• March 2024

    A Message from the President

    Dear members and friends:

    I am excited to share with you some Society updates as we move into the new year. 

    First, you will notice a change in the format of our notiziario. We will be moving away from the every other month format to a rolling format. We will send shorter, more frequent notices to the community closer to when events and programs are happening. What this means is that you will receive more frequent and more timely information. The message from the president will be sent quarterly in the future. 

    Secondly, something I have been very interested in doing is reaching out and cooperating more with other Italian organizations in our area. We are successfully fostering our relationship with the Italian Cultural Society and will be sharing some of their events with our members. To highlight two in particular, we will be joining them on a tour of the National Gallery of Art and most excitingly we are being offered discounted admission to their Savoring Italy Abruzzo discussion with food and wine pairing. 

    Thirdly, we are interested in soliciting any feedback from members on improvements they would like to see to the  Society. This could be things that we used to do that you would like to see come back or entirely new ideas. We have several new ideas on the horizon that we are working on. We will also soon be looking to amend the bylaws of the Society to make the organization more dynamic and efficient. You will hear more about this process in the future. If there are any ideas regarding the bylaws or other matters, please reach out to me at  president@abruzzomoliseheritagesociety.org.

    We also have many interesting virtual and in person events and activities on the horizon. Please visit our events calendar to be in the know and keep your eye on your email for further communications: https://www.abruzzomoliseheritagesociety.org/mission/events/#!calendar.

    Best regards,
    Chris Renneker 


    March 2024

  • March 2024

    Expert Discusses Evolution of Roman Coins, Officers Installed At First Meeting of 2024

    By Nancy DeSanti, 1st Vice President—Programs


    Dating from 44 B.C., this Julius Caesar coin, minted while he was still alive, helped seal the Roman leader’s fate.
    Credit: Courtesy of Michael C. Markowitz


    For the first AMHS program of the new year, members were treated to a very informative and entertaining talk, “Show Me the Money!” at Casa Italiana on January 28, 2024. The speaker, Michael C. Markowitz, is an expert on Roman coins. He told us all about the evolution of Roman coins from lumps of metal in 300 B.C. to gold Imperial coins by 476 A.D. It was a good way to fight off the winter blues, have a fun afternoon of camaraderie, and get a history lesson, all at the same time.

    Mike, who gave us a virtual talk last July, was born in New York City. His mother’s side of the family is Italian (Neapolitan), while his father’s ancestors emigrated from Ukraine to Romania. Mike attended the University of Rochester, then the University of California, Irvine. He worked for many years in the aerospace industry in southern California before moving in 1991 to northern Virginia where he is a senior research specialist for the Center for Naval Analyses.

    He is a contributing writer on ancient and medieval coins for CoinWeek.com and a member of the American Numismatic Society and the Ancient Numismatic Society of Washington, D.C. He also serves on the vice president of the Fairfax Coin Club. Mike said that one of his most memorable times was spending an afternoon inside the coin vault of the archaeological museum in Siracusa, Sicily.

    As Mike explained, coins were a Greek invention that the Romans borrowed. The gold, silver, and bronze coins resembled the Olympic medals. The process of minting the coins involved a hot furnace, so workers wore caps to keep their hair from catching on fire from sparks. Since most Romans could not read, the symbols on the coins were a form of official communication.

    During Rome’s long history, Mike noted, billions of coins were struck in thousands of types, and millions of them survive today. Mike advised anyone interested in collecting Roman coins to “buy the book before you buy the coin,” to avoid getting scammed. He displayed on a nearby table some of his collection of coins and books which he referred to during his talk.

    Michael C. Markowitz

    He explained how coinage in the Roman economy went through cycles of debasement, inflation, and currency reform.

    One of the most interesting coins Mike showed during his Power Point presentation was a Sestertius of Emperor Titus, with its detailed depiction of the Colosseum. It sold for a whopping $409,395 in April 2011.

    Interestingly, Roman coin designs influenced classic American coinage. For example, the image on the U.S. winged Liberty dime, which was minted from 1916 to 1945, was sometimes confused with the Roman god Mercury who wore a winged helmet. Hence, the American dime with the winged Liberty head on the front was commonly but erroneously called the Mercury dime.
    One fascinating historical fact Mike told us about was the Julius Caesar coin, probably the most famous Roman coin, which got him killed. No living person was ever depicted on Roman coins until Julius Caesar had a coin minted with his profile on the front. However, on the back, the coin had the Latin abbreviation DICT PERPETVO (“dictator in perpetuity”).  The coins were minted for less than two months from early February to mid-March, 44 B.C., because Caesar’s brazenness so alarmed some of the conservative senators of the Republic that they assassinated him in the Senate on the Ides of March.

    We also learned that one of the principal uses of the coins was to pay the army. Since there were no banks in those days, the payroll master would often put the coins in a terracotta clay pot and bury the clay pot underground in a field or an unused area. Of course, if the payroll master died in battle or from the plague or another disease, the clay pots would remain hidden. So, even recently, these pots filled with coins have been discovered by accident across areas of the former Roman Empire, including Great Britain, Spain, and Italy.

    Many thanks to AMHS Secretary Sonny Scafetta for suggesting the speaker, to Maria Marigliano for her technical assistance, to Peter Bell for handling the logistics of organizing the lunch which was catered by A. Litteri, to Julie Finigan Dal Forno for assisting with the raffle, and to all those members who donated prizes and bought tickets.


    March 2024

  • January/February 2024

    AMHS Elects New Officers and Board Members

    At its general meeting on November 19, 2023, members of the Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society of the Washington, DC Area elected a new slate of officers and Executive Board members.

    The elected officers and board members assumed office on January 1, 2024, and will be installed at the general membership meeting to be held on January 28, 2024.

    Elected to two-year terms at the November meeting were:

    President, Christopher Renneker
    Second Vice President-Membership, Americo “Rico” Allegrino
    Secretary, Joseph “Sonny” Scafetta, Jr.

    The following officers have graciously agreed to continue serving in their current positions for another year.

    First Vice President-Programs, Nancy DeSanti
    Treasurer, Peter Bell

    Elected to three-year terms on the Society’s Board of Directors were:

    Anthony Andreoli
    Maria D’Andrea-Yothers

    In addition, Mark Lino, whose term on the board expired at the end of 2023, has generously agreed to serve for another year.

    Mark Lino

    For photos and bios of all AMHS officers and board members, click here.


    March 2024

  • January/February 2024

    A Message from the President

    I am very honored to have been elected to be the AMHS President. I want to start by thanking Ray LaVerghetta for his service as President and for the service of all the board members and officers whose terms ended January 1st. As a volunteer organization, we are only able to exist due to the generosity and immense talent of those who serve on the board and in officer positions. 

    To recap our recent events, our annual wine tasting was on November 19th. As long-term members we now have been trying some different formats for this event and the most recent iteration was a tremendous success. The wine tasting was followed by our December holiday lunch at Osteria da Nino where we were treated to a delicious multi-course meal and great camaraderie. We were also reminded of the Monongah coal mining disaster, the anniversary of which was near to the date of our lunch. Lucio D’Andrea delivered a very informative short lesson on the importance of this event and the connection to our regions of focus. 

    In the upcoming year, we have several great events and activities planned. We will be bringing back the virtual film discussion series on January 14th with Jim Toscano. We will be starting with a discussion about a documentary on the Malocchio (Evil Eye). Our first Sunday luncheon will take place on January 28th when ancient coin expert, Michael Markowitz, whose mother was Italian, will speak to us about the evolution of Roman coinage from lumps of metal in 300 B.C. to gold Imperial coins in 476 A.D.

    In February, our members will have a chance to visit the Kennedy Center for a performance by Italian-American comedian, Matteo Lane. Also in February, we will be having our first happy hour of the year. We will visit the recently opened and much acclaimed cocktail bar Grazie Mille (One Thousand Thanks). We also have a virtual genealogical event scheduled for March 10th. 

    As we start the new year, I look forward to continuing the successes of the society and laying the foundation for AMHS to be successful well into the future. If there are any ideas or improvements that you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. 

    Best wishes for the new year!,
    Chris Renneker 


    March 2024

  • January/February 2024

    Expert to Discuss Evolution of Roman Coinage

    By Nancy DeSanti, 1st Vice President-Programs



    Michael Markowitz

    For the first AMHS program of the new year, members will be treated to an informative and entertaining talk, “Show Me the Money!” on January 28, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. The speaker, Michael Markowitz, is an expert on Roman coins. He will tell us all about the evolution of Roman coinage from lumps of metal in 300 B.C. to gold Imperial coins in 476 A.D. 

    Mike, who gave us a virtual talk last July, was born in New York City. His mother’s side of the family is Italian, while his father’s ancestors emigrated from Romania. Mike attended the University of Rochester, then the University of California, Irvine. He worked for many years in the aerospace industry in southern California before moving in 1991 to northern Virginia where he is a senior research specialist for the Center for Naval Analyses.

    He is a contributing writer on ancient and medieval coins for CoinWeek.com and a member of the Ameran Numismatic Society and the Ancient Numismatic Society of Washington, D.C. He also serves on the board of directors of the Fairfax Coin Club. Mike said that one of his most memorable times was spending an afternoon inside the coin vault of the archaeological museum in Siracusa, Sicily. 

    So, if you want to fight off the winter blues, come join us for a fun afternoon of camaraderie, a delicious catered lunch, and an entertaining and informative talk.

    Please invite your family members and friends and make your reservations early. The deadline for reservations is January 25, 2024. To go to the registration page, click here.


    March 2024