Highlights

Similar in spelling but different in meaning, false cognates can be sources of embarrassment and laughter when unleashed. As I work on making travel reservations for a coming trip to Italy, I’m reminded of a verbal blunder I once made while corresponding with the proprietor of a bed and breakfast. After agreeing on the dates and cost, I asked how I could send the deposit. I didn’t know the word for deposit and didn’t want to take the time to look it up, so I just called it the deposito, because I was pretty sure I had heard that word …

As mind-boggling as the first lunar landing was, Columbus’ feat was its equal or better in terms of the magnitude, danger and significance. On July 20, 2019, much of the world will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing by American astronaut Neil Armstrong. The event has been celebrated in the movie “First Man,” which opened last year on Oct. 12, the true anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. Without diminishing Armstrong’s incredible ride and personal courage, Columbus’s feat would equally deserve the title “First Man.” Unlike Armstrong, he did not travel into the …

Both a haven and a springboard for exploring Italy and the rest of Europe, Loyola’s Rome Center has been attracting generations of families like the Turanos since opening its doors in 1961. Ivy League schools are known for their legacy enrollments: students who attend because their parents attended and so on through the generations. It’s a point of pride for the families and a tribute to the quality of the institutions they attend. But East Coast powerhouses like Harvard and MIT don’t hold the patent on generational devotion. The John Felice Rome Center has been inspiring family loyalty since Loyola …

Since both my driving and language skills are severely challenged in Italy, I always hire Marcello, a driver/interpreter, when I’m researching a new novel. A few years ago, Marcello and I were speeding along the highway hugging the western bank of the Serchio River north of Lucca when we saw a mammoth stone footbridge at Borgo e Mazzano. Its beautiful humpback shape was obviously the work of many experienced craftsmen. “Wow! What’s that?” I asked. “The Ponte della Maddalena,” Marcello said. “But nobody calls it that. It’s Ponte del Diavolo.” The Devil’s Bridge? With a straight face, Marcello went on …

If you’re talking with Roselandites about popular folks we grew up with you’re going to hear mention of local baseball players, teachers who were unforgettable, well-known cops, popular bar or restaurant owners, and community leaders. Through these conversations, I began to wonder what about Roselandites that made their mark outside of Roseland. I looked on the internet and Wikipedia gave me a few names, but nothing that I didn’t already know. When I don’t know, I know where to go — my readers! Thanks to everyone who made the time to contact me with suggestions of those that were from …

On April 12, 2019, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell officially apologized to the Italian-American community for the part her city played in the horrific lynching of 11 Italians more than a century earlier. In so doing, she brought some measure of closure to one of the most horrific abuses that our community has endured. The apology has its roots in the emancipation of slaves in the South after the Civil War. At the time, New Orleans found itself in need of cheap labor that ended up being filled by immigrants from Italy, particularly Sicily. They came in such great numbers …

We have been through many summers over the course of our lives. When we were young, we could hardly wait for sunny summer days to run to Roseland’s baseball fields or playgrounds. Swimming was always available regardless of the weather thanks to the indoor pool at West Pullman Park. Back in the day, horseshoe equipment was put in the boxes at the end of the horseshoe courts for everyone’s enjoyment. A variety of classes were offered in park field houses such as sewing, cooking, puppetry, gymnastics, exercise and weightlifting. Roseland parks with their baseball and soccer fields, tracks, and tennis …

The way we look at things is influenced by the way we were brought up. That may be why we miss the good old days of Roseland where we were full of maybes that our parents and our surroundings instilled in us. Looking back on our lives we can find “maybes” regarding the paths we’ve chosen in life or those we’ve chosen for lifelong love. The more serious “may be” concerns itself with the Roseland we remember and love. Things may be different in Roseland but our memories are solid with no “maybe” about it. With Easter just past, every …

The Italian-American community has reacted with dismay to the University of Notre Dame’s decision to enshroud a series of 12 murals depicting the life of Christopher Columbus. “This is another example of revisionist history and a slap in the face to all Italian Americans,” says Italian American One Voice Coalition spokesperson André DiMino. “I implore the president of Notre Dame to reconsider his decision and not give in to the hysteria of the moment. Italian Americans celebrate Columbus’ achievement of uniting the continents.” “This is not the first time that Christopher Columbus has been under attack,” says NIAF Vice Chair John …

“Money makes the world go ’round,” or so they say. But in the world I live in, volunteerism is every bit as precious as cold, hard cash. At Fra Noi, we have Dan Serafini, a retired financial systems programmer who emailed me out of the blue one day with an offer of help. He came along just as Mary DeSanto was stepping down as our longtime mailing manager, and Dan now assembles our monthly renewal notices, with lunch as his only material reward. The Italian American Veterans Museum is run by an all-volunteer board that’s rich in both talent and …