Saturday, October 15, 2011
Il Volo - 'O Sole Mio - Teen Italian Opera Singers?
Wow, is all I can say-- these guys are seriously making a huge impact on the American music industry and audience. Teens who can sing opera and kind of look boy bandish? Oh yes, and they're right out of Italy; doesn't get any better.
To hear more check out their channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/IlVoloVEVO Tweet
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Calling All Italian Americans: Columbus Day Parade in New York City - 2011
Auguri to all Italian Americans celebrating Columbus Day. It's a very important day to my family, because it signifies the day my father arrived in America to start a new life. He came to the USA to live the American dream and we still hold onto the dreams my father had when he first came here in 1956 and now we honor those who have paved the way for all Italian Americans. Celebrate with pride! Columbus Day Parade - New York City
On Monday October 10, 2011 the best parade in New York City (in my opinion) the Columbus Day Parade is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. and run till 3:00 p.m. The parade always includes a slew of Italian and Italian American performers, bands and participants from all over the country and including from Italy. I love watching the parade on television, because you really have a chance to get the specifics on where people are from based on the hosting conversations with either Maria Bartiromo and or Joe Piscopo - we'll see who hosts again this year.
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The parade begins on Fifth Ave and 44th Street, get in early and claim your spots, gotta love New York City but the commute can be a pain, so check out the tips listed in the links below.
For more details visit:
OR
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Happy Birthday - Italian American Girl Site Turns 3 !
Happy Birthday to the Italian American Girl site. It's been three years of hard work, making great connections and meeting the most amazing people. When I started the site, my goal was to share my love and passion for my Italian culture, which I have to say I didn't think my love could grow any stronger, but it has and it keeps me driven to deliver the best content I can about being Italian American. As an Italian American, there are so many important traditions that need to be recognized, cultivated and preserved, so the Italian American Girl site has become the home where we can talk, connect and share within our community.
I can't thank everyone enough for all your support, love and encouragement. I think the most important element that has grown from the IAG site, has been the unbelievable community that lets me know what I'm doing matters. Love you all and I look to you to help me keep the site successful and continuously growing. Grazie...xoxo
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Love-
Margaret
Monday, September 5, 2011
Raising Second Generation Italian American Children in the USA
A guest post this week from Italian American Girl's sister, Maria.....
As a first generation Italian American raising my children I feel so honored to share so many special traditions and cultural knowledge with them. Growing up in a first generation household I learned the importance of art, history, cooking, traveling and most importantly- family. As I became a mother myself it never was a question of passing on all the beautiful and intense things I learned growing up.
I spoke Italian with both my children from birth instilling the gift of a second language and the flexibility to learn more than one language by the age of two. My children travel yearly to spend their summer on the breathtaking southern Italian beaches of the Mediterranean, indulging in the local cuisine, life style and building life-long relationships with all my relatives. The beauty is that it is all very normal to them to see a diverse lifestyle than here in the states and become educated on the vast culture Italians have shared with the world.
Cooking is an integral part of my children being raised Italian American, we follow traditions year round and indigenous recipes and tastes are always on our menu, not to mention the luxury of home-made, healthy foods, which are delicious! The kitchen is our meeting place and all family meetings are conducted around the table, not to mention my children appreciate wonderful baked goods we make regularly to pair up with our “coffee,’ which is a staple in our home.
My children are exposed to organic gardening by my father daily and appreciate the love and dedication it takes to nurture a delicious fruit or vegetable, they share the experience of loving the earth and nature with their Nonno and Nonna.
But for us the most important part is family, we support each other through thick and thin, we eat together, we cry together, we laugh and love together. We never think twice to help each other out if one of us needs a hand, my children are taught to share and give love unconditionally, which comes naturally because we lead by example showering them with love and support.
I am so proud to share all these wonderful things with my children and know that it will have a positive impact on how they interact in the world as adults.
-Maria
**Photo- Copyright 2011 Italian American Girl - you must ask permission to use any and all photos on ItalianAmericanGirl.com - Grazie
TweetSaturday, September 3, 2011
Popular Italian Rock Star - Zucchero Set To Debut North American Tour
(New York, NY) -- Zucchero ("Sugar") is Italy's most beloved rock star and one of the top Italian artists worldwide, having sold 40 million records over three decades. As a singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist, Zucchero has collaborated with the royalty of international rock, blues, R&B, jazz and classical music – from Bono, Sting and Eric Clapton to Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Solomon Burke to Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli. On October 4, 2011, Decca Records releases the North American edition of Zucchero's Chocabeck, a recording that is simultaneously a concept album about his roots in traditional village life and a milestone in his exceptional international career. Chocabeck – co-produced with Don Was (the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) and Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen) – includes English lyrics by Bono, Iggy Pop and Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears. Chocabeck will also be released as an all-Italian, stand-alone album on October 4th.
Zucchero's autumn/winter tour on behalf of Chocabeck includes a handful of dates in select cities across North America including Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, New York and Boston to name a few (for a complete list see below). Asked to describe Zucchero, his longstanding collaborator Bono said: "My friend Zucchero has had Italy singing and dancing for years. . . His boyish smile makes him the most charming man in Italy, that smile that just runs all over his face. But the voice is the sound of aged oak, like an old, oak-aged whisky. . ."
I think it's pretty exciting to have one of Italy's famous Italian popular rock artists here in the states.. I say rock, but what makes Zucchero so unique is the way he can rock out and infuse a blues vibe. One of the greats.
Catch one of Zucchero's concert here in the USA and Canada:
ZUCCHERO FALL 2011 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR:
Friday, 10/14 St. Catherines, ON Brock Center For The Arts
Saturday, 10/15 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
Sunday, 10/16 Montreal, PQ St. Denis Theatre
Tuesday, 10/18 Ottawa, ON Centre Point Theatre
Thursday, 10/20 Edwardsville, IL Southern Illinois University
Saturday, 10/22 Chicago, IL Park West
Sunday, 10/23 Cleveland, OH Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Tuesday, 10/24 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Thursday, 10/27 Cranston, RI RI PAC
Friday, 10/28 Collingswood, NJ Scottish Rite
Saturday, 10/29 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
For more information and tickets:
http://www.zucchero.it/eng
http://www.deccarecords.com
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Saturday, 10/15 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
Sunday, 10/16 Montreal, PQ St. Denis Theatre
Tuesday, 10/18 Ottawa, ON Centre Point Theatre
Thursday, 10/20 Edwardsville, IL Southern Illinois University
Saturday, 10/22 Chicago, IL Park West
Sunday, 10/23 Cleveland, OH Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Tuesday, 10/24 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Thursday, 10/27 Cranston, RI RI PAC
Friday, 10/28 Collingswood, NJ Scottish Rite
Saturday, 10/29 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Center
For more information and tickets:
http://www.zucchero.it/eng
http://www.deccarecords.com
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Photo of the Day: Reggio Calabria, Italy
Reggio Calabria, Italy -- a great photo from the hill top on the country side closest to the beach. With all extreme weather we are experiencing here on the East Coast in the United States, this image can let you visualize calm and beauty.
@Copyright ItalianAmericanGirl.com 2011 - Italian American Girl -- You must ask permission to reuse this and all images on the IAG site. Grazie.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Podcast Interview On 'Tandem With The Random' Show With Italian American Girl -
I'm sharing this great interview I did with a fellow journalist; Brian Kelley founder of "Tandem with the Random" podcast show. Brian and I went to Rider University and shared many communication classes together. Brian contacted me via Twitter and he informed me that he was following me on Twitter and asked if I remembered him? I said, "Of course!" -- So from there, we coordinated a podcast interview focusing on cultural blogging and the history and launch of the Italian American Girl site. Thank you Brian!Listen to this amazing interview here:
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
What You Don't Understand About The Italian American Family..
Today is one of those days where I have to express what I'm feeling when it comes to family. Many people or maybe I should say non-Italians might not understand the bond or understand why we do certain things or sacrifice a lot of our selves for our family members. I grew up with the belief that you always help or support your family. In my family we aren't one of these units that each family member lives across the country or in another country, but rather we live close in proximity and at times are sometimes up each other's a@@. I admit --I do complain that in my family we lack boundries, but really do boundries exist in Italian families? For example, if I'm in my sister's neighborhood, nine times out of ten I don't call before I show up, I just knock on her door and she opens it. Then we have coffee, even if she was busy.
Lately, more than one of my family members have been going through some tough times, and I have to say rather than just going about my business, we all come together and form a strong support system for each other. If you ask anyone outside of my family, they might say you should each do your own thing and not worry about what the other is doing, unfortunately (and I say this sarcastically) that does not exist.
I love my family, and no matter what -- we are here for each other, a strong support system on all ends. No outside influences can throw us off track from the real love and support we give each other. I know this to be true of our Italian family, perhaps it may exist with other cultural families as well, but I know for certain this is our Italian cultural and traditional belief. - family is everything.
Copyright 2011 - PHOTO of Italian American Girl ItalianAmericanGirl.com -2011 = you must ask permission for reuse of any and all photos on this site.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
CANZONIERE GRECANICO SALENTINO- Performing North American Tour 9/15-10/6/2011
Leading Italian Musical Group
CANZONIERE GRECANICO SALENTINO
bring the power of Taranta to North America for the first time
11 city debut concert tour of the US and Canada announced for September 15 – October 6, 2011
Hailing from the Puglia region, the seven piece band and dancer are the leading exponents in a new wave of young performers re-inventing Southern Italy’s Pizzica Taranta musical and dance traditions for today’s global audience. Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino’s North American tour brings the concert experience of The Notte Della Taranta festival to US and Canadian populations for the first time.
This music is so meaningful to me, I basically grew up listening to this in my house. Every time we would go to Italy, we ended up going to festivals where these types of musical groups played this one of a kind music. It's true it's a genre of music that has become a lost tradition. When we do see the bands play my mother, father and aunts would join in with other people in the groups and start dancing, and playing the tambourines. I may be a modern Italian American in the tri-state area but I am a true Calabrese with hard core traditions. Thank God..
Not to mention, they still blast this music at home occasionally and in the car. I'm so excited for this unknown genre here in the states to have a chance at being exposed to Italian Americans. It truly is history.
Here is list of concert dates:
Thu, 09/15/11 New York, NY New York Gypsy Festival
Fri, 09/16/11 Madison, WI Madison World Music Festival
Sun, 09/18/11 Chicago, IL Chicago World Music Festival
Mon, 09/19/11 Chicago, IL Chicago World Music Festival
Wed, 09/21/11 Cedar Rapids, IA Landfall 2011
Thu, 09/22/11 St. Louis, MO Washington University
Fri, 09/23/11 Bloomington, IN Lotus World Music & Arts Festival
Sat, 09/24/11 Bloomington, IN Lotus World Music & Arts Festival
Sun, 09/25/11 Boston, MA Club Passim (Cambridge)
Wed, 09/28/11 Toronto, ON Small World Music Festival
Fri, 09/30/11 Montreal, PQ Maison de la Culture Frontenac
Sat, 10/01/11 Montreal, PQ Maison de la Culture Ahunstic
Sun, 10/02/11 Montreal, PQ Maison de la Culture Rivieres des Prairies (Cégep Marie-Victorin Salle Désilets)
Wed, 10/05/11 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live
Thu, 10/06/11 Washington, DC National Geographic
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Traveling to Europe? Clark Howard's "Living Large In Lean Times" - Get Insider Secrets: Traveling On A Budget
Traveling can be tough especially when you don't know what to do or how to do it. If you're traveling to Europe or even domestically: I have just the book for you that can give you insider tips on how to book: airline tickets, car rentals, hotels and travel cell phones. My good friend and a fellow Greek American, Theo Thimou who co-authored this book with Clark Howard brought this extremely informative book to my attention. On the Italian American Girl site we are usually talking about Italy or travel to and from, so when I received this book- I was delighted to read a great chapter just on travel. In these economic times, every penny counts. So, if you're finally taking a trip of a lifetime and need information that could possibly save you some money, this is the book.
If you know Clark Howard, you know he's the money guru and has been on many television shows as a guest or host talking about finances and giving the most sound advice on how to get the most for your money.
This book covers a variety of financial topics but of course we know travel is very important to the IAG audience, so let me share with you.
Here are some topics covered on travel in the book:
- Check message boards before you bid on Priceline or Hotwire
- Find cheap vacation rentals by owners
- Use social media to resolve hotel issues
- Use hard discounter airlines to travel around Europe
- Ditch the frequent-flyer miles credit card
These topics/tips are just a taste of what you can find out on travel. A great book not just for travel, but for your overall financial health.
I read the entire book and will implement many points Clark Howard advises when it comes to finances. Now a days, all the help you can get is very welcomed. I highly recommend this book.
To purchase this book:
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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