Ciao! Philadelphia

The History And Art Of The Italian Baretta

2008-02-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

Italy’s importance in the history of art, government, politics, warfare, wine, and sport is recognized worldwide. The country has been the center of culture for centuries, its contributions to the advancement of technology is no less significant. No area of the world, in fact, can boast a greater role in the evolution of firearms than the ancient Italian valley region known as Val Trompia, with its central village of Gardone. For nearly two thousand years, beginning long before the age of firearms, this quiet community has been at the leading edge of weapons development. In the art of gun making, Val Trompia is the original Silicon Valley of arms technology.

Fifteen generations of Berettas have led their company in the transition from specialist gun barrel crafting. They have overseen Beretta’s progress through the production of sporting firearms, the introduction of models widely adopted by the military and law enforcement, its current international industrial enterprises, the adoption of modern production techniques, and the establishment of new operations in Europe and in North America. Beretta is more than a company, a family, or a gun. It is a treasure, a historic gift to the worlds of technology, decorative arts, firearms, field sports, marksmanship, and collecting.

Val Trompia includes the ancient gun barrel manufacturing center of Gardone and the capital city of Brescia, where completed firearms were assembled. The valley runs north to south through the Columbine Mountains, the source of both high-grade iron ore since pre-Roman times and timber to fuel the fires of the great smelteries and smithies. The Mella River, which flows through the valley, provided water power for early machinery and hydroelectric power in modern times. Val Trompia was an important center for iron working in the Middle Ages and achieved renown for fine guns beginning in the Renaissance.

The value of iron for weapons and armor was appreciated in the very earliest of historic periods. Although iron ore is fairly common throughout the world, its quality varies widely and is difficult to work. However Italy has historically provided some of the finest quality iron ore in the world.

Early firearms were large, heavy cannons and mortars, cast in bronze or forged from iron. Soon there followed attempts to design a practical handgun. From the earliest, which required a gunner seemingly with numerous arms and numerous eyes to fire, evolved the arquebus, a lighter muzzle loading gun. At first it was fired with a handheld, slow burning match. Later, a matchlock mechanism was employed. Finally, for civilian purposes, the arquebus was equipped with the elegant and complex wheel lock.

By 1562, Val Trompia had become a highly industrialized, highly specialized manufacturing center. The diverse labors referred to assembly line methods in which one type of craftsman was responsible for a particular operation.

By the sixteenth century Bartolomeo Beretta was making barrels for the arquebus, a heavy matchlock gun that was used by both the military and civilians, and for the larger rampart gun, a purely military weapon. Fine Beretta barrels were used on the hunting and military arms of England’s Henry VIII. They were also present on several guns owned by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and by several Popes in Rome. The wheel locks on these guns were supplied in Brescia by Lodvico Beretta.
The Berettas worked at small fires where rough plates were heated and wrapped around steel mandrels. Then began the fine art of welding the seam along the length of the barrel by hammering the overlapping edges together. Finely exquisite guns from Val Trompia that were manufactured with intricate decorations elaborately chiseled into their design were referred to as the Brescian style until the middle of the eighteenth century.

The 1630s were ravaged by an outbreak of bubonic plague and a series of murders as factions polarized around the Rampinelli and Chinelli families. Although the Beretta family was prominent and large in numbers during this turbulent period they were not involved in these chaotic deeds. This is probably the result of deliberate noninvolvement in politics which became a family tradition.
In 1641 Giovanni Antonio Beretta invented a breech loading cannon which he felt would be useful in place of the muzzle loading type that were placed in pairs around the perimeters of the palaces and castles. “I have discovered the true and safe secret for loading them at the breech, which is as though it were all of a piece, so that the fire can not escape and in no way leak out” he told the Senate. Beretta’s first gun was a two pounder, but the Senate wanted something bigger. Giovanni Antonio Beretta developed four and six pounders that appear to have been equally successful: on July 10, 1641 he was awarded the substantial payment of “ten whole ducats a month, in fine gold coin, for twenty years, the money to be paid to him or to whomever he appoints, and further two hundred ducats of current coin as a one time payment” The guns and their unique technology were not developed beyond the prototype stage.
In 1694 Bartolomeo Beretta was accused of the murder of Angelo Chinelli, a charge he adamantly denied, he was ordered held in house arrest. A few months later, Bartolomeo’s brother Giovanni, narrowly escaped an ambush set by the Chinelli clan. Another Beretta relative, Francesco, happened on the scene of the ambush and warned the Chinellis that if they fired on Giovanni, he would shoot them. A Chinelli fired, missing Giovanni, whereupon Francesco and his companion, Paolo Mutti, shot and killed a Chinelli. It was not until 1697 that the two Beretta’s were called to account. Francesco was sentenced to four years of compulsory military service, while Bartolomeo was exonerated and allowed to return to Gardone.

The second half of the seventeenth century had seen numerous developments in the technology of firearms and the tactics of war. The arquebus and old style muskets were replaced by a new musket that was lighter and did not require a support. The added feature of a bayonet gave the gunners protection during reloading. The flintlock replaced the wheel lock and the match lock; it became the standard for both military and civilian arms for two hundred years.

By the end of the 1600s the Berettas were established as preeminent manufacturers. In 1698, they were listed as the first in production of gun barrels among thirty-three chief master gun barrel manufacturers.

When Napoleon began incursions into northern Italy in 1796, the Venetian Senate simply lacked the will and the power to oppose him. By May of 1797 Venice was in French hands and within five months later had been sold to Austria under the Treaty of Campo Formio. Val Trompia was needed to keep Napoleon’s Grand Army supplied with arms. A new firearms factory with the latest equipment was established in Brescia. Nearly forty thousand muskets were produced yearly until Napoleon was defeated in 1815. The Beretta family of gun makers was awarded a “Good Service Certificate” from Napoleon for their part in the production.

Although very little is known of the early Berettas, the family history becomes more detailed with Pietro Antonio, son of Giuseppe Antonio Beretta, born in 1791 he began his tenure by mastering the building of barrels for shotguns and pistols. Very much aware that a new age of opportunity was drawing, he began traveling through Italy in 1815 to contact importers, wholesalers, and retail dealers. In 1832, he gave his firm the name it now bears today, Fabbrica d’ Armi Pietro Beretta.

Giuseppe Beretta was the next in succession of the Berettas to run the family business, this took place in 1850. During this time the Beretta Company experienced an explosion of growth and manufacturing. This can be directly contributed to Giuseppe’s business talents. In 1893 Giuseppe was nominated Cavalier dell’ Ordine della Corona d’ Italia,
(A Cavalier of the Order of the Crown of Italy). Beretta had become so prominent that in 1899 Giuseppe built the Beretta Hotel for the decorum of the industrious village and for the comfort of foreigners, who were by then visiting the factory. Part of the hotel complex was a theater for cultural performances, an unheard of innovative idea for it’s time. Giuseppe Beretta died in June of 1903 and was succeeded by the eldest of his five sons, Pietro, born in Gardone on April 22, 1870. Pietro would lead the firm for fifty-four years until his own death in 1957. His impact on the company’s future proved substantial and far reaching. More than anyone, Pietro Beretta made his company into one of the dominant industrial powers in the world of firearms.

Pietro assumed the reins of a company made up of one building of 100,000 square meters and 130 employees, and promptly began a new phase of development. Over several years of dedication, inspiration, and sheer hard work, Pietro oversaw an expansion to much larger facilities, with employees numbering 1,500. Despite the difficulties the Beretta family and their company lived through and prospered during the World Wars I and II. Pietro made sure that the company had its own source of energy. He built an innovative hydroelectric plant on the banks of the Mella River, with one of its turbines within a tunnel for emergency situations, such as wartime. It was his idea, also, to establish a proof house in Gardone which, he properly theorized, would make the Italian manufacturers competitive on a European level.

As World War I loomed, the demand for sporting arms had drastically dropped, however in 1915, orders for handguns had begun to come in from the Italian Royal Army. Beretta had contracted to produce one thousand barrels for the Fiat Model 1914 machine gun. Beretta’s success in this venture, combined with an awareness that the war would be long, resulted in the firm’s decision to design new military arms. The first to come to fruition was a patented conversion of the Vetterli Model 70 and the Model 70-87 rifles and carbines for use with the regulation Model 1891 cartridge.

Pietro had the help of the brilliant inventor and designer, Tullio Marengoni, who’s creative run of new products began with the hammerless shotgun in the first decade of the twentieth century and covered nearly every important Beretta firearm until circa 1960. Pietro Beretta provided the leadership that was essential in guiding Marengoni to create new firearms and in turning Marengoni’s inventions into practical reality. It was Marengoni who developed the Beretta Model 1915 automatic pistol, which was adopted by the Italian Royal Army, and which by the end of the war was being produced at an astounding rate of 4,200 per month. Marengoni went on to develop the first true submachine gun, the Model 1918 automatic carbine.

As World War II began, the Italian government contracted with Beretta for military arms. Included were orders for the Model 1934 automatic pistol and a new Beretta automatic rifle, the MAB38A. When the Italian government collapsed in 1943, German SS troops occupied the Beretta plant to supervise production. Although Pietro and his sons Pier Giuseppe and Carlo were under constant suspicion, somehow firearms made their way into the hands of partisans. At one point, Carlo was imprisoned for two weeks awaiting transport to an extermination camp. Only his importance to continued production at the Beretta factory saved him. When Gardone was bombed in 1944, the factory suffered heavy damage. Fortunately, the machinery had been moved into tunnels in the mountain side and had survived. At the close of the war, German troops placed Pietro Beretta under arrest. He was rescued by a determined band of partisans, who in the process captured several prisoners. Pietro Beretta could well have been summarily executed by the Nazis. His survival allowed Pietro to spearhead the company’s post war revival.

Following Italy’s surrender to the Allies, Beretta was able to recommence production of shotguns, beginning the long process of recovery from the ravages of war. Partly using the machinery that had been protected in the mountain side tunnels, Pietro Beretta transformed the post war firm into a modern, streamlined manufacturing enterprise, with up to date equipment and administration. His death on May 1st 1957 truly marked the end of an era.

If Pietro is remembered as an empire builder, then his sons Pier Giuseppe and Carlo earned for that empire international status as arguably the leading producer of a comprehensive line of small arms of a variety of types, both civilian and military.

Over the years a number of new products joined the Beretta line, among them the BM59, a modified Garand rifle in 7.62 NATO with semi and full automatic capability. The revisions were achieved by Beretta in only three months, in contrast to the twelve years required for the U.S. Ordnance to develop the basically identical M14. Among other milestones firearms are the Model 1951 pistol, the PM12 submachine gun, the AR70 military rifle, and the expanded SO series of deluxe over and under shotguns.

In 1975 Beretta introduced perhaps its most famous firearm of all times. The 9mm Model 92 auto loading pistol. It was quickly adopted by the Brazilian Police do Esercito, and later by the Italian police and military. Over the next twenty-five years the Model 92 became the sidearm of choice for the French Gendarmerie Nationale, the U.S. armed forces, and more than 1,600 law enforcement agencies in North America alone. The U.S. armed forces adopted the Model 92 on April 10th 1985. This phenomenal firearm won out over numerous other major firearms manufacturers such as; Smith & Wesson, Colt, Heckler & Koch, Sig Sauer, Walther, and Styer, by consistently surpassing all of the requirements imposed by the U.S. military through an arduous testing process.

When Carlo Beretta died on March 5th 1984 at the age of seventy-six, at least ten thousand mourners paid tribute. Honoring a man of the Valley, citizens lined the streets of Gardone while his coffin was borne from the family villa to his final resting place. A tribute to a man, a family, a company, and a firearm that is renowned in the annals of history, Beretta.

Lieutenant Vince Testa #302
Commanding Officer
Firearms Identification Unit
843-849 North 8th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123-2001

An Italian Autumn Feast

2008-01-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

Autumn is finally here and all I can think about is the bountiful autumn harvest. Images of cornucopia overflowing with pumpkins and squash fill my mind. Here in America, we have a tendency to think of the autumn harvest more as decoration. We think of the Indian Corn that we hang on our doors or the little pumpkins and gourds that we place on our desks. In Italy, however, the autumn harvest means the return of fantastic seasonal foods that are only available this time of year.

I’ve put together a special menu for you to try that incorporates traditional, seasonal foods. For the best flavor and most rewarding shopping experience, try to purchase as many of the ingredients as you can at a local farmers market or specialty shop. The quality of locally grown produce typically surpasses what is grown on corporate farms and can make a huge difference in any meal.

CAROTA MARINATA
We’re going to start with a traditional rustic dish known as Carota Marinata (Kah-Ro-Tah Mah-Ree-Nah-Tah). Carota Marinata means marinated carrots and is a common dish found in the countryside of Italy, but not typically in the cities. This particular version is popular around the Campagna region.

You start by filling a pot with water, covering it and turning on the flame to high. While the water reaches a boil, take a bag of carrots, chop off the tips and the ends and peal what’s left. Once your carrots are all peeled, dice them into bite sized pieces. When your water comes to a boil, salt the water and add the carrots, letting them cook for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender but not mushy.

While the carrots are cooking, you can make the marinade. Combine 2 sliced cloves of garlic, ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of oregano, 2 tbsp of white wine and ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil into a sealable plastic bag.

When the carrots are done, drain them, rinse them with cool water and add them to the plastic bag. Give the bag a good shake and refrigerate if for at least 12 hours. This gives the carrots the opportunity to absorb the flavor of the marinade.

When you’re ready to eat your Carota Marinata, simply pour them into a bowl, provide a serving spoon and your antipasto is served.

PASTA E PATATE
Macaroni and potatoes may sound a bit too filling to American ears, but to Italians, ‘Pasta e Patate’ (Pah-Stah Ay Pah-Tah-Tay) is quintessential comfort food. And like all comfort food, it is easy to make.

Start with a sauté pan and about a quarter of a cup of extra virgin olive oil. Warm the oil at about medium heat then toss in 1/2 pound of diced pancetta. While the pancetta cooks, dice a medium sized Spanish onion and about a half cup of scallions. Once the pancetta begins to turn a nice golden color, add the onion and scallions to the pan.

While the onions and scallions sauté together with the pancetta, combine ¼ tsp of red seed pepper, 4 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of oregano. When the onions turn a translucent color, add the seasoning and give the pan a nice toss and set back over the flame for about two minutes.

Now, dice up about 3 pounds of potatoes into bite sized pieces. Don’t worry about making them perfect, a little imperfection adds to the charm of such a rustic dish. Add the potatoes into the sauté pan with about 2 cups of water. For a little extra flavor, and to add to the rustic nature of the dish, add a few cheese rinds, preferably from a sharp, sheep’s milk cheese. Let this simmer together for about twenty minutes.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil. When it is boiling, add a little salt then cook a pound of macaroni until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauté pan, stirring the whole mix together for about two minutes. Pull out the cheese rinds and serve.

CANNOLI DI ZUCCA
No meal would be complete without dessert and no autumn feast would be complete without pumpkin. To cap off your autumn feast, try this seasonal variation on the traditional cannoli. Cannoli di Zucca (Cah-No-Lee Dee Zoo-Kah) is a dessert whose success rests almost entirely on the quality of the ingredients used. Fresh, locally grown pumpkin and fresh, hand-made ricotta are essential.

To make Cannoli di Zucca, you’re going to first need to make a puree of pumpkin. To do so, set your oven to 350 and cut a large pumpkin in half, separating the top from the bottom. Scoop out the seeds and the fibrous strings from both halves and place, cut side down, in a baking pan with about a cup of water. Bake the pumpkin for about 90 minutes.

While the pumpkin bakes, add about 2 cups of freshly made ricotta cheese to a mixing bowl. Stir in 4 tsp of confectionary sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, ½ tsp of ginger and ¼ tsp of nutmeg. Stir until the seasoning is completely mixed with the ricotta. Break up about ¼ cup of honey roasted pecans and stir them into the ricotta cream.

When the pumpkin is finished, scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin and blend it into a food processor. Add about 2 cups of the processed pumpkin puree to the ricotta mixture and stir them together. This is the filling for your Cannoli di Zucca.

You can buy good quality cannoli shells at most Italian specialty shops or even from your local pasticceria. However, some of the best homemade cannoli I’ve ever had were made with pizzelle that were rolled into a cannoli shell while still warm. Some people have even served this pumpkin ricotta mixture as a pudding with a ginger cookie tossed in as garnish. You can be as creative as you want, because your pumpkin ricotta mixture is going to taste fantastic on practically anything.

Remember, always try to shop fresh and local and never be afraid to experiment. I hope you enjoy your autumn feast and look forward to writing my next seasonal menu for you. Ciao!

The Lost Cheese Of Sicily

2008-01-02T21:05:00.000-05:00

At this point in my career, I have been peddling cheese at DiBruno Brothers for over a decade. After the obligatory hazing period and the numerous customers who take sadistic pride in "breaking the stones" of new employees, I have developed a substantially thick skin. There was a time that I would have been offended when a wise-cracker slandered "So what's it like to cut the cheese for a living?" Now that just rolls off my back.

That being said, there is still one phrase that cuts to the core every time it's uttered: "That's not sharp enough." What stings about this comment is the truth behind it. In a shop that carries over 300 varieties
of cheese from Italy alone, how can it be that we, at times, do not have a blisteringly sharp provolone?

Of course, we have little control over the matter. Every wheel is different, and when one wheel is perfectly sharp, we sell it so quickly that we are forced to cut the next one prematurely. We increase our odds by carrying 5 varieties of provolone: three imported and two domestic. And the vast majority of the time, at least one of them aligns perfectly with the customer's desires. That being said, there are times when all five are on the milder side, and the passionate cheesemonger becomes racked with guilt.

Ever try talking a South Philly Italian into trying a sharp British cheddar instead of the sharp provolone we are lacking? Good luck. All of the valid substitutes for provolone are either too salty, too dry or not Italian. Until now.

Several years ago, a well-respected Sicilian cheese maker named Salvatore Passalaqua moved into his new home in the hills outside Palermo. By some miracle, he found in his new closet a recipe for a cheese that had not been made for over one hundred years. He set out to recreate this cheese using traditional methods and equipment. The resulting cheese was dubbed "Tuma Persa," or "Lost Cheese," and not only can it substitute for provolone, but could very well replace it.

Provolone producers have nothing to fear. Salvatore produces each wheel by hand, outputting only 50 wheels a week. We at DiBruno's are fortunate enough to acquire two wheels every Thursday, but even still we find ourselves out of it after the weekend. The appeals are numerous: it is strong and superlatively sharp without the expected high salt content typical of sharp provolone. And unlike provolone, which has a tendency to be sharp and biting but somewhat fleeting and short-lived, Tuma Persa is rich and earthy, using high-quality and immensely flavorful raw milk. Take one bite, and you will still be tasting it five minutes later. The finish is speckled with hints of green and black peppercorn. Connecting the first bite to the finish is an underlying current of fruit, almost as if it were washed with wine.

Its likeness to provolone implies that in can be used in all the same contexts. Soppressatta, Prosciutto and cured sausages all pair beautifully with it. Sicilian and Cerignola olives should be on the plate, along with roasted peppers and hearty Sicilian olive oil. As far as wine goes, a rustic cheese deserves a rustic wine: Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo or, for something a bit more exotic, Primitivo.

Hunter Fike
Cheese Specialist
DiBruno Brothers House of Cheese

Primitivo : The Godfather of American Wine

2007-12-15T20:00:00.000-05:00

On the boot of Italy’s heel lies the rustic region of Apulia, home to the wine known as Primitivo. Primitivo, which is produced in 16 different wine regions within Apulia, is made from the Primitivo grape, a grape surrounded by mystery and legend.

Primitivo is rumored to gets its name from the Italian word primo, meaning first, because the Primitivo vine was the world’s first grape vine. Wine made from the Primitivo grape is also rumored to have been served at the Last Supper. While these are difficult claims to prove, they certainly add to the mystique of the wine.

What is known about Primitivo is that it came to Apulia from ancient Greece. Apulia, as with other parts of Southern Italy, was populated with Greek colonists in ancient times. Among the many aspects of Greek culture that the colonists brought with them was winemaking and the Primitivo grape was their preferred grape to grow in the harsh Pugliese sun.

Around the 17th Century, Benedictine monks began to call this grape Primitivo in reference to its primitive nature. This was not an insult. The monks called the grape primitive because wine made from the grape was the first wine available for consumption. To this day, Primitivo wine is known as a wine best consumed young, within 5 years of its vintage.

Although Primitivo is the fifth most produced wine in all of Italy, it was not highly regarded and was frequently shipped to other areas to be blended with better regarded wines. This all began to change in the 1990s, thanks to the California wine industry’s critical success in making wine from zinfandel grapes.

Zinfandel, which had been produced in California for over 100 years, was a mystery. As no grape vine is native to American soil, the question about how Zinfandel got here burned through the wine community. DNA researchers at the University of California finally solved the mystery when they proved that the zinfandel grape and the primitive grape are identical twins. The vine was transported from Apulia to America some time in the 18th or 19th century.

Suddenly, Primitivo was transformed from a grape that produced mediocre wine to a grape whose potential had not yet been reached. Savvy farmers in Apulia began cultivating their Primitivo grapes more meticulously, harvesting smaller but higher quality crops. The wines that have emerged are some of the most fragrant, rewarding wines you will find.

Although Primitivo grapes can be grown anywhere, only wines made from Primitivo grapes grown in the 16 recognized Primitivo wine regions can be called Primitivo wine. A true, quality glass of Primitivo should be deep red in color, bordering on black. Almost opaque, a glass of Primitivo is very viscous and will have a lighter shade around the rim.

The aroma of Primitivo is bold and you will pick up ripe blackberries and red berries as well as a hint of anise and oak.

On the palate, the first flavor one experiences is typically that of ripe, juicy blackberries. One may also experience hints of tobacco, chocolate, anise and wild cherries. Primitivo wine has a lengthy finish that features powerful tannins and hints of anise or even figs.

Amazingly, a wine this historic and this complex retails very cheaply. A good bottle of Primitivo wine can cost anywhere from $9 to $18, which makes it a fantastic bargain for such a bold, dynamic wine.

The Soundtrack To Your Italian Lifestyle Episode I

2007-12-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

Ciao! Philadelphia is excited to publish our first podcast. Your can listen to our podcast in the player to your right or by visiting http://ciaophiladelphia.podbean.com.

If you think that Italian music is nothing more then tuxedoed crooners and mandolin players, you couldn't be more wrong. Today's Italian music brings elements of American rock, R&B, latin rhythms together in a distinct sound that always retains that incredible sense of Italian melody. Along with the podcast, we'll also give you a little information about the artists as well as links so that you can purchase their CDs online.

Le Cosa Da Difendere (Nek)
This Italian rocker has successfully blended a hard rock sound with an extraordinary sense of melody.

Essere Una Donna (Anna Tatangelo)
The onetime protégé and now fiancé of Gigi D’Alessio, Anna Tatangelo has transformed herself from a talented young female singer to a woman destined to reign over the Italian music charts for years to come.

Per Dire Di No (Alexia)
Alexia, a sort of Italian Christina Aguilara, enjoyed a great success with this song at the 2004 San Remo festival, heralding a potentially big future.

L’Amore Che Non C’e` (Gigi D’Alessio)
Gigi D’Alessio is an Italian music phenomenon. This singer-songwriter-pianist-guitarist is classically trained, well versed in latin rhythms and capable of writing some of the most melodic music on the radio today.

Sotto Lo Stesso Stella (Francesco Merola)

The son of the late great Mario Merola, Francesco inherited his father’s trademark deep baritone voice. Under the tutelage of Gigi D’Alessio, Francesco has branched out beyond Naples by fusing ethnic Neapolitan music with Italian pop and Europop.

Gente Distratta (Pino Daniele)
One of the most respected musicians in all of Italy, Pino Daniele is a politically active, mild mannered artist who carefully creates layered Neapolitan R&B songs with a heavy jazz influence.

Lascia (Gigi Finizio)
A major proponent of the R&B style of music that is so popular in Naples today, Gigi Finizio is best known for his thoroughly rhythmic ballads.

Gelosia (Adriano Celentano)
At one time, Adriano Celentano was a one man hit parade, fusing American Rock n Roll with Italian music. After a two decade run of hits, Celentano retired from music in order to focus on his acting career. In the 1990s, Celentano came out of retirement with a new sound. With a weathered voice, philosophical lyrics and dark sense of rhythm, Celentano is once again at the top of the Italian music charts.

Ti Voglio Bene (Tiziano Ferro)
A rising star in the Italian music world, Tiziano Ferro successful fuses electronic pop with jazz and R&B.

Fuoco Nel Fuoco (Eros Ramazzotti)
Possibly the biggest Italian pop star, Eros Ramazzotti is seen by many as being the innovator of the latest wave of Italian pop music. With influences coming from American R&B, latin music and Italian pop, Ramazzotti has enjoyed a two decade run as an Italian icon.

The Veiled Christ

2007-11-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

When you think of marble statues, words like powerful, imposing or dominating probably come to mind. The association of adjectives like these with marble statues makes perfect sense. Marble statues are, after all, enormous carved blocks of stone.

There is one marble statue, however, that stands apart from the rest. One statue that makes people think of words like breezy, delicate and gentle. That statue is Giuseppe Sammartino’s Veiled Christ.

The Veiled Christ is one of three incredibly unique marble statues found in the Sansevero chapel in Naples. All three statues forgo the traditional concepts of marble sculpture and instead create incredibly delicate compositions that make marble appear like shear cloth or netting.

The first statue is Antonio Corradini’s Chastity in which a woman symbolizing chastity, is depicted draped in a delicate sheer material. Through this sheer material, the details of her face and body can be seen with perfect clarity as if Chastity weren’t a single piece of carved marble but a sheer piece of cloth draped over a marble statue.

The last of the statues is Francesco Queirolo’s Disenchantment, which depicts a man freeing himself from a mesh net. Also carved from a single piece of marble, it is almost impossible to imagine the amount of skill it took Queirolo to carve the netting out of marble and yet he did it.

As impressive as both Chastity and Disenchantment are, the masterpiece of the Sansevero chapel is Giuseppe Sammartino’s Veiled Christ. Surpassing the technical skill of both Chastity and Disenchantment while adding an intensely powerful and emotional undertone, Sammartino’s Veiled Christ is not only the masterpiece of the Sansevero chapel but also one of the world’s greatest sculptures.

A depiction of the body of Christ covered in a burial shroud, the Veiled Christ gives viewers an intensely personal view of the effects of the Crucifixion. Through the burial shroud, we can see the wounds inflicted upon Christ throughout the Passion. We can see the holes in his hands and feet where they were pierced with nails. We can see the scratches across his body. We can see the veins bulging as an effect of rigor mortis.

Despite being carved of a single block of stone, Sammartino’s Veiled Christ truly appears to be a man under a burial shroud. Yet unlike Corradini’s Chastity, Sammartino’s Veiled Christ was carved with as much emotion as technical skill.

A relatively ignored masterpiece in a relatively ignored art capital, Giuseppe Sammartino’s Veiled Christ is just one of the many reasons to include Naples on your next tour of Italy. And when you get there, remember that the breezy, delicate and gentle works of art you are viewing are in fact solid pieces of cold marble brought to life by the skilled artists of the Sansevero chapel.

Italian Tenor Makes Opera History

2007-10-15T22:57:00.000-04:00

There is no shortage of the times that Italians have made cultural history, starting with the Ancient Romans, to the Renaissance to the Golden Age of Opera, throughout history. Literarily thousands of times. But when it does happen it still sounds good, like beautiful operatic music. On February 7, 2007, Salvatore Licitra sang two operas in one program, only the seventh tenor in Metropolitan Opera History to do so since its inception in 1883, 125 years ago.

However, on February 10, 2007, Licitra was the first tenor to do the two operas on a Met radio broadcast all over the world. The two operas were Cavalleria Rusticana and the more known Pagliacci. Also referred to as “CAV” and “PAG”, the two short operas are often given together on the same bill, with Cavalleria first and Pagliacci second, but typically with two different tenors. While they may be short in length, not so for the respective tenor roles, especially the second one, Pagliacci.

These operas represented a new school of opera know as “Verismo” as opposed to the previous schools of Romanticism and Classical. Verismo (realism or naturalism) represents real stories with real people. Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) all happens on Easter Sunday in a small Sicilian village. The peace of the holyday is contrasted with the stormy emotions of the principal characters of jealousy, infidelity and vengeance. Cavalleria won first prize in a contest for a one-act opera in 1890; was a huge sensation and made its impoverished composer, Pietro Mascasgni, famous and rich (he deserved it!). As a side note, Salvatore Licitra is Sicilian and when interviewed about singing this opera based on a Sicilian story, he said it’s in his DNA (and right he was).

The second opera, Pagliacci (the players) happens in a village in Calabria with the same intense human emotions as Cavalleria, but even more so. It contains one of the most famous tenor arias in the operatic repertoire, Vesti La Giubba (on with the show), which is Canio’s very poignant lament when he discovers his young wife’s unfaithfulness. The composer, Ruggiero Leoncavallo also composed the delightful Italian song, Mattinata.

OK, how did Licitra do? I must admit there was some apprehension. Remember, he became most famous when, in 2002 at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, he substituted for Luciano Pavorotti at the last minute in Puccini’s Tosca. While he did well and was well received, there was still uncertainty if his career would take off. Last year in a Met broadcast of Verdi’s opera, La Forza Del Destino, he was tentative and had some difficulty with the role. Well not here! Salvatore, indeed, did his homework and was well prepared to take on these two operas together, a feat that most tenors do not want to risk.

While these are two one act operas, the tenor roles are extremely impassionate and call for sustained dramatic singing, especially Pagliacci. Years ago an old friend of mine said, “If they would have made Pagliacci any longer the tenor would have died.” But not only did Salvatore undertake them, he also did them with vocal ease along with power, tonal quality and dramatic interpretation. A huge success! Early in the opera, Pagliacci, when the lead character, Canio, invites the people to see the play later that evening (“A Venti Tre Ore”), the tenor must hit a high B natural, and done right, it is a bolt of excitement for the listener. Licitra did it in big ringing fashion and my father and I responded with that kind of excitement.

More recently, he sang Puccini’s Il Tabarro (“The Cloak), which too is from the Verismo school of high emotion, and vocally demanding for the tenor. Licitra again blew the lid off. It sounds like we have that much needed dramatic Italian tenor. As Andrea Bocelli simply says, “The best singers are Italian”. With the likes of Salvatore Licitra (and Bocelli) and many others before, and I’m sure will be after, who cannot agree!

Everyone is a Winner!

2007-10-02T20:10:00.000-04:00

It may be a cliche to say that everyone is a winner, but everyone who was at the 2007 Vendemmia Festival certainly felt like a winner. The Phillies won the division. Michael Nutter led the cheers. And Chubby Checker was doing the twist. What more could you ask for?

With all the excitement, it is easy to forget that there was a winemaking contest going on. For those who missed the announcement, here are the winners for the 2007 Vendemmia Winemaking Competition:

BEST OF SHOW
3rd Place - Frank Valloreo for his Merlot 60 / Petit Sirah 40 blend
2nd Place - Paul Policarpo and Vince Novello for their Brunello
1st Place - Paul Policarpo and Vince Novello for their Amarone

BEST OF CATEGORY
Petit Sirah - Tenaglia / Giacobetti
Charbono/Petit Sirah/Cab - Rich Tenaglia
Carmenere/Cab - Marc Hauad
Cab - Joh Fox
Cab/Petit Sirah - Paul Reott
Nebbiolo - Frank Costabile
Merlot - Gene Pirolli
Pinot Noir - Roberto/Troncone
Peach - Iron Rock Winery
Viognier - Patricia Gammisa
Sauvignon Blanc - Luigi DiPaolo

Don't forget, the proceeds from the Vendemmia Festival go to the Vendemmia Scholarship Fund. The recipients of this year's scholarships are:

8th Graders
Domenic Reda, Stephanie Kelly, Thomas Vasile, Tina Gatta, Charles Fitzsimmons, Krista Muoio, Brittany Malseed, Julianna Pakstis and Natalie Franzini.

High School Seniors
Eric Banecker, Brooke Lord, Eric Funaro, Julia Dunn, Anthony D'Angelo, Anthony Notte, Deanna Tropea, Bianca Innaurato, Natalie Giuffrida and Paolo Di Paolo.

A Patron For The Environment

2007-09-24T20:05:00.000-04:00

While traveling through the Italian countryside one afternoon, Francis of Assisi ordered his companions to stop. Spotting a flock of birds in a nearby tree, Francis felt the urge to preach to them just as he preached to so many people. His companions stood in wonder as Francis began to deliver a sermon to a flock of birds and the birds gathered around and listened to every word Francis had to say.

This story illustrates two aspects of the personality of Saint Francis of Assisi. The first is his incredible zeal to preach the Gospel. According to Saint Francis, all of God’s creatures, not just humans, deserve to hear the Good News. The second aspect of the personality of Saint Francis of Assisi that is illustrated in this story is his community with nature. Francis exhibited a unique relationship with animals and plants and was able to converse with them as no one else could.

It is for this reason that many people purchase Saint Francis of Assisi medals and put them on their pet’s collar. Because Saint Francis of Assisi was such a lover of animals, it is believed that he will watch over your pets and keep them free from harm.

It is also common for people to place statues of Saint Francis of Assisi in their garden. Here, he can reason with pests and convince them not to destroy your crops. He can also spend his time preaching to your plants, inspiring in them a faith that drives them to grow up tall towards heaven. A reminder of pure devotion and a helping hand in your backyard garden, a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi is a must have among your tomato and basil plants.

The Real Santa Claus

The man who inspired the legend of Santa Claus was actually a historical figure named Saint Nicholas of Myrha. Saint Nicholas lived a very religious life and many miraculous stories are told about him. The most famous is the tale of three young women whose father couldn’t afford the dowry they needed to get married. So Nicholas bundled together some money into three stockings and dropped the stockings down their chimney so that the father could pay his three girls’ dowry.

In 1071, Muslim forces overtook the city of Myrha, where Saint Nicholas was buried. Acting fast, three sailors took the Saint’s remains to the city of Bari, located along the heel of Italy’s boot. There, Saint Nicholas of Myrha became known as San Nicola di Bari. The people of Bari celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of San Nicola’s remains every year with a three-day festival. He is the patron saint of that city and along with Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, he is the reason why so many Italians are named Nicholas.

Wine and Saints

In Southern Italy and Sicily, the weather usually gets unseasonably warm for a short time around the middle of November. Known as Saint Martin’s Summer, this is typically the last warm weather the Italians will see until spring. Saint Martin’s Summer takes its name from Saint Martin’s Day, which falls on 11 November.

Saint Martin’s Day is a highly anticipated feast day in Southern Italy and Sicily because it is the day when homemade wines are first bottled and drank. It is believed that on Saint Martin’s Day, grape juice completes its transformation into wine. Traditionally, Saint Martin’s Day is celebrated informally, with families having outdoor dinners or midday picnics. Even the most sophisticated Italians use Saint Martin’s Day as a day to enjoy the more rustic pleasures of life: a warm sun, some wine, friends, family and food.

What Is Ziganette?

2007-09-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

Over the past few years, the game of poker has experienced a tremendous surge in popularity. Poker tournaments are hosted in bars and clubs around the country and even televised nationally. With Poker’s rise in popularity comes speculation about what other forgotten games may become trendy once again. One possibility is the Sicilian game of Ziganette.

Banned in Italy and legendary in Italian neighborhoods, Ziganette is a simple game known for its fast pace and high stakes. During a typical night of playing, fortunes have been won, lost and regained over and over again. The games simplicity draws players in, but the chance for a big score is what keeps them playing.

Just as with Poker, Ziganette has no ceiling on how much a person could win or lose. Therefore, like Poker, Ziganette is best played “tournament” style, so that a person’s losses can be controlled. “Tournament” style implies that, for a fixed amount of money, a player receives a predetermined amount of chips. Players then play until all players except one have lost all their chips. The last player remaining wins the pot. It is a much safer way to play Ziganette and the reason why Poker has become so popular lately.

To play Ziganette, you need at least two players, although you can have many more. One player is the banker, the rest are the players. The banker shuffles the deck then invites any player to cut the cards. Once the deck is shuffled and cut, the banker deals out two cards, face up. These are the players’ cards. If these two cards are of different denominations, the banker deals out a third card, face up. This is the banker’s card. If all three cards are of different denominations, Ziganette may be played.

The play is simple: players wager that a card matching the banker’s card will come out BEFORE a card matching the card they bet. A fourth card is then drawn from the deck and placed on the table. If it matches a player’s card, the banker wins all money wagered on that card. If it matches the banker’s card, the banker looses and must pay out all bets. Bets are paid out 1 to 1. If the drawn card doesn’t match any card on the table, it becomes available as an additional player’s card.

So, for example, if a 3 and a 5 are dealt first, they become the player’s cards. If a King is dealt next, that becomes the banker’s card. If the next card dealt is a 3, then any players who bet the 3 lose their bet. If the card is a 5, then any players who bet the 5 lose their bet. If the card is a King, then every bet is a winner and the banker must pay them out. If the card isn’t a 3, 5 or King, then it simply becomes another player’s card that may be bet.

Play continues with the banker drawing cards, bets being settled and new bets being placed until the banker loses. At which point, the deal passes to the right and another player becomes the banker.

There are a few additional rules you should know. If two player’s cards match, they are still available to bet. They are stacked one on top of the other and called a Double Up. Double Ups are less likely to lose so they aren’t paid out the same as a regular bet. A Double Up is paid out 1 to 2. So a $2 bet on a Double Up gets paid $1 if it wins. Three players’ cards of the same denomination may be played as well. This is called a Triple and the pay out is even less. A Triple is paid 1 to 4, so that a $2 bet that wins is paid $0.50.

With every deal of Ziganette, the chance to win big or lose big abounds. The only thing that is for certain is that every flip of a card brings new excitement. Faster and easier to play then Poker, Ziganette may just be the next big thing. Always remember, games of chance are just for fun and you should never wager more then you can afford to lose.

Good Luck For A New Home

2007-09-10T21:24:00.000-04:00

Have you ever given any thought to the people who used to live in your home? Most people don’t like to think about it but odds are you weren’t the first person to sleep under your roof. Who knows what kind of drama unfolded in your home in the years before you moved in? Even if your home is a new construction, who knows what happened on the land where your home was built?

In a land as old and storied as Italy, this is a major concern of the people. What if something bad happened in the house before you moved in? What if there is a negative air? How can you get rid of it? Fortunately, the Italian people are as spiritual as their land is historic and they have come up with a series of traditions to cleanse a home of negative spirits.

A Crucifix
There is no better recognized way to keep evil away than by displaying a Crucifix. A symbol of the Resurrection of Christ, the Crucifix reminds evil spirits who the one true power is and forces them to retreat.

A Patron Saint
Every family needs a patron saint, a specific saint that they turn to in times of need. For many Italians their patron saint is the patron of their city or region. So a family from Naples would have a statue of San Gennaro in their home. For others the choice of a patron is more personal and can be based on family tradition or a particular saint’s life story.

The Horn
Every new home needs a horn. The Italian Horn is such an important part of Italian culture that it deserves its own article completely. But for now let’s just say that the horn is the most widely regarded amulet to ward off evil that the Italian people have.

A Broom
You need a new broom. Brooms symbolize the sweeping away of evil spirits. Also, they are weapons against mischievous spirits who may inhabit your home. These spirits, common in Italy, can be distracted by a broom placed outside your bedroom door. Compulsive by nature, the spirits get preoccupied counting the bristles and by the time they are done, the sun is rising and they have to run and hide.

Salt
A new homeowner who receives salt should sprinkle it outside their front door. Salt represents the salt of your tears. Sprinkling it outside your home leaves all your sadness outside the home. It is a way to mend old wounds and let bygones be bygones.

Olive Oil
Olive oil is at the heart of the Italian lifestyle. Not only is it an integral part of the Italian diet but it’s also a key to good health. To give a new homeowner a bottle of olive oil is to wish them a long and healthy life. If a married woman whose husband is faithful gives olive oil to another married woman, it is believed that the gift will keep the receiver’s husband faithful as well.

A Plant
Plants are a common gift of luck in many cultures and for good reason. They are a natural air freshener, liven up an area and bring perpetual life into a house. Tending for a plant also helps to reduce the stress of the owner. Therefore giving a new homeowner a plant is to wish them a healthy and stress free life.

Wood
Stability, harmony and peace with nature are all attributes of wood. To give a new homeowner a gift made of wood is to wish them those same traits in their life.

You may recognize some of these gifts and others may be new to you but they’re all part of an ancient Italian tradition designed to insure happiness in the home. And if you have a happy home, you have a happy life.

Mona Lisa and Her Mystic Smile

2007-09-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art?
- Nat ‘King’ Cole

What is it about Leonardo DaVinci’s painting that fascinates us so much? Why do historians write books about it? Why do musicians write songs about it? Why do we continue to stare at this painting, 500 years after it was made?

The simple answer is that the Mona Lisa continues to fascinate us because it is famous. And yet, despite 500 years of celebrity, we know very little about the Mona Lisa. In fact, almost every facet of the painting and its history is the subject of some sort of scholarly debate. Even the paintings name is controversial.

In this country, we know Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting of the smirking woman as ‘Mona Lisa’. But in Italy, she is known as ‘La Giocanda’ or ‘Monna Lisa’. ‘La Giocanda’ is a reference to the last name of the woman in the picture. According to Giorgio Vasari, a Renaissance biographer of Leonardo Da Vinci, a Neapolitan woman named Lisa Gherardini was the model for the famous painting we call ‘Mona Lisa’. Gherardini was the wife of a Florentine businessman name Francesco del Giocando. It is not known who commissioned the painting, but the belief is that the woman in the Mona Lisa is a real woman, Lisa Giocando.

The name Mona Lisa also comes from the name of the model. In Italy during Renaissance times, women of respect were referred to as ‘mia donna’, or ‘my lady’. This expression of respect is often shortened to ‘monna’, just as ‘my lady’ is contracted to become ‘ma’lady’. So the name Mona Lisa is simply an Americanization of Monna Lisa, or Lady Lisa.

That is one theory as to who the woman in the painting is. Another theory is that she is Leonardo Da Vinci and that the painting is a self portrait. Popular as this theory is among some people, there is no evidence to back it up. Another theory is that the painting is of Isabella of Aragona. Isabella married the Duke of Milan, who died after falling off of his horse. Some believe that after the death of her husband, Isabella married Leonardo Da Vinci in secret. There is only circumstantial evidence to support this theory.

Beyond the debates about who Mona Lisa is and what we should call the painting, there is further controversies revolving around the picture. There are rumors of Leonardo Da Vinci painting multiple Mona Lisas. Some even depicted the subject in the nude. The Mona Lisa was a major breakthrough for its time and was immediately copied by artists trying to learn Leonardo’s technique. For this reason, there are various versions of the Mona Lisa almost as old as the original, floating around. Some claim to be Leonardo’s own work, but only the painting we know as the Mona Lisa is recognized as being Da Vinci’s.

Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa inspired so many imitations from its unveiling because it revolutionized portrait painting. First, the woman is depicted from the waist up, not from the shoulders up as was typical for the time. Second, the landscape behind her is a detailed landscape that is as thought out and well executed as the woman. Again, this was not the norm for the time.

The most important reason why the Mona Lisa caused such a sensation was Da Vinci’s use of sfumato. Sfumato is the blending of shadow to create realism. Nowhere on the Mona Lisa can you find a border or hard edge. Da Vinci invented a new technique for painting that created strikingly realistic figures. This is why the Mona Lisa is famous. Before her, paintings were two dimensional, flat representations of people. But the Mona Lisa, she could almost wink at you.

Since her unveiling, the Mona Lisa has inspired admirers and critics. This love/hate relationship that the art world has with her has led to an even greater celebrity. At the beginning of the 20th century, the painting was actually stolen and Pablo Picasso was interrogated as a suspect. In the middle part of that century, vandals doused the Mona Lisa with acid and threw a rock at her. Later, she was sent on a global exhibition where the lines were so long that, in Japan, viewers were given no more than two seconds to stand before her before being ushered on.

The Mona Lisa is a cultural icon, a watermark in the Western Civilization. She reveals to us as much about artistry as she does about the cult of celebrity that engulfs us all. Love her or hate her, you cannot deny her. She is real, much more than a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.

Art Deco and Italian Pride

2007-08-26T20:49:00.000-04:00

In the time between World War I and World War II, an artistic movement known as the Novecento was born in Italy. Artists of the Novecento looked back nostalgically at the values and lifestyle of pre-war Italy, while dreaming of an Italy that would once again be a world power.

Leonetto Cappiello was one such artist. A sought after caricaturist and cartoonist living in Paris before the war, Cappiello returned to Italy, became a part of the Novecento and helped to create Italian Art Deco. One of the first and greatest Italian Art Deco poster artists, Cappiello took on every commission as an opportunity to espouse his Novecento beliefs and promote Italy. His posters, though streamlined and simple, often contain subtle underlying meanings.

In Florio Cinzano, an advertisement for two Italian liquors, Cappiello depicts two zebras leaping across the page in front of a bottle of Florio and a bottle of Cinzano. One of the zebras is depicted in traditional black and white while the other is depicted in bold orange and red. This is the first time an animal is depicted in imaginary colors in the history of western art, and Cappiello depicted the zebra this way for a reason.

As a Novecento artist, Cappiello wanted to create art in his own unique style. Yet unlike his French contemporaries, he did not want to do so at the expense of his nation’s artistic legacy. The black and white zebra represents Italy’s past, glorious and beautiful. The orange and red zebra represents Italy’s future, based on the past, yet new and different.

Another classic Cappiello poster is Isolabella. In this work, Cappiello took the Arlechino figure from the Commedia Dell’Arte and transformed him into a sleek and sensual woman. This woman is almost mystical and commands a line of liquor bottles to swirl around her.

Each bottle can be taken to represent a contribution the Italian people have made to western civilization. The woman, a modern reincarnation of a Renaissance figure, showcases Italy’s many contributions. But she does so with her hand over her breast, in a gesture of humility. She wants no credit for her contributions but no one can deny their existence.

Cappiello would go on to create over 1,000 posters in the Italian Art Deco style throughout his career. His influence can be seen in a generation of Italian and European artists. As the style he helped to create became more commercialized, he took commissions from French firms as well as Italian companies. But it was his work for the nation of Italy that was so groundbreaking and inspirational as to earn the respect and admiration of his peers and art critics. That respect and admiration continues to this day, which is why Leonetto Cappiello is a master Italian artist.

Rocchetta Alta Langha

2007-08-20T20:52:00.000-04:00

In the world of cheese, international bragging rights are almost always nothing more than conjecture. The French claim to produce the best washed-rind (smelly) cheeses, but Taleggio, Vacherin Mont d’Or and La Serena are legitimate points of contention by the Italians, Swiss and Spanish. The British will argue that the Cheddars of Somerset have no equal, but Americans are correct in their claim that this is strictly a matter of taste. And we, the United States of America, have what is almost certainly the best collection of blues in the world. But is our top blue better than Cabrales, Roquefort, Stilton or Gorgonzola? Who can say for sure?

Amongst all of these outlandish claims, one stands out as an absolute fact: the Italians are superior in the art of blending milk. The irony of this statement cannot be lost: Italian cheese makers began to blend milks strictly out of necessity. In the mountainous terrain of the Piedmont, if a cheese maker was short on cow milk, he would have no choice but to add sheep or goat milk to meet his quota. Making the most of a bleak situation, the Piedmontese cheese makers experimented with ratios, and soon developed outstanding, fresh robiolas.

One of Italy’s premier producers, Caseificio dell’Alta Langha, has proven that the simplest solution is usually the best. Their award-winning robiola, Rocchetta Alta Langha, is equal parts cow, goat and sheep milk, and clearly accents the best that each milk has to offer. Rocchetta offers the richness and creaminess of cow milk, that light, acidic tang of goat milk, and the slight salt finish of the finest Italian sheep milk. These qualities alone would result in a superbly complex flavor, but the Caseificio takes it one step further. After the milks are blended in a vat, they are allowed to “ripen” overnight at room temperature. Un-chilled, flavorful (and healthy) bacteria multiply quickly, so that pasteurization does not interfere with the quality of the milk.

The effect Rocchetta has on your taste buds is matched only by the effect it has on your eyes. At two weeks of age, it has developed a beautiful bloomy rind that will leave any caseophile salivating in anticipation of the first bite. It does not disappoint. Texturally, it is billowy-soft and breathtakingly smooth. In compliance with the Piedmontese definition of “good cheese,” Rocchetta is earthy, with notes of mushroom and a hint of sourness akin to crème fraîche. It is one of the most frequently requested cheeses at DiBruno Brothers.

Because of its complex flavor, Rocchetta pairs well with many foods and drinks. DiBruno Brothers sells a Fig and Balsamic Jam that pair with Rocchetta as well as jelly does to peanut butter, and any quality honey drizzled atop Rocchetta will undoubtedly please. A vast variety of wines work as well: complex reds like Tempranillo or Pinot Noir, crisp whites or, if your serving it after dinner, a dry Prosecco. Beyond that, little is needed other than a loaf of bread and a loved one.

This article was written by Hunter Fike, a Cheese Specialist at DiBruno Brother's House of Cheese. DiBruno Brother’s House of Cheese have been culinary pioneers in Philadelphia since 1939 and have locations in the Italian Market, Rittenhouse Square and online at www.dibruno.com.

Prosecco - The Italian Sparkling White Wine

2007-08-14T21:25:00.000-04:00

Wine is meant to be enjoyed and few wines are more enjoyable during these hot summer months than Prosecco. Italy’s answer to Champagne, Prosecco is a sparkling white wine that has just recently burst upon the American wine scene. Like any trend, there are some producers of Prosecco who have capitalized on the sudden popularity of the wine and mass produce garbage and peddle it to the market. Don’t let that deter you from drinking Prosecco. A little knowledge is all you need to uncover a world of delightful, affordable Italian sparkling wines.

Italian wines are traditionally named after the region where they are produced. Just as we refer to tomatoes grown in South Jersey as “Jersey Tomatoes”, so to do the Italians refer to their wines by the location of their farm. However Prosecco is a little different.

Prosecco is the name of the white grape variety that produces Prosecco wine. Under European law, only wines made from Prosecco grapes grown in the Conegliano or Valdobbiadene region of Veneto can be sold as Prosecco. That doesn’t mean that some unscrupulous producers don’t cheat and mislabel their product. So, when shopping for Prosecco, look for the words “Prosecco di Conegliano – Valdobbiadene”, “Prosecco di Conegliano” or “Prosecco di Valdobbiadene” on the label.

By buying only Prosecco wines that are labeled as being from these regions, you are greatly improving the odds of purchasing an enjoyable sparkling white wine. Although it should be noted that wine is a living, natural creation and as such, there are no guarantees. So don’t let one bad bottle of wine spoil your attitude towards that wine.

Now that we have successfully navigated our way through the Prosecco aisle at the local liquor store and avoided buying poorly made wine masquerading as Prosecco, it’s time to enjoy the quality bottle of wine you have purchased. One of the best ways to enjoy wine is to know what you are drinking. So, before you open that bottle of Prosecco made in the Conegliano or Valdobbiadene region of Veneto, let me tell you a little about this delicious, refreshing, sparkling wine.

Prosecco, unlike Champage, is young and fresh. Best consumed within the first three years of production, Prosecco is dry and sparkling and very vibrant. There is no “dusty bitterness” that often accompanies Champagne. In fact, some Prosecco even tastes sweet and even a dry Prosecco has overtones of lemon, melon, almonds or honey.

In Venice, Prosecco is served strictly as an appertivo to be consumed before dinner in order to awaken your taste buds. It was in Venice that Prosecco was first combined with fresh peach juice to create the Bellini cocktail, the signature drink of the Venetians. Due to the popularity of the Bellini, many other Prosecco based cocktails have been invented. The Puccini features Prosecco wine and the juice of fresh tangerines. The Mimosa features Prosecco wine and the juice of fresh blood oranges. The Sgroppino features Prosecco wine, vodka and lemon sorbetto.

For the record, it should be noted that the original Prosecco cocktail, the Bellini was invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice and was named after a Renaissance painter, not the opera composer. Giuseppe Cipriani, the head bartender at Harry’s, saw the pinkish color of the cocktail and was reminded of a toga in a painting by Giovanni Bellini. This cocktail, and the bar that invented it, was popular with such luminaries as Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Wells.

Although Prosecco based cocktails are extremely popular, don’t limit yourself to just Posecco cocktails. While Prosecco is great for mixing, it is made for sipping on its own, accompanying seafood or antipasto or as an appertivo. Now that you know what to look for when you shop and what to taste for when you drink, the time has come to actually enjoy your wine. After all, that’s what wine is there for!

Vendemmia 2007 Tickets Available

2007-08-06T20:03:00.000-04:00

For Tickets, call 215.551.3859.

When about 300 people gathered together to eat porchetta and drink homemade wine in the courtyard of St. Agnes Hospital over ten years ago, we thought that this was a great one time event. If you had told us then that the Vendemmia Festival would grow to become an annual event with over 5,000 people attending, there is no way we would have believed you. But that is exactly what has happened.

A year after the first Vendemmia Festival, we were planning a second and bigger Vendemmia Festival and the event has grown and gotten better with each passing year. One of the best improvements we have made was moving the festival to Girard Park. For the past few years, we have held the Vendemmia Festival in this beautiful park, located in the heart of the Girard Estates neighborhood.

Despite the wonderful memories we made in Girard Park over the past few years, the time has come for us to move to a new location in order to make the festival better. The new location will still be out in South Philly. The new location will still feature beautiful, natural surroundings. But unlike Girard Park, the new location will be on paved ground, so no one will trip over a tree root. The new location will be more spacious so everyone will have a little more room to move. And the new location will allow us to offer more off street parking.

The new location is a great opportunity to continue to improve the Vendemmia Festival. The only problem is that the new location does not have a name. Located in Packer Park, the new location is nestled between Broad Street, 20th Street, Hartranft Street and Pattison Avenue. The entrance to the new location is found on Pattison Avenue, just across the street from the entrance to FDR Park. But if you walk out of Holy Spirit Church on Hartranft Street, you can see the new location through the wrought iron fence.

Having a festival in a location without a name is a difficult thing to do. Where do you tell people you are going? I say that we name this location Vendemmia Square. Why? Because this year’s Vendemmia Festival is going to be so wonderful that we’re going to put this location on the map.

I’m confident that this year’s Vendemmia Festival will be the best ever because we won’t be changing much beyond the location. Bob Pantano is going to put together another stellar lineup of live entertainment. The best home wine makers are again going to compete for the top honors. And some of the most amazing restaurants and specialty shops are once again going to provide samples of their food.

But most importantly, you’ll be there. You and your friends and your family will drive south on Broad Street on the morning of September 30th with a car full of food. You’ll turn right on Pattison Avenue and pull into Vendemmia Square, excited to celebrate under the South Philly sun. And you’ll join more than 5,000 people who have gathered together to celebrate along with you.

In the end, that is what makes the Vendemmia so special, it’s the reason why people keep coming back year after year. It’s the community. You arrive with your family and friends and instantly become a part of a larger family. We eat together. We drink together. We sing and we dance together. We celebrate as family, one large South Philly Italian family. And so it is with great anticipation that I look forward to seeing everyone get together for another wonderful Vendemmia Festival.

It's More Than Just Italian Ice Cream

2007-08-01T21:52:00.000-04:00

When the scorching summer sun comes to town, Philadelphians have traditionally reached for an ice-cold cup of water ice to cool off. And while water ice continues to be a popular summertime treat, there is a new summer specialty in town and its name is gelato.

The name may sound familiar to you. In our region, alternating layers of water ice and soft serve ice cream have been sold as “gelati” for years. This “gelati” bears little resemblance to the true Italian gelato that is slowly establishing itself as one of Philly’s favorite foods.

True Italian gelato is like ice cream, with a few major differences. First, gelato is never served frozen solid the way ice cream is. When you eat a spoon full of frozen ice cream, the first thing you taste is cold. Only after the ice cream melts in your mouth do you get to appreciate the flavor. With gelato, it is always served a little melted so that you taste the flavor of the gelato the moment it touches your tongue.

Second, unlike ice cream, no air is infused into gelato. Ice cream is made with up to 40% air, making the cream lighter but also diluting the flavor. Gelato is made without the infusion of air, making a denser, more flavorful dessert.

Despite being denser, gelato is much lower in fat than ice cream. This may seem hard to believe, but it is true. Gelato has less fat than ice cream! Even still, gelato is a very heavy treat, which is why it is traditionally served with tiny plastic shovels and not big spoons. Gelato is not to be eaten in mass quantities like a glutton but enjoyed slowly like a connoisseur.

In order to enjoy good gelato, you must find a good gelateria, which is the Italian name for a store that specializes in selling gelato. A good gelateria makes their own gelato, using only the highest quality and freshest ingredients. In Philadelphia, we are lucky to have two gelato masters among us, in addition to a handful of very good gelaterias.

The gelato masters are Stephanie Reitano of Capogiro and Pietro D’Abbraccio of Café Toscano. Both Reitano and D’Abbraccio learned their craft back in Italy and offer Philadelphians true Italian gelato. By using top quality, fresh ingredients, both Reitano and D’Abbraccio create a cold, creamy treat that is simply stunning.

Stephanie Reitano of Capogiro is the current darling of the Philadelphia food world. Not only is she a true artisan but whenever possible she uses locally grown ingredients in her gelato, bringing well deserved respect to our locally grown fruits and vegetables. In addition, her husband John runs the Capogiro business with the style and vision of a major corporation. Their two locations in Philadelphia offer visitors a stylish retreat from the bustle of the busy day while serving up one of the most deliciously cool treats in town.

Over at Café Toscano, Pietro D’Abbraccio makes more traditional flavors such as Baba Rum and Panna Cotta and sells them to tourists just around the corner from the Liberty Bell. Unfortunately, many Philadelphians deliberately avoid the traffic and congestion near the Liberty Bell, which means they miss out on D'Abbraccio's hand crafted gelato. With any luck, D'Abbraccio will be opening a new location in South Philadelphia, making his gelato available to those who live in Philadelphia, not just to those who visit.

Both Capogiro and Café Toscano are huge additions to Philadelphia’s food scene, but they aren’t the only places in town where gelato is sold. Traditional cafes such as Café Varallo and Anthony’s Italian Coffee House make gelato available in the summer months, as do the DiBruno Brothers in Center City. Across the region, other gelaterias keep opening up and every year brings new artisans to the scene.

If you are unfamiliar with gelato or haven’t tasted it since your last trip to Italy, stop by Capogiro or Café Toscano or one of the city’s other gelaterias. Savor the fresh, creamy flavors. Appreciate the skill that went into making each batch. But most of all enjoy a unique and delicious treat that we’re lucky to have in our area.

The Wedding Feast At Cana

2007-07-29T20:57:00.000-04:00

When Jesus of Nazareth transformed water into wine at a wedding feast in the city of Cana, it can only be assumed that the wedding was a humble affair. The son of a carpenter and a known associate to some of the poorest people in the land, Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t likely to have been a guest at a formal banquet. And yet that is exactly as the Venetian painter Paolo Veronese depicted the wedding feast at Cana in his masterpiece of the same name.

Along with the artists Tiziano and Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese was one of the founders of the Venetian School, a movement in art that occurred as part of the Italian Renaissance. The movement is best known for the sumptuous colors used in many of the paintings. It is the coloring of The Wedding Feast At Cana that most people notice first. Vibrant, bold colors contrast against each other below, while pure white marble thrusts upward into a brilliant azure sky above.

The Wedding Feast At Cana is not considered to be one of the greatest paintings of all time simply because its colors are so beautiful. The talent exhibited by Paolo Veronese in creating the painting isn’t the reason either, though the painting is expertly executed. No, The Wedding Feast At Cana, like so many other paintings, is so well regarded because of its meaning.

In the painting, we see Jesus of Nazareth not as a guest at a wedding feast, but as the host, sitting at the center of the table. Surrounding him are various figures that would be found at a wedding, including guests, entertainers and servers. Above Him, a lamb is butchered, symbolic of the sacrifice Jesus would make in just a few years. But above the butchered lamb is a clear blue sky where three birds fly. Symbolic of Heaven and the Holy Trinity, Veronese shows that eternal life comes above any sacrifice, even the sacrifice of Jesus.

This subtle symbolism gives the painting meaning, a meaning that becomes even clearer when you consider the setting of the painting. From the Renaissance architecture to the costumes and even the musical instruments, this painting is set in the time of Veronese, not the time of Christ.

Why would Veronese depict a traditional story about Jesus of Nazareth in such a contemporary setting? Possibly, he wanted viewers to connect with the life of Christ in a personal way. He wanted them to not view Jesus of Nazareth as a historic figure from a long time ago but as the living God, relevant in the beginning, now and forever.

Paolo Veronese would go on to paint many other beautiful works, some even more beautiful than The Wedding Feast At Cana. However it is The Wedding Feast At Cana that is regarded as his masterpiece, The symbolism and daring retelling of an ancient story in a contemporary setting combine with Veronese’s skill and color choice to make The Wedding Feast At Cana not just his masterpiece, but one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.

How To Play Tresette

2007-07-22T20:55:00.000-04:00

Card playing has always been a major part of the Italian lifestyle. The games are typically easy to learn and lend themselves to hours of socializing and theatrics. For a culture that has made an art form out of the most mundane activities like drinking coffee, card-playing looks like it will remain part of the Italian lifestyle for years to come.

One of the most popular card games among the Italian people is Tresette. Designed for four players, Tresette is a trick taking game in which players compete to win individual hands. The winner of a hand keeps the cards played during that hand, which may be worth points.

An Italian deck of cards is recommended to play Tresette. Italian cards can be found at most Italian specialty shops or on the Internet. If you cannot locate a deck, simply remove the 8s, 9s and 10s from a standard deck.

Players on the same team face opposite of each other and cards are dealt out face down, five at a time, until there are no cards left. Each player holds ten cards in their hand and then arranges them in order. In Tresette, the cards are ranked as follows: 3 (high), 2, 1/Ace, Re/King, Cavallo/Queen, Fante/Jack, 7, 6, 5, 4 (low).

Before play begins, players scan their hands to look for special point scoring combinations. A team can earn points if a player has Four of a Kind, Three of a Kind or Napoletana. A Four of a Kind consists of four 3s, four 2s or four 1s and is worth 4 points. A Three of a Kind consists of three 3s, three 2s, or three 1s and is worth 3 points. A Napoletana consists of a 3, 2 and 1 of the same suit.

If a player has any of these combinations, they declare it by naming their combination and showing it to the other players. The same cards used to make up a Napoletana can also be used to make up a Three or Four of a Kind.

After the declarations are made and points are recorded, play begins. The player to the dealer’s right leads first with any card. The other players must play a card of the suit that led, if they have one. If they don’t, they can play a card from any suit. When all four players have played a card, that is called a trick and the player who threw the highest ranked card of the leading suit wins the trick and keeps all the cards played. He leads the next trick.

Play continues counterclockwise until all ten tricks have been played. Players then count the cards they have won and add up their points. 1s are worth 1 point. 3s, 2s, Res, Cavallos and Fantes are worth 1/3 of a point. The winner of the last trick wins a point. Aside from points won from declarations, there are 11 points available per deal, ten from playing and 1 from the last trick.

When counting points you must round down so that 1 and 2/3 points is only worth 1 point. Teammates then add their points together and the player to the dealer’s right takes the cards, shuffles and deals a new hand. The first team to reach 21 points wins the game.

Tresette is often played as a series of games and there are certain scoring combinations that can win more than one game at a time. If a team wins all ten tricks, that team earns a Capotto and wins 2 games. If one player of a team won all ten tricks, that player earned a Capottone and his team wins 6 games. If a team wins all eleven game points, but didn’t win all the tricks, that team earned a Stramazzo and wins 3 games. If a single player wins all eleven game points but didn’t win all the tricks, that player earned a Stramazzone and his team wins 8 games.

In Tresette, there are often friendly wagers placed on each game. For example, players may wager a round of drinks per game. So, if a team earns a Stramazzone, they win 8 rounds of drinks. The multiple game victories are unique to Tresette and keep the game popular throughout Italy and Italian America. The next time you are looking for an easy, lively way to spend time with some friends, bring out the cards and deal a game of Tresette. You’ll become closer to your roots and happy to be there.

Hippomenes Remembers To Say Thank You

2007-07-08T20:52:00.000-04:00

How many times, in despair, have we turned to God and prayed for help? And when help arrives, how many times have we forgotten to say thanks? It is not just God we forget to thank. Friends, family and loved ones who lend us a hand during our times of need often get neglected by us during better days, as well. This is an old problem, and our ancestors told the following story to warn against forgetting to thank those who helped us.

Atalanta was a woman as well known for her astounding speed as for her astounding beauty. She was, by far, the fastest runner and most beautiful woman in the land. No man could out run her and no woman could surpass her beauty.

Although her beauty and speed were equal, Atalanta cared not for appearances. She cared only for competition, the thrill of the race. In order to get men to race her, she promised her hand in marriage to whoever could beat her. But, just to make the races more exciting, if a man challenged Atalanta and lost, he would pay with his life.

Such was the beauty of Atalanta that week after week, men would travel from far and wide for the chance to win her hand in marriage. And week after week, many men were put to death as none could out run fair Atalanta.

Despite this, when young Hippomenes caught his first glance of Atalanta, he too wanted to try and win her hand in marriage. He prayed to Venus, the goddess of love, that she may help him win the race and the hand of the beautiful Atalanta.

Venus heard the prayer of Hippomenes and told him to pluck an apple off a nearby apple tree. He was to carry the apple with him during the race and when no one was looking, to throw the apple. Venus would insure that the apple would distract Atalanta and Hippomenes would win the race.

The race began and at first it was Hippomenes who was distracted. As Atalanta ran, her hair blew back from her body and she was truly a sight to behold. Hippomenes almost forgot about the race as he watched her take off but quickly caught himself and began to run. Atalanta began pulling away from Hippomenes. as the two ran out of sight of the crowd. Hippomenes threw the apple he was carrying and it landed up ahead of Atalanta.

True to her word, the goddess Venus enchanted the apple and Atalanta was captivated by it. Forgetting the race, she ran over to the apple and tried to pick it up. Surprisingly, the little apple was quite heavy. As Atalanta lifted the apple, she noticed Hippomenes running past her. Suddenly aware that she risked losing the race, Atalanta got up and began to race again. But the weight of the apple slowed her down.

Even with her speed, Atalanta couldn’t catch up with Hippomenes and he won the race and her with it. Atalanta wasn’t upset, however. Hippomenes was quite handsome and Atalanta was glad to spend her days with a man such as he. The crowd cheered for Hippomenes and Atalanta and the two walked off to begin their life together.

In the glow of victory, Hippomenes neglected to thank the goddess Venus for her intercession. And this angered Venus. As Hippomenes and Atalanta walked past an old cavern, Venus enchanted both with amorous desires and the pair snuck into the cavern to consummate their marriage. But this was no ordinary cavern. The cavern was an ancient worship site of the forest spirit and Hippomenes and Atalanta had desecrated it.

As punishment, the forest spirit turned Hippomenes and Atalanta from beautiful young humans to rigid stone lions. As the two began to transform, Hippomenes called out to Venus for help again. But this time, Venus did not help Hippomenes. She replied that she could not hear the prayers of one as ungrateful as he and Hippomenes and Atalanta were transformed into stone lions.
At the entrance of the cavern Hippomenes and Atalanta remain, in the form of stone lions. They stay there to guard the sacred cavern from future invaders and also to warn all of us that if we fail to properly thank those who help us, they may not be there when we need their help again.

Can Saint Joseph Really Sell A House?

2007-07-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard that burying a statue of Saint Joseph in your backyard will help you sell your house faster? This may sound like nothing more than a silly superstition, but more than 2 million Saint Joseph statues are sold every year for this exact purpose. In order to understand the popularity of this tradition, you must understand Saint Joseph.

As the husband of the Madonna and the foster father of Jesus, Saint Joseph is viewed as the patron saint of the home. He protects women and children and inspires husbands and fathers. This is why he comes to the aid of those who need to sell their home. But in order to gain his assistance you must do more than just bury a statue in your backyard.

The devotion to Saint Joseph, like the devotion to other saints, is based on the belief that he will plead to God on your behalf. Simply burying a statue of him in your backyard is not the way to gain his assistance. Neither is treating him like a novelty act. But if you bury a statue of Saint Joseph in your backyard and sincerely pray to him for his assistance, you may just find yourself sitting at a settlement table in no time.

The Unofficial Patron of The Abruzzi

Saint Gabrielle may be the official patron saint of the Abruzzi, but most who come from that central Italian region turn to Saint Donato in times of need. A bishop from the 3rd century, Saint Donato once cured a man of epilepsy with the touch of his hand. His healing powers were well known and to this day many Abruzzese carry a unique medal that depicts Saint Donato standing on a crescent moon. The crescent moon symbolizes the ancient horns that people used to ward off the Evil Eye. Saint Donato stands on it because he is stronger than any ancient amulet. He is the only protection you need from the Evil Eye.

The Patron Saint of Breast Cancer

In one of the more violent stories of Christianity’s early days, we find Saint Agatha, a Sicilian martyr from the third century. Agatha was a beautiful noble woman who was also a devout Christian. Rather than publicly punish her for being a Christian, the local magistrate decided to seek a trade from Agatha. He offered her immunity for her beliefs is she would submit to his desires. She would not. So she was thrown into a brothel, where she wouldn’t take customers and instead converted the patrons to Christianity.

The magistrate had Agatha thrown into a jail cell but not before drawing his sword and cutting off her breasts in a fit of rage. Agatha remained calm while enduring her torture in silence. That night a man who fit the description of Saint Peter visited Agatha in jail. The two spoke and Agatha cried but no guard dared intervene. The following morning, Agatha’s breasts had healed.

Today Saint Agatha is believed to help women who suffer from breast cancer. Many stories are told of women who experience a miraculous recovery on the eve of a mastectomy. Saint Agatha had gone through that pain and tries to prevent anyone else from having to experience it.

The Italian Easter Table

2007-06-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

In Italy, there is a popular expression about Easter that goes “Natale con i suoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”, which means “Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you want”. But while the Italian people may celebrate Easter with whomever they want, they can’t eat whatever they want. Tradition dominates the Italian Easter feast, making that meal the most symbolic of all Italian feasts.

Tradition dictates that eggs play a major role in the Italian Easter feast. Why? For Catholics, eggs represent the tomb of Christ. And just as a chick breaks through the to egg to have life, so did Christ emerge from His tomb to give us all life.

To recognize the symbolic meaning of the egg, the Italians have incorporated this ingredient into almost every dish they serve at Easter, starting with the soup. The most popular Italian Easter soup is Stracciatella, a sort of Italian egg drop soup. In Italian, “stracciare” means “to tear apart”. When Stracciatella is made, an egg mixture is slowly stirred into a simmering chicken broth creating shredded strands of egg, which give the soup its name.

Two other popular egg dishes found on the Italian Easter table are “Pizza Chiena” and “Pastiera di Pasqua”. Pizza Chiena, pronounced in America as Pee-Tza-Geen, means stuffed pizza, although it is not a pizza at all. More like a casserole, Pizza Chiena has a flaky, egg-based crust filled with ricotta, mozzarella and Italian meats. Pastiera di Pasqua, or “wheat pie”, is a similar dish but includes wheat for a more hearty, rustic treat.

Leaving eggs behind for a moment, the Italian Easter table features two other ingredients prominently. One is the artichoke. From Sicily to Genoa, a variety of artichoke dishes are served on Easter Sunday because artichokes come from the Holy Land. We have no way of knowing what Jesus ate, but it is likely that He ate artichokes and so the Italians include them with every Easter celebration. Popular ways to serve them are fried (Naples), grilled (Sicily), alla Judea (Rome) or stuffed (everywhere).

The other common ingredient on the Italian Easter table is lamb. In ancient times, lambs were commonly sacrificed during religious rituals. Catholics believe that Jesus of Nazareth made the ultimate sacrifice when He was put to the cross in order to save the world from its sin. For this reason, He is called the Lamb of God and Italians remember His sacrifice by serving lamb every Easter. Lamb also makes a popular Sicilian dessert. Not real lambs, but small cakes shaped like lambs and decorated with white icing to look like thick lamb fur.

Returning our attention to the egg, no Italian Easter table is complete without two of the most popular sweets served throughout the year. Easter Bread, made throughout Italy, is a light and flaky sweet bread coated in a sugary sweet glaze and baked with whole eggs pressed into the dough. The dough is often shaped in rings or crosses or even in the shape of a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Easter Bread is one of the most loved Italian sweets but is only made during Easter season.

The Italians don’t decorate Easter eggs or make big chocolate bunny rabbits the way Americans do. Instead they fill their tables with L’Uova di Pasqua, hollow chocolate eggs with a toy inside. Wrapped in brightly colored metallic paper, L’Uovo di Pasqua are made in a variety of sizes from small to extremely large and are sold at almost any specialty shop in Italy or Italian America around Easter. They make a fun, festive and delicious addition to any Easter table.

As delicious as it is meaningful, the Italian Easter table is one of the most anticipated feasts of the year. And although the expression states that you can celebrate Easter with whomever you want, most Italians still choose to celebrate Easter with their family. And that may be the most symbolic of all the choices you’ll make this Easter.