Tag Archives: Leonardo da Vinci

The John Cadel Art Gallery in the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia recently welcomed a model of a catapult that was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Local artists and engineers Matthew McKee and Jonathon Boley built the catapult for exhibition at the third annual One Book, One Village series at the Arlington Heights Library in 2016. There is no record the catapult was built during da Vinci’s lifetime, but the design appeared in his notebooks. The model took 160 hours to build and is held together with dovetail joints and dowels. Casa Italia supporter and volunteer Frank Cesario purchased …

Just when you thought Italian Americans were free to move about the country without being dogged by stereotypes of criminality and buffoonery, the creators of “The Sopranos” and “Jersey Shore” have us running for cover again. According to Deadline.com, New Line has purchased the screenplay to a “Sopranos” prequel penned by the series creators. Set against the backdrop of the Newark riots in the 1960s, the film is expected to pit younger versions of the HBO show’s older generation of mobsters against their African-American counterparts in a gangland bloodfest. Meanwhile, MTV is doubling down on its commitment to casting Italian …