Articles by: Giulia Madron

  • Facts & Stories

    Italian Holidays for Mayor De Blasio

    For most New Yorkers taking extended vacation periods is not unusual. Not so for Mayor Bill De Blasio, who next Friday will leave the Big Apple to bring his family on a 10 day long vacation in Italy. A real exception compared to his predecessors Michael R. Bloomberg, who never took a week off, or Rudolph W. Giuliani who worked even during holidays. De Blasio’s trip is the longest one ever done by a New York mayor in more than 25 years.

    But Mr. De Blasio, of Italian origins, had promised it to his Italian relatives who proudly have supported him from from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

    A journey, the one in Italy, to go back to his roots and learn more about the Italian heritage. The trip, from North to South of the Peninsula, will include official visits to Venice, Rome and Naples and also a jaunt to the glamorous island of Capri. And, of course, Mr. De Blasio won’t miss stops in the two native cities of his grandparents: Grassano, near Matera and Sant’Agata dei Goti, near Benevento. Especially the town of Grassano is really excited for the arrival of New York’s first citizen. Indeed, on the occasion of De Blasio’s visit, the Mayor of the Italian town, Francesco Sanseverino, is organizing a big party.

    However, De Blasio and his family are not the only one who will have to pack before their departure on July 18th. They will be joined by his press secretary and his chief of staff who will accompany him during his official meetings with other Italian city representatives. De Blasio’s team has already scheduled formal events with the Mayors of Rome and Naples.

    Furthermore, his press secretary, Phil Walzak, who will also be in Italy with him and his family, said that Mayor De Blasio is prepared to get back to New York in case there is a local emergency. While in Italy, Mr. De Blasio will receive daily updates from his City Hall lieutenants about what is happening in New York. But the Italian-American Mayor has the situation under control and thought about everything: in fact, he provided Anthony E. Shorris, his first deputy, with all the legal powers to lead the city during his absence.

    Hopefully nothing will happen and the De Blasio’s will enjoy their time in Italy!

  • Facts & Stories

    A Little Bit of Italy at The World Cup Final

    The Italian National team didn’t make it until the end of the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. However, an Italian will be on the field during the match and keep the flag flying. Nicola Rizzoli redeems the Azzurri’s failure arbitrating the so awaited final between Germany and Argentina, which will take place on Sunday, July 13th, at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

    For the 42 years old Italian referee, this is the fourth match he is going to arbitrate during this edition of the World Cup in Brazil. He already ‘directed’ Spain-Netherlands, Argentina-Nigeria and Argentina-Belgium.

    Moreover it’s the third time that an Italian referee arbitrates the final match of a World Cup. Indeed, before him, the whistle happened to be used by Gonella in 1978 (Argentina 3-1 Netherlands) and by Collina in 2002 (Germany 0-2 Brazil).

    During this edition of the World Cup, Rizzoli already arbitrated two times a match in which Argentina was playing . And in both cases Argentina won. A good luck charm?

  • Facts & Stories

    SOS, I Need a Bathroom!

    “Because taking a dump doesn’t mean you have to be one.” With this motto AirWC is becoming a real hit all over the internet, presenting itself, with a very funny video, as the Airbnb for private toilets. A gag, of course. But let’s face it. If it was real, we have to admit that would save many people’s “private emergencies”!

    Let’s say that you are walking around New York and suddenly you “feel” you are in desperate need of a toilet. First, you look for a Starbucks, whose bathroom is the hope of many tourists. However, when you really need it, there is always a line that seems to circumnavigate the globe.

    With the AirWC App your life would be so much easier. Indeed, you can sign in, locate the closest toilets to you can book 15-minute session for just $4.00. If you need more that 15 minutes (we don’t wanna know!), the difference in price could be paid on location. Moreover, to be sure you have the service and the toilet you are looking for, you can check out the reviews left by previous users. For more demanding guests, the app offers also AirWC Premium which entails that bathroom hosts also tender moral and physical support.

    The concept of such funny video was created by the Italian production company Combocut, which in 2013 released the Italian version of the video. This year, it was brought to the United States by TheCreativeShake, a New York City based creative agency. The two companies partnered up and shot the ad in NYC.

    Now the question that comes natural is: will it be launched on the market? We’ll definitely keep you posted!

    In the meantime, enjoy the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ3WsO01598&feature=youtu.be

    For more information go to www.airwc-app.com.

  • Life & People

    Love at First Tomato!

    She is young, Italian, with a strong passion for food and above all...she loves tomatoes! These were the ingredients that pushed Diana Attianese to create a few months ago the brand Italianavera and start her own business making traditional tomato sauces.

    Born within a family who was in the canning industry since 1950, this young lady’s passion for tomatoes was love at first sight...or first smell!

    “When I was a kid I dreamed about managing, for instance, a pizza place. A place where food was created using tomato,” says Diana, who has always loved the family business especially when she walked inside the factory where the smell of tomatoes was everywhere.

    Another passion that characterizes Diana is the one for fashion. Indeed, after graduation she started to work within the fashion industry. However, they say you never forget your first love so she decided not only to go back to the family business but also to take her own path and try to make a difference bringing together her two passions: food and fashion.

    From Campania with love, she began her own adventure bringing to life a brand, Italianavera, which combines a family tradition of love for tomatoes with a new concept and vision of the dining experience: eat well, healthy and most of all, eat Italian!

    “I think that eating healthy nowadays is a bit rare, even though there are a lot of products out there. I am offering a high quality product,” says Diana, whose tomato sauces are made only with natural ingredients and everything is hand made.

    “I wanted my sauces to combine 3 elements that for me are essential: practicality, a healthy meal and something that is beautiful,” continues Diana explaining why her products are also very trendy. “I want that people who buy my products look inside the pantry and see a can that they like, that they almost feel sorry to open,” affirms Diana.

    Indeed, the packaging is beautiful. Is simple but in the same time is a piece of design that you could use as a vase or a glass, promoting also a sustainable environment.

    So, Italianavera is about innovation but without forgetting the tradition and the culture that make Italian food something unique in the whole world.

    “My tomato sauces have the taste of your home. When you open a can you could almost see your grandma preparing delicious dishes. So you would have your ‘grandma sauce’ within a can which is modern, sinuous and feminine, something that characterizes me, my brand and my cooking,” says Diana, affirming also, very firmly, that “cooking is female,” as she wanted to mark also in the logo of her brand which recalls the body of a woman with a red heart for a head.

    Italianavera offers tomato sauces typical of the Italian cooking tradition within an innovative can creating a new food trend aimed at increasing the value of the Made in Italy all around the world!

  • Dining in & out: Articles & Reviews

    Some New Italian Entries at The Summer Fancy Food 2014

    Did you think you could ever eat and enjoy international food for 3 days in a row with no interruption? Maybe not. But that was before you attended the New York Summer Fancy Food!

    It ended yesterday, July 1st, the 60th edition of one of the most important international fairs in North America dedicated exclusively to food. The Javits Center accomodated 2.600 exhibitors -1.600 Americans, all the others Internationals- who offered the many visitors and buyers the opportunity to discover delicious products that make their country unique.

    Italy was the real protagonist of the Summer Fancy Food 2014, with more than 350 participations who confirmed just one thing: when it comes to food, Italians do it better!

    This year, we not only witnessed the participation of big Italian companies, already established within the US market, but we also noticed the presence of many other smaller ones (even start-ups!) which give us hope in terms of business development and in terms of the magical moment that the Made in Italy is experiencing all around the world.

    We would like to share with you some curiosities and new products we found (and of course, tried!) while going around the Italian pavilion.

    A very original idea comes from the brand “Chinotto Nella Rete,” a network of 5 companies (Abaton Concept Store Nicchia di Savona, Agriturismo Le Giaire di Calizzano, Il Chinotto di Lurisia, Luana Fornaro azienda agricola di Quiliano, Sensu di Alessio Pamparino di Finale Ligure) with the same mission: promote on a global scale the chinotto, this typical citrus of Savona,Liguria, known also for its various characteristics which allow multiple uses of this fruit. Besides the delicious drinks, liquors and other spirits made with chinotto, this year the “Chinotto Nella Rete” launched some very interesting products which gives to the customer a real sensorial experience. For instance, the line of perfumes made out of the citrus. The “Chinotto Flower Perfume” is a fresh, elegant and sweet fragrance that will take you on a journey through the history of Savona wrapping you with a delicate perfume of fresh green and citrus notes.

    Another product that captured our attention was “Guappa” by the Antica Distilleria Petrone. Guappa is the only Italian cream liquor in the world made with buffalo milk of the Campania region and 3 year aged brandy. The company, which has always been rooted within its traditions, decided to give a touch of innovation and introduce this flavorful liquor taking advantage of the unique taste of the buffalo milk, the great resource of its territory. The name “Guappa” comes from the tradition, typical of the buffalo farmers, of giving a name to each animal. The tradition narrates that there was buffalo cow named “Guappa” from the Spanish “Guapa,” which means “beautiful,” who made everyone jealous because of the great quantity of milk she produced and that, during winter, the farmers would mix with alcoholic spirits in order to get warm. “Guappa” by the Antica Distilleria Petrone is a liquor of unique and refine taste you must try!

    And for those who do not have a lot of time to cook, here a ready to eat salad, "E' Pronto," made with hulled wheat and vegetables by Luzi Fior di Pietra that you can find at “BuonItalia” inside the Chelsea market, in the heart of Manhattan. The brand launched a line of various products that take advantage of the natural characteristics of cereals and other legumes that are perfect for a diet low in fat and rich in proteins, vitamins, potassium and iron.
    Besides the many products produced out of this cereal, of very high digestibility, the spelt salad “ready to go” brings together delicious taste, healthy nutrition and, above all, a great practicality. What’s also curious about this product? Well, it can last 6 months on the shelves of your kitchen. So start stocking up on it!

    Moreover, we met a very nice young lady, from Campania, who just started her own business of tomatoes sauces. The name of the brand? “Italianavera” (RealItalian). The name of its creator? Diana Attianese, a woman under 30 with a great passion for food and especially for tomatoes. “Italianavera” was born with the intention of combining a family tradition with an innovative vision of what Italian food represents. In other words, Diana brings together not only the simplicity of the Italian food using very natural ingredients, but also some creativity and design to her products which will guarantee a unique dining experience. Indeed, besides the deliciousness of the sauces, its packaging is very original and innovative. A pleasure for the palate and for the eyes!

    Let’s talk sweet now. We want to talk about sugar. This year, at the Fancy Food we found something very interesting: mint sugar. The brand that created it, Essenzialmenta, specializes in products using the mint of Pancalieri, in the Piedmont region, known as the Italian capital of mint. This year they came out with the first mint sugar in the world combining the freshness of mint with the sweetness of sugar. This sugar it’s perfect for the summer. You add it to your water, coffee, milk, tea, juices or cocktails.

    Furthermore, we found another company from Treviso, Veneto, that just entered the market. Philipp Breitenberg is a young entrepreneur with a huge passion for organic farming. He and his brother, Manuel, founded the brand “Kiwiny” which offers very genuine products, using only organic kiwis (mixed also with other fruits), that take advantage of the great nutritional benefits of these fruits. The product line includes smoothies, jams and many other juices that allow you to take care of your health without renouncing to taste. A charge of green energy that will make your day.

    These are only some of the things we discovered among the all amazing products that were presented at the Summer Fancy Food 2014...just a taste, but all “Made in Italy.”

  • Life & People

    Getting Married in The Colosseum? Yes, You Can!

    Everyone dreams of getting married in a special place that you will remember forever. Now, in Rome it is possible. From the famous and unique Colosseum to the Olympic Stadium, the symbols of the Eternal city can become the locations chosen to say the fateful “yes, I do” according to civil procedure.

    “Getting married in Rome.” This is the name of the deliberation proposed by city councilman Fabrizio Panecaldo (Pd) and approved by the Roman Capitol.

    This deliberation, approved by the Assembly of the Roman Capitol with 25 votes in favor, 4 abstained and 2 opposed, provides for identifying several places around the city of Rome, not only the council room inside the Capitol, where to celebrate the wedding. Among these locations - in both private and public spaces - stand out the Colosseum, the Olympic Stadium, private villas on the old via Appia or Ponte Milvio, just to name a few.

    “I think is a very bizarre idea…” commented Dario Franceschini, Italian Minister of Heritage and Cultural Activities. Getting married at the Colosseum, for instance, would need the approval of the Mibact Cultural Commission. An approval that apparently has not been given, as was also confirmed by the Superintendent Archaeologist of Rome, Maria Rosaria Barbera, who affirmed: “I think that Franceschini expressed the position of the Ministry in a very elegant way.”

    However, even though there are conflicting opinions in regards to such deliberation, the majority said yes. After all...you only get married once!

  • Life & People

    Uruguay Bites...Sorry, Beats Italy. The Reactions of The i-Italy Editorial Team

    As Italians we must say we are disappointed and angry because of this failure. So we think it’s useless to comment on how we played, telling you who scored or about Suarez biting Chiellini. Instead we are going to tell you how the i-Italy editorial team and collaborators reacted to the game.

    Some of us went to see the game at Ribalta Ristorante some others saw the game at home or in some other bar around the city.

    According to our Editor in Chief Letizia Airos who saw the game together with our collaborators Antonella Villa and Alessandra Rotondi, at Ribalta the atmosphere was really tense.

    People got really angry after the referee threw Marchisio out of the game and also after Suarez’s bite to Chiellini. Chef Pasquale Cozzolino was so nervous that he decided let off steam by making more pizzas than needed.

    Alessandra Rotondi, who went to the bathroom and came back in the exact moment Uruguay marked the point, decided she will never go to the bathroom again during a soccer game. However being propitiatory wouldn’t have helped Italy this time, even though hope kept Italians on the razor’s edge until the end.

    Despite anger and disappointment because we were hit in our pride of being Italian, the i-Italy team's reactions to the game were really objective. We asked our boys.

    “It was a very boring game,” said Giacomo Lampariello, video maker. “Italy played with no personality at all. We deserved the elimination.” He also affirmed that he was really angry not because of how Italy played but because of “how they did not play.” And in regards to Suarez’s bite to Chiellini he laughed and commented: “Oh well….Hannibal Suarez they should call him.”

    Matteo Banfo, video maker, said: “One of the worse matches I have ever seen. Prandelli should have brought Giuseppe Rossi to Brazil. Now, resigning was the only thing we could do.”

    And about Suarez he joked: “Well, Suarez has to learn from Mike Tyson. If you want to do something like that, at least do it better!” Matteo’s hope about Italy passing the rounds extinguished after Uruguay’s goal. “After the very first match I thought it was going to be easy for Italy. However, today I realized there was no game at all so I lost all the hopes I had in the team.”

    The most angry and really disappointed was Mattia Minasi, video maker. “Awful match and very sad because we are going back home having done a really poor figure. What really made me angry was the expulsion of Marchisio and the fact that Prandelli inserted Cassano as the only offensive forward. His calculations were wrong,” said Mattia who never lost the hope until the final whistle that concluded the game and also Italy’s participation at the World Cup 2014.

    Well, a very sad day for all Italians today. However, even if we are not very proud about our soccer team’s performance, we should be proud about one thing: Italian food. Yes, because today we had the confirmation that Italian food is the best in the world. Everyone appreciates it..... especially Suarez apparently.

  • Facts & Stories

    Mafia: 100 Years Later, a Bug Reveals the Killer of Joe Petrosino

    A mystery that lasted 100 years. But now, the killer who murdered in Palermo, Sicily, the Italian American cop Joe Petrosino has finally a name. Domenico Palazzotto, 29 years old, boast himself, together with other young bosses of the Cosa Nostra clan, about being a descendant of the killer of the lieutenant of New York who was shot on the morning of the 12th of March, 1909. But he was not aware of the fact that he was been bugged by the police of Palermo.

    “My father’s uncle was called Paolo Palazzotto, he was the responsible for the murder of the first cop killed in Palermo. He was the one who killed Joe Petrosino, on behalf of Cascio Ferro,” said Domenico Palazzotto, breaking down a secret that was kept for almost a century.

    Joe Petrosino was killed on Friday, March 12th, 1909, at 8:45am with four pistol shots. The execution took place in Piazza Marina, in the heart of Palermo, causing panic among the people who were waiting for the bus. Petrosino had become the first, and only, NYPD officer to be killed on foreign soil whilst on duty.

    In March of 1909, Paolo Palazzotto was arrested as the only suspect for murder of Petrosino. However, he was released almost immediately because there were not enough proofs.

    The young boss of Cosa Nostra, Domenico Palazzotto, was arrested on June 23rd during a blitz by the Carabinieri of Palermo, the Financial Police and the rapid response team of the organized crime section. The big operation, called “apocalypse,” was organized by the Antimafia DA’s Office. From the investigations, Magistrates discovered that the young members of the mafia clan of Cosa Nostra were asking for protection money to shops and other factories, while others were also involved in laundering actions and gambling.

    The solution to the Petrosino murder closes one of the many pages that have been involving the Italian Mafia. Unfortunately, it leaves open a chapter of our history which it’s still very hard to close.

  • Facts & Stories

    World CUP 2014: The “Azzurri” get an F in the Match Against Costa Rica

    Cesare Prandelli defined it “the most difficult match of the round” and he was right. In Recife, Italy lost in an embarassing way against Costa Rica. The only thing in which the Azzurri beated the players of the “pura vida” was in the number of offsides, 11 to be precise.

    Since the first half of the match it was quite evident that things did not work out well and starting with a 4-1-4-1 formation was not a great idea apparently.

    Wrong changes. Cesare Prandelli broke down the right corridor that worked well against England leaving too much exposed the area left to Abate, who was a weak help to the team.

    No game in the halfback. Prandelli saw in Thiago Motta a player who could make a difference. But he didn’t and instead he just slowered the game. Also Daniele De Rossi did an unusual disappointing performance. Not to mention Chiellini who, after a terrible performance as a fullback during the debut of Italy against England, didn’t do better in the center, losing balls easily ripped off by Costa Rica. Only Andrea Pirlo “turned on the light” with some dangerous kicks that made us hold our breath for a few seconds.

    What happened to Super Mario? Mario Balotelli seamed to have his mind somewhere else, wasting a few opportunities of marking the so hoped goal. Too many errors for the champion who first got wrong an easy lob and then he saw one of his powerful kicks being stopped by Navas.

    The mystery of the penalty. A penalty for Costa Rica caused by Chiellini was not whistled. But there was. The Italian player, after losing the ball, makes a foul against Campbell.

    Costa Rica’s goal. Italy was sleeping and Costa Rica didn’t waste its time to mark a goal (42’) and had its revenge. With an almost non existing Italian defense, Diaz crossed the ball to Ruiz who marked the victory point.

    During the second half of the game, Prandelli changes the formation: 4-2-3-1 this time, adding Cassano, Insigne and Cerci to the “salad” but leaving alone Balotelli who did not find the miracle.

    Italy tries to recover the match. A right kick from Darmian makes everyone hope but unfortunately there was no positive result.

    No shots for Italy. The Azzurri of Prandelli continued to pass the ball to each other without creating any conclusive actions.

    The “Azzurri” failed during a match that could have been an easy one. Prandelli did not interpreted well the game but hope is the last to die, they say. Now Italy doesn’t have to lose against Uruguay next Tuesday in Natal. The match will be crucial for the “Azzurri”. They need a draw. But if the National Italian team is the same one we just saw in Recife, the day after they will be on a plane off to Italy.

  • Life & People

    Matteo Fedeli: A Man With a Stradivari...in New York

    They call him the “Man of the Stradivari.” Yes, because Maestro Matteo Fedeli is the creator of the project A Stradivari for the People. The initiative, born in 2005, is aimed at making everyone know and appreciate the unique and fascinating sound of the musical instruments done by one of the greatest luthiers of all times: Antonio Stradivari.

    This time, A Stradivari for the People stopped in New York thanks to the European Chamber of Commerce, which organized the beautiful concert at the wonderful Church of St. Anthony of Padua in the heart of Manhattan.

    Since the beginnings of this project, Maestro Fedeli has been travelling all around the world performing more than 600 concerts not only on some of the most prestigious stages of the countries he visited but also in  more “common” places in order to let the magical “voice” of the violins speak to all people who wanted to be enchanted by a Stradivari.

    “The project was born because of a charity initiative. For that occasion I played my first Stradivari called “Maurin Rubinoff” from 1731. The concert was a great success, the theater was filled with people and I was about 2 meters from the audience,” said Maestro Fedeli while explaining how he came up with this great project. “There something happened on an emotional level. My idea was to continue this experience and look for different Stradivari ‘knocking’ on the doors of private collectors to be able to bring to the public the voice of these instruments.”

    Matteo Fedeli, a 41 year-old from Milan, is the only violinist who played 25 different Stradivari violins thanks to the kind loans by several Institutions, Cultural Foundations and private collectors.

    “Every time a Stradivari is played, it opens its historical memory and its sound, which was impressed by Stradivari himself and by the violinists who have owned it. Every violin is different and the voice of one instrument in particular comes out only in the moment I start playing it,” affirmed Fedeli, seduced himself by these unique instruments. “Every time is a sort of magic that comes true. For me it’s the accomplishment of a dream and it’s magical because you become part of the history of that instrument.”

    According to Maestro Fedeli, a Stradivari is able to speak directly to people’s feelings. “It’s the power of music, and if you are able to reach people’s emotions it means that you achieved your goal,” he added.

    At the St. Anthony of Padua Church In New York, Maestro Fedeli played the magnificent 1715 Bazzini violin by Stradivari, an instrument that is insured for 15 million dollars and which next year will celebrate its 300th birthday.

    “This violin is really extraordinary also because it hasn’t been played for almost 50 years, since it was part of a collection and nobody played it for many many years,” said Maestro Fedeli describing the beautiful Stradivari he is carrying on this tour across the US. “It belongs to the golden era of Stradivari and so it has a rich sound, overtones, a very brilliant sound especially on high notes and very intense and powerful on low notes. So it’s able to take advantage of the whole sound range of the instrument.”

    “The pieces we are going to play tonight were chosen exactly to enhance the qualities of this particular  Stradivari,” he concluded.

    The concert indeed featured beautiful music pieces composed by Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saens, Paganini, Faure’ and Bazzini impeccably performed by Maestro Fedeli (violin) and Andrea Carcano (piano).

    After the New York concert, the tour Stradivari for the People will continue and Maestro Fedeli will perform in Buffalo, Baltimore, Washington, South Carolina and Chicago...quite a trip for an almost 300 year old violin!

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