May 15th Program to Feature Panel of Italian Food Experts and Chefs
Our first in-person program of the year will feature Carla Gambescia, author of “La Dolce Vita University: An Unconventional Guide to Italian Culture from A to Z.” The luncheon meeting will take place at Casa Italiana on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.
GWU’s Italian Society Holds First Annual Spring Gala Italiana
On March 5, GWU’s Societa’ di Cultura Italiana held its first annual Spring Gala with great success. This event represented an achievement in many different areas of my life and in the history of the club. Covid-19 forced us online between March 2020 and September 2021, but this school year, we were finally able to begin in person events with restrictions. The gala was our first major event since February 2020 and we had the largest turnout our club has ever had during my four years at GW with over 130 people in attendance. We could not have imagined this event going any better and are so happy that everyone enjoyed the food from local Italian restaurants and socializing throughout the evening.
Festa di San Giuseppe and its Famous Zeppole Pastries
In Italy, Father’s Day is celebrated on the Festa di San Giuseppe which honors St. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. And, such a celebration it is. On March 19, the day of the feast, street processions are held with marchers dressed in red, special church services are conducted, elaborate displays laden with traditional foods are assembled and community spirit fills the air.
AMHS Holds Discussion of Italy’s “Forgotten Heroes” of the Holocaust
On January 30, 2022, the AMHS held a virtual discussion of the documentary film “My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes,” led by Detroit-based documentary filmmaker and Society member Jim Toscano.
AMHS Member Willy Meaux Returns to His Roots in Abruzzo
AMHS member Willy Meaux recently took the plunge and bought a farmhouse and surrounding land in Abruzzo, in his ancestral hometown, Bugnara. It seems Willy and his wife Mary Bernard chose well, since a few years ago, the town was named one of the most beautiful in Italy (i borghi più belli d’Italia).
Danny Biasone: Inventor of Basketball’s Shot Clock
Dante Biasone was born in the town of Miglianico (population 4,529 in the 2004 Census) in the province of Chieti in the region of Abruzzo, on February 22, 1909. When he was 10, he immigrated with his parents and his brother to Syracuse, New York. When they became U.S. citizens, he changed his name to Daniel, so his friends called him “Danny”.
U.S., Italian High Schools Launch Twinning Project
On December 9, 2021, the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., hosted a meeting as part of an exciting twinning project between two high schools — one in Maryland and one in Italy. The project is part of the Embassy’s goal of promoting the study of the Italian language among U.S. students and deepening the cultural ties between young people in the U.S. and Italy.
Henry Mancini: Legendary Composer of Music for Films and TV
“Pink Panther” to the wistful strains of “Moon River,” to the driving beat of the theme from Peter Gunn, Henry Mancini gave the world some of the most memorable music ever written for films and television. This musical genius had roots in both Abruzzo and Molise.