A pair of exhibits in two venerable libraries in Dutchess County, New York, mounted to commemorate Italian Heritage this October, have demonstrated that when there are real achievements to celebrate, excellence cannot be hidden away, and it will draw an enthusiastic audience.

“People come from as far as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, way upstate New York, Canada, and of course Italy, where our rosticceria’s reputation has made the newspapers or has been spread by word of mouth,” says Signor Rossi. “A typical remark runs like this: ‘I came here from Brooklyn because...

Opened in December 1941 by the late and fondly remembered Signor Paolo Strippoli, who came to America as a teenager from a village near Bari, it continues to thrive and excel under the faithful stewardship of his son Louis, universally known as “Lou.”"I've worked here my whole life, the product quality...

His legacy was the focus of this year’s annual Italian American Heritage Ceremony and Luncheon at the Italian Center in Poughkeespsie, where his grandson Lou Del Bianco was the Special Guest. Luigi Del Bianco immigrated to the United States with his family in 1908: "He had the most important job...

Born in the town of Calatafimi in the province of Trapani, Vita Maria Giangrasso Mesnick founded The Pirandello Institute, a school for teaching the italian language at 22 levels: "When our students reach a certain level of proficiency, I plan to introduce literary classes in Italian ranging from Dante to...

FIAT, which was founded in Turin in 1899, opened its American plant in Poughkeepsie in 1910. After a century, the classic Italian cars have returned on Sunday, August 6th, to the Mid-Hudson Valley. Of course they never really left, as the high artistry of quality Italian automobiles has long been...

Peter Lucarelli on the recent tragedy in London: “Cost concerns must never outweigh safety issues in the construction of any building... If the Grenfell Tower had a properly engineered and operating sprinkler system, the aluminum cladding may still have allowed the fire to lap up the exterior of the building;...