Blogs

Is the Berlusconi era drawing to a close?

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:40:38 -0400

Since 1994, Silvio Berlusconi has been at the heart of Italian political and media life. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that he has left an indelible mark on modern Italian society. He has been Prime Minister for ten years which is itself a remarkable feat in post-war Italy. From television to soccer to publishing, it is hard to escape the shadow of il Cavaliere.

When he entered pol...

An Introduction to Modern Italian Music

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:23:18 -0400

Those of us who are the baby boomer children of Italian immigrants were raised, not only on pasta, pizza and other delicacies, but also on a steady diet of popular music from our parents’ homeland.

We all recall listening to CHIN radio and vinyl 45s drenching our homes and vehicles with the music of such greats as:

Gianni Morandi
Bobby Solo
Caterina Caselli
I Pu
Ricchi & Poveri
Albano
Rita Pavone
Mina
P...

AC Milan ends incredible Internazionale run

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:19:40 -0400

AC Milan returned to the top of the table this year under new coach Massimiliano Allegri after a determined off-season rebuild that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic return to Serie A in the red and black kits of the "diavoli rossi". Along with Brazil’s Robinho and Ghana’s Prince Boateng, the new acquisitions were heavily relied upon - especially after an injury to their ethereal playmaker Andrea Pirlo wh...

The Petruzzelli Theatre Project

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:33:53 -0400

The Brott Music Festival presents

The Petruzzelli Theatre Project
On August 5th At The McIntyre Theatre, Mohawk College

The Brott Music Festival is producing a spectacular, semi-staged version of what is regarded as the most perfect opera ever written – ‘ CARMEN’- on August 6th at Mohawk College!!

The Festival is thrilled to welcome the distinguished Italian Director Giandomenico Vaccari, from The...

The challenges for Italy’s opposition

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:26:22 -0400

In my last blog, I wrote about the nearing end of the Berlusconi era. In this edition, I want to briefly describe Italy’s main opposition parties and highlight some of the challenges they face if they want to win the next general election which is due in 2013.

The main opposition parties can be divided into two broad groups: the center left which consists of the Partito Democratico , Italia de...

If You Want a Taste of Today's Italian Music Check out Jovanotti's new CD "Ora"

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:12:02 -0400

My drive to and from work these days is spent exploring the latest in Italian music: Ora by Jovanotti, that's his stage name. His real Lorenzo Cherubini. He's been around for a while and has some great hits which have become synonymous with 21st century Italian musical culture: A Te is one such song.

Jovanotti is somewhat unique in Italy in that he can perform beautiful romantic ballads in the...

Sam Cino on CHML

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:06:12 -0400

Listen to Sam Cino chat about Festitalia on CHML!

Luck of (or lack thereof) the Draw

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:56:43 -0400

Luck of the Draw

September is here, and for soccer fans it means that the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League have completed their preliminary rounds and are ready for the group stages to commence in Europe.

For Italy, Serie A produced seven teams after the 2010-2011 season that qualified for European tournament play this year. AC Milan, Internazionale, and Napoli were headed directly in...