June is a great month to visit Italy. It is the high season and the country will be crowded with Italian and international visitors, but it is not normally as hot as July and August. For those who want to experience the history and culture beyond visiting monuments and museums, Italy has a long list of events for all to enjoy. June is an important month for Italians and is sometimes referred to as the “Mese della Libertà” (Liberation Month). On June 2 Italians will celebrate la Festa della Repubblica. On that date in 1946, Italian citizens voted with a national referendum to choose a republic ..read more

The History of Italian Immigration Museum HIIM is in South Philadelphia, but its perspective is global. “It isn’t about South Philadelphia,” Michael Bonasera, its chairman and curator, said in an interview along with his wife, Wanda, who helped create the museum in 2014. “It isn’t about Philadelphia. It isn’t about America. It’s about immigration.” And it’s Italian immigration. “The only other culture that I know that has that sense of pride is the Irish,” he said. “ ‘Italian roots and American dreams’ is the museum tagline.” One of the more worldly items among its hundreds of artifacts is a p ..read more

Lorenzo Da Ponte was born Emanuele Conegliano in Vittorio Veneto in 1749. He was born a Jew but his father who was a widow remarried and converted to Catholicism. His new name became Lorenzo Da Ponte. In 1769 Da Ponte entered the seminary and was ordained a priest. After his ordination he moved to Venice and taught Italian, French and Latin. Shortly after this assignment he became embroiled in a scandal. It was alleged that he was living in a brothel and was rumored to have fathered two children. After this imbroglio he was banished from Venezia for 15 years and landed in Vienna. He became the ..read more

Ken Karkowski, regional manager of Lincoln Motor Co. (left) and Larry Giacchino, head of Carman Auto Group celebrate Carman’s 50 years of association with Lincoln. Founded as a Lincoln-Mercury dealership by Carmen Giacchino in 1973 on Kirkwood Highway and now in the third generation of ownership and operation, the dealership continues to sell and service Lincoln vehicles as well as Ford, Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler and Fiat. The post A 50-YEAR PARTNERSHIP appeared first on Italian American Herald ..read more