Thoughts and opinions on all things Italian
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John Mancini – Founder and Executive Director
The Wrong Caesar
Augustus had too much class for a gambling joint. They named it Caesars Palace when they opened it in Las Vegas in 1966 and placed a larger-than-life statue of Caesar Augustus at its entrance. It was to emulate the opulence ...
Bill Dal Cerro, Senior Analyst
MAN WITH A CAMERA
Peter Santenello (r) with cousin Anthony As of September 2026, video blogger Peter Santenello has over 4 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, where viewers follow his travels to various nooks-and-crannies (i.e, neighborhoods or neglected regions) within America. His accumulated ...
Rosario A. Iaconis, Senior Analyst
The Seed of Aeneas: From the Coast of the Gods to the Bay of Naples
U.S. Ambassador to Rome, Tilman J. Fertitta, has got nothing on me. Having sojourned last year to Calabria’s majestic Costa degli Dei—the Coast of the Gods—where the pristinely transparent sea meets the vast cerulean sky, I found myself, one year ...
Bob Masullo, Guest Author
THEIR SONGS ENDED TOO SOON
Frank Sinatra lived to 82, Connie Francis to 87 and Tony Bennett to 96. Like many other Italian-American singers they were blessed with longevity. At least three, however, were not. They apparently were under a maledizione (Italian curse). Russ Columbo ...
ITALIAN-AMERICAN FIRSTS
Alfred E. Smith Who were the pioneer U.S. government officials with Italian roots? The answers are more than names that belong in history books. In a tangible way they provide a measure of how far Italian-Americans have come in the ...
