In anticipation of the upcoming IAA FESTA ITALIANA on June 10th, we present a short piece on some of the many festivals held in Italy throughout the year! The Festivals in Italy are revered for their elaborate fanfare and pageantry. Each Festival has its own flair, but most exhibit hundreds of performers, musicians, dancers, singers, scenic displays, magnificent costumes, and astonishing displays of lights. All is combined to make the event not only sensational and ravishing, but to also create a considerable boost to the local economy. The grandeur and pomp of Italy's own 85 years of Constitu ..read more

THE IAA FESTA ITALIANA is coming on June 10th to the Waltham Common; see flyer attached. This is one of our major fundraisers for the year. We hope that all our members and friends will be able to attend, this will be fun for the whole family! If, however, you are unable to attend, there are a few other ways that you can help to support the event: 1. Much Needed: We will have a raffle of sports tickets: NE Revolution, the Sox, Celtics, Pats and Bruins. If you have season tickets to any of these teams and would be willing to donate a pair to one game, it will be greatly appreciated. In the alt ..read more

Please join us Saturday, June 10, 2023 (rain date June 11, 2023) from 10 am – 5:00 pm on Waltham Common (610 Main St, Waltham MA) for our annual Festa Italiana, hosted by the Italian American Alliance! There will be: Food, Music, Children’s Amusement Rides, Face Painting, Magicians, Crafters, Entertainers, and more! A fun-filled day celebrating ITALIAN heritage! Accepting Applications for Crafters, Vendors, Sponsors, and Donors CONTACT: Carol Rossi @ 508-647-9803 or iaafestaitaliana@outlook.com www.TheItalianAmericanAlliance.com ..read more

Renaming the “Columbus Delta”, in Watertown MA, is on tonight’s Watertown City Council’s Committee on Public Works agenda. The area of Watertown Square called “Columbus Delta” was named after Christopher Columbus in 1940 to honor the great Italian explorer as well as the Italian American community of Watertown. The only item on tonight’s agenda is whether or not to recommend to the entire City Council that the name of the Columbus Delta be changed. The committee meets tonight, Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 7:00 PM in the Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chamber, Administration Building, 149 Main S ..read more

Comedy Night Fundraiser Thursday, April 27th, 2023 Watertown Sons of Italy Hall – 6:30pm 520 Pleasant St, Watertown, MA 02472 $40 per person 6:30pm Doors open, 7:00pm Buffet Dinner and “Table Magic” 8:00pm Comedy Show: Johnny Pizzi Joe Yannetty Jason Merrill Frank Santorelli (Of the Sopranos) Also: Raffle for great prizes!! Donation: 3 for $20 A pair of Red Sox tickets, Lottery Scratch ticket tree, Restaurant Gift Cards, and many more prizes! For tickets & Information contact: Marisa Di Pietro mdipietro@ebsoc.org 617-650-3442 OR Florence Guidara fkane123@yahoo.com 617-877-7285 ..read more

Being a predominantly Catholic country, the Easter rituals in Italy are second only to their rituals of Christmas or Il Natale. Like other Catholics around the world, the celebration begins on Palm Sunday in commemoration of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The observance of Palm Sunday is followed by a broad number of other rituals that include religious services, colorful processions, and re-enactments with costumes of biblical scenes and of Jesus' passion. Of interest but not solely unique to Italy, the Easter celebration culminates on the Monday after Resurrection Day, with La Pasq ..read more

It's compelling and baffling as to why the country of Italy, with a history of more than 3,000 years and a name just as old, is roughly just 160 years old! The united, independent, self-governing Italy was established in the year 1861. Prior to that it existed mostly as 7 separate states: The Kingdom of Sardinia, The Papal States, Venetia, Lombardy, United Central Italy, Kingdom of Sicily, and the Kingdom of Naples, with some states being under the control of foreign powers. Each state had its own traditions, economy, social standards, and dialect, even though the Italian language of today wa ..read more

Our effort to obtain a commemorative stamp in memory of Medal Of Honor recipient Lt. Fr. Vincent Capodanno is spreading throughout the Italian American community and BEYOND! We ask that if you have not already, please support this effort and sign the petition. You can sign it electronically by clicking below: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/a-stamp-in-honor-of-lt-fr-vincent-capodanno We also have a physical petition available for download so that you may print it and collect signatures at your local parish, social club, or other gatherings. Do not forget that these sheets must be returned ..read more

Th e Carnevale is both an acclaimed Italian festival and a Catholic holiday that is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter. The festival incorporates a substantial amount of merrymaking. It involves huge parades with great, creative floats displaying paper mâché characters, fancy masks, and tons of brightly colored confetti. For the Catholics it is their last chance to revel in gluttony before turning their attentions to the more pious rituals of the Easter season. The date varies each year, depending on the Easter date. Generally, it begins around two to four weeks be ..read more

Commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp Sought for Father Vincent R. Capodanno, Jr. A short while ago, Vincent Basile, Col. U. S. Army, Retired, introduced The Pirandello Lyceum and the Italian American Alliance * to the story of Lt. Fr. Vincent Capodanno, an Italian American who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, selfless devotion to duty as a U.S Marine and Chaplain, and for his sacrifice in the service of his Country. Together, they arrived at the idea of petitioning the Postmaster General of the United States to issue a Lt. Fr. Vincent Capodanno Commemorative ..read more