Category Archives: Italians

Famous Italians (by heritage and they don’t have to be 100%) who’ve contributed to the world we live in today.

In case you don’t know the difference

Posted on October 27, 2020 by Steve

I couldn’t let October completely pass without a little nod to Italian heritage. This visual joke comes courtesy of my cousin Dana. Pretty funny and accurate since there’s an old joke about us…ahem! How do you make an Italian shut … Continue reading →

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RIP John Saxon (neé Carmine Orrico)

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Steve

My generation knows him mainly for being B-Movie royalty in such hits as Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Christmas and Battle Beyond Stars. But John was much, much more than that. He originally started out in more mainstream movies in the Fifties with … Continue reading →

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RIP Ennio Morricone

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Steve

Ennio was probably one of the biggest composers before John Williams, namely due to his head start. Like many, I’m more familiar with his Westerns that made Clint Eastwood into a bigger star and then contributing to John Carpenter’s remake … Continue reading →

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1860: The beginning of modern Italy via Giuseppe Garibaldi

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Steve

One hundred and sixty years ago Garibaldi left Genoa with 1000 volunteers to invade the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In Garibaldi’s defense, the kingdom was an absolute monarchy and its ruler King Francis II, a Bourbon (blech!), wasn’t very … Continue reading →

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Pasta found in the Netherlands that’s special!

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Steve

As you can see from the label, whenever you buy this brand/package of pasta, you must give five ravioli to me. I prefer them to be cooked and covered with an Alfredo sauce. A chicken-based broth is acceptable too. In … Continue reading →

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My friend Amy and I went to a Big Night dinner!

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Steve

Italian food is my favorite cuisine and I think it would be even I were zero percent Italian. After my one-year exile in Raleigh-Durham, I gained a much greater appreciation of it through a great restaurant called il Sogno (The Dream) because … Continue reading →

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October’s usual festivities are suspended for 2019

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Steve

I often look forward to celebrating three of the biggest things happening October which aren’t Halloween: Italian Heritage, Pizza and a silly thing FM AOR stations invented called Rocktober, a new story idea I wanted to cover, more on it … Continue reading →

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1939: Italy invades Albania

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Steve

I always thought Mussolini pulled this dumb stunt after WWII started but as you can see by the link, I was wrong. Admitting to being wrong of course is one of us Liberals’ weaknesses as Conservatives go full on no … Continue reading →

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1919: Benito Mussolini founds the Fascist Party

Posted on March 23, 2019 by Steve

A century ago, a horrendous political movement was created by Benito Mussolini. Although Hitler would take this crappy mindset even further, resulting in three percent of the planet being killed and practically all Jews in Europe exterminated, Mussolini came from … Continue reading →

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Italian #50: Vince Lombardi

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Steve

Since the Packers had the weekend off, it gave me some time to highlight their most famous coach and the winner of the first two Super Bowls. However, I want to bring up what he changed about the NFL off … Continue reading →

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Italians #48 & #49: Joseph Valachi & Henry Hill

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Steve

When it comes to Italian heritage, alongside some Jewish, there is an elephant in the room and that’s the Mafia, aka The Outfit, La Cosa Nostra, The Mob, The Black Hand. Although organized crime isn’t something Italians, namely Sicilians, invented. … Continue reading →

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Italian #47: Christopher Columbus

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Steve

On this day 525 years ago, Christopher Columbus and his three vessels full of Spaniards landed in the West Indies. Although he wasn’t the first to “discover” the Americas, he is rightfully the last. For after Columbus, the world would … Continue reading →

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Italian #46: Marchesa Luisa Casati

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Steve

Luisa Casati is another Italian figure who is best remembered ambivalently. Her primary claim to fame is being a pre-cursor to today’s Fame Hags: Madonna, Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga and the nouveau-riche trash Kardashians. However, she was quite the a celebrity … Continue reading →

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Italian #45: Giovanni Domenico Cassini

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Steve

I will readily admit my annual celebration for Italian Heritage is off to a slow start. I blame too many things but in the end it’s my own fault. This year I did get some help from a real Italian … Continue reading →

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Italian #44: Christopher Lee

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Steve

What? The consummate Englishman from all those Hammer Horror movies? Saruman the White? Count Dokku? Scaramanga? Yes, the towering actor was half Italian. His mother was Countess Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano, an Italian citizen who married an English army officer. … Continue reading →

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