Page 19 - Italian-American Herald - August 2024

DIRECT CONNECTION
American Airlines is offering the first-ever direct flights from Philadelphia to Naples between June 5 and Oct. 25 this year. Find flights at www.aa.com
Vol. 11 / No. 5
RADIO Italian Style
Every Sunday
Program Schedule
8 a.m. Mattinata Musicale
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Call 302.525.9928 or email jtciaprm@yahoo.com for inquiries. facebook.com/mattinatamusicale
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House Parties, Assemblies, Fundraisers, Italian-American Events, Book Clubs
TRAVEL
Our favorite lunch spot is Ristorante Reginella, Via Posillipo, Napoli, 45a 80123. A short drive or lift atop the coastline where the view is heaven on earth. Ask for a table along the water and take in the entire Bay of Naples while the fresh sea air soothes
your soul. Order anything seafood here, and you can’t go wrong! (We don’t recommend for dinner, not the same experience at night, packed with families, parties, etc.)
Now into the night, dinner is served:
We love to dress to impress and so do the Italians. When the sun sets the magic of Naples takes hold and the city vibe is epic. Keep in mind, Italians on holiday generally have a larger meal around noon to 2 p.m. and a lighter meal, pizza, 7 to 9 p.m., then
walk, stroll for a gelato to end their night. Lots of walking!
Our favorites:
Ristorante Zi Teresa , Via Borgo Marinara 1, Naples. Luca’s father was the head chef and legend here. Located in the chic neighborhood of San Ferdinando, this waterfront restaurant is extra special to our family and is a must! It dates back to 1861
and we’ve shared this spot with generations of Senas over the years. Nowadays it’s been coined as a “hip” Italian place to see and
be seen. Think of a modern-day Rat Pack hangout. The seafood menu is everything,
AUGUST2024 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 19 ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Philadelphia hotelier and restaurateur Luca Sena revisits his childhood home in Materdei, Naples.
practically caugh
t as your being seated to
your table.
George Restaurant, located in the Grand Parker’s Hotel. Elegant, culinary and a view for the ages! So romantic on a summer night, you feel like you can touch the stars.
LaCantinella, Via Cuma , Via Nazario Sauro 42
Napoli, Italy 80132. We can’t say
enough about this restaurant. The elegance, service, attention to detail and pure Italian hospitality speaks volumes to our repeated visits here. Choosing hospitality as our occupational love back in the states, when we
dine at LaCantinella, we feel like royalty. Truth be told, most locals eat at home, so look up your distant, long-forgotten relatives
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY WWW.ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM The towns that time (almos t) forgot Where did allo?
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“come as you are” you may get a seat at the table, priceless and as real as it gets. We are lucky as Luca’s sister still lives in Naples and we always have a place at her table, she is an incredible cook and I worship every meal
that’s prepared. IAH
Luca and Dawn Sena are the owners of Penn’s View Hotel and Panorama Wine Bar in Old City, Philadelphia. Luca was born and raised in Materdei in Naples, Italy. He and Dawn make yearly trips back to Naples to visit family.
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Continued from front page
shrinking Italian population
Census data: Analysis reveals
WHERE HAVE ALL THE ITALIANS GONE?
American Community Survey, the only
The so
urce of this i
nformation is the
SOME KEY FINDINGS:
• Th
Persons
2022
change since Persons2i0d2e2ntifying Percent
Percent largestongoingsurvey;itincludesana•Atthelocaltownan,316,728-7%
ab U
source partially Italian
outpopu.S.
ofc
om
la
tion tren in
parab
le, qu experien
e City of Philadelphia and each of
ds. It is the bureau’s
ality information
its surrounding counties
ced Italian population
have
also
decli
nes
identifying as
full Italian
2011
as either full or since 2011
change
from th -9%
pu it s, several areas
sample of 3.5 million households, and nnual with several exceptiodnZIP code levels, Delaware 28,735 -13%
both categories. 5,715,235 -19% 16
blishes e
rep,859
indicate that about 5.7 m are also experiencin New Jersey
orted “Italian” as their only ancestry, while • Nationally, at the state level, nine states Pennsylvania
e 2022 America Italian-America
stimates an that have be
nually. Recent es en known to Maryland
n Comm n popula
illion Am g declin 532,65
unity Su tions in
ericanses.4
timates have high
rvey the p
ast
83
,0
46
283,327
85,061
-8%
-3%
Italian and
Italian and one other ancestry (for examified as population, while the remaininlgItalian” 1,405,580
an estimated 10.6 million people ident showed slight gains in the “ful
464,402 -23%
-26%
1,3
21
-12% npersoorpartihia
Irish). In total, a
significantly since Connecticut, and Illi 19,401 orpart.NearlyNewYork,Cal08,240-14% millioe“fullhiladelp
ns identified as Italian, in fu al Italian” category, 37,022
n estimate
ple, 41
all these estima ifornia, Massachuse
tes are d tts,
d1
own Atlantic Cou
6.3
ll -38
th City of P
states lost p
opulation. Regar
ding
-10%
The Italian-American Herald reached significant number (100,000 or more Burlington County, N.J. -9%
2011. nois all lost a -14%
nty, N.J.
%
1 wonderepopulationofseveral7,552-12%
or n timeframe. T Camden Cou
out to leaders of several Italian-America each) of persons during the 2011-2022 23,940 -19% 69,800 -11%
4
5,6 ganizationsinthehe“fullorpartinty,N.J.
81
d whether other
incre states
Delaware Valley, who al Italian” 28,088
of Italian Americans (reported in the IAH or more.
upwardmobilityintheyoungergenerationsincrease,howeveronlyTexasincurredaounty,N.J.6,555-18%17,631
asing p
rosperity and
g
ain
of 50,000
did
Cape M
a
yC
-27
%
7
ignore their heritage and therefore part CULTURAL CONTEXT
in December 2023) might lead them to
Cumberland County, N.J.
-2%
le for the
It
ali
anp
attorney in Montgo
reduced self-reported numb
beresponsiblySpeculationaboutthepossiblereaso79-28%70,655-7% e,325
rs.
opulatio
Gloucester County, N.J. 24,8
Al De Gennaro, a former assistan ften centers on a single word: Bucks County, Pa. 1%
t
district
n’s beh
8,988 -25% 18,880 -19%
now heads up the Americans of Italian
a
numbers o
ssimilatio
indthedeclnnty,N.J.
i
einIta
ns
S
alem Cou
mery County,
does appear
Heritage Council, noted that membersh
Pa.,
who
lian cultural awareness 3,189 -33%
to be dwindlin
has similation by each generation
“Inc
diluted our heritage more and more in
reas
n.
ed as
Chester County, Pa. 22,663
27,6
53 -23%
90,243
8
-2
-8%
without an eq
Montgomery County as “older member
Italian-American organizations in ce
g in the rema
ip
g.”
of new members
ntral
s pass
ining
resto of “counter-assimilation” to
sugg cil. He
Americ
each generation,” said DeGennaro, from the
-16%
ual num
ested a s
re pride in It
ans of Italian
ort
Heritag
eCu
on
Montgomery County, Pa.
Delaware County, Pa. 28,813
alian identity b
39,125
-31%
84,655
75,712 -2%
-13%
th r ro lives in Penn Valley, Pa., and
joinin
ber
e decline
Speculating on possible explanations fo
youths.
emphasis on awareness
DeGenna
of heritage in
y renewing
today’s
-20%
Washingto
N
ew Castle County, Del.
17,387
-24%
118,043 -4%
n Township (Gloucester Co.) 5,926
53,858
-15%
severa
as having Italian heritage –De Gennaro and Sicily, his ma bruzzi Evesham Township (Burlington Co.) 5,148
in the num 14,27
in census numbers – or pe remains proud o Gloucester Township (C
l factor
ber2
sin
of people who paternal -18%
c
luding politi Basilicata
self-iden gran
rhaps f h amden C
tified dparents were
cited ternal grandparents from
isItaliao.)
n ancestry. H 5,848
from A
is -20%
15,266
-9%
pullthemawayfromfamily,and“thed heleadsorganizest hegroup VinelandCity
extracurric 4,711
ular activities for young people that and has visited Italy three times., T
cal correctness, . He’s taught himself some Italian Cherry Hill Township (Camde
+4%
of the fam
ilymealandattendingMasstobocceandlotsofItalianfo2-23%
gether.” od) in O
emise he Columbus Cup (golf, 5,112 -29%
n Co.)
-19% 11,294 -
+14% 11,935
9%
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS
The surve
ct
y
obe
publis
rand Ha
hes Ita
lian po
pulation
Committee.
the new Christopher Columbus Monument
aFeasawa
tof reCo
theSevenFishesinDecember,plus.)3,157-27%10,212
Upper Darby Township +12%
verfo
rd
To
wns
hip (Del
10,05
who identify as only Italian and those w be considered out greatest failure,” he -34%
estimates in
two different categories; those
“I believe o
ur greatest success can also
Bensalem
Township (Bucks Co.)
(D
elaware
Co.)
2,192
2,618
-55%
8,282
-33%
from 2022 (collected hout the proper appreciatio South Phila. ZIP 19
in population in both categories. Estim anges of focusing on the future and its opportun hila. ZIP 19145 6,489 -37%
one other ancestry. This analysis reflects ch ccess, we have put our children in a position South P
identify as either fully Italian or Italian who “With the emphasis on education and scairde.er Ridley Twp. (Delaware Co.) 2,409 -19
ates wit ities,
it%
h
su
8,259 -5% from2018tnofand146
hrough
10,648
7,744
+2%
(collected from 2007 to 2011). Thtiemnattes
2022) were compared to 2
aware
011 es
emphasis on our Italian heritage a
-20%
experienced declines in both the full Ita
well as all states in the Del ion as
ce
culture and traditions.”
nsus analysis centered on neighborhoods
One of the more dramatic parts of th
nd its
e
South P
South Phila. ZIP 19147
2,411
1
,008
+42%
Valley have
hila. ZIP 1914
9%
category and the combined full and mi lian
8
5,510
-48%
-3
6,565
3,023 +30%
+ 4%
Italian category. xed
Philad
Italian enclaves, particularly in South
and ZIP codes that were once considered
elphia.
Source:
South Phila. (Total)
10,498
U.S. Census
Ame
-33%
rica
n Comm
unity
Surv
ey,
15,418
2011 and 2
022 5-year data
-40% 30,734 -19%
The Herald’s research and reporting hits home
Dear editor,
I found the article – “Where did all the Italians go?” – by Joe Quartullo and Al Kemp (May, 2024) quite insightful. I kept nodding my head in agreement while reading!
Yes, there’s a decline in Italian Americans in the Mid-Atlantic. Also declining is their participation in fraternal organizations such as the Sons of Italy (OSDIA), as we have seen in our Little Italy Lodge in Baltimore. Even our historically Italian Catholic
parishes have not been immune to this and similar trends.
As your co-auth
ors found, Italian Americans have
become “victims” of our own success! We’re now
professionals, we have moved to the suburbs and
we have assimilated. I pointed to these same factors
in my recent article in the Sunday Lunch column of
OSDIA’s Italian America (Fall, 2023). Sadly, with each
successive generation, we lose a little bit more of our
unique Italian American culture.
Thanks for researching and reporting on this
and similar topics of interest to us!
Cordiali saluti,
Albert F. Marra Woodstock, Md.
ACHIEVER The busy life of cancer scientist Dr. Dario Altieri
PAGE 10
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