in our Italian enclave of the South Bronx in the ’50s. In those days, Italian immigrants who didn’t want to stay poor were thrifty with the few dollars left in their pockets after the monthly bills were paid. Humble as their dwellings in Italy might have been, they considered apartment living in America a distasteful expedient, especially since the apartments they could afford were often located in tenements. Almost all our Italian neighbors were saving to buy their own homes and, given …

Say “Some” in Italian with “Qualche” and “Alcuni” To speak fluently in another language, it is important to know how to describe a group of things in a general way. When describing a part of a whole, or an undetermined number of things, we are using the partitive. This idea is rendered in English with the words “some” or “any,” as in “some of the” or “any of the.” Let’s continue to talk about the ways Italians say, “some” by focusing on how to use the adjectives qualche and alcuni in essential, every day phrases to describe a group of …

In memoriam, Virginia Ciavolella D’Epiro (1926-2025) “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days,” said Ben Franklin, but one of the qualities I admired most in my parents was their unstinting hospitality toward family members. Some didn’t yet have a place of their own in the U.S. or needed to save money by staying with us awhile, or were just passing through on their way to somewhere else. The most colorful of our many guests arrived periodically not from Italy but Lock Haven, Pennsylvania — the various members of a clan headed by my great-uncle Ernesto, who had emigrated …

Imagine waking up to the sound of church bells in a Tuscany hill town, sipping espresso on your balcony, and knowing your global income is neatly covered under a flat, predictable tax. For many who dream of moving to (or back to) Italy, that fantasy is now backed by something very real: a tax regime that rewards long-term planning and international mobility. October in Italy marks the return to full rhythm after the summer holidays. The end of the year is still a distant blur, but plans begin to take shape — new routines, future moves, long-term decisions. And for …