Page 3 - Italian-American Herald - June 2024

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
JUNE2024 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 3 FROM THE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
To see where we’re all going, look where we’ve been
Vol. 11 No.6 – June 2024
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
A DIVISION OF TODAY MEDIA Editor & Publisher
Robert F. Martinelli
Vice Pres. Business Development
Charles W. Tomlinson Jr.
Associate Publisher
Barbara Ann Zippi-Och
Managing Editor
Al Kemp
Art Director
Rosalinda Rocco
This issue’s contributors
Andrea DiFabio Ken Mammarella Maria Teresa Morrison Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo Nikki Palladino Nancy Perone Charlie Sacchetti Murray Schulman Tanya Tecce
Lou Thomas
Social Media Director
Andrea Di Fabio
Senior correspondent
Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
Advertising Sales
Christina Kelley Pam Mariani Murray Schulman Jessica Stryker Tanya Tecce Cindi Viviano
Production Manager
Eric Bolis
Graphic Designers
Kyle Manzolillo Natalie Newhart
Editor Emeritus
Joseph T. Cannavo
TODAY MEDIA, A MARTINELLI HOLDINGS LLC
President Robert F. Martinelli Secretary-Treasurer Richard Martinelli In Memoriam
Chairman Angelo R. Martinelli (1927-2018) Vice President Ralph Martinelli (1962-2019)
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For editorial, email ItalianAmericanHerald@todaymediainc.com. Published monthly by Today Media, 1000 N. West Street, Suite 601, Wilmington, DE 19801 and distributed
at various locations throughout the Tri-State area.
Contents
Exploring ........................................4, 6-7 History...................................................8 Achiever .............................................. 10 The Courts .......................................... 12 Dining Review...................................... 14 Entertainment...................................... 16 It’s All Good ......................................... 18 Leisure ..........................................20, 30 Did You Know?....................................21 Partnerships........................................22 Local ...................................................23 The Chef’s Perspective........................24 Dining In and Out.................................25 Per I Bambini.......................................26 News From Italy ..................................26 Language ............................................28 Pagina Italiana.....................................30
By Barbara Ann Zippi
This in an exciting year to have Italian roots.
Italy designated 2024 as the year of Roots Tourism,
a 20 million euro project, backed by the European Union called “Integrated Strategy for the Revival of the Tourism Sector in Post- COVID-19 Italy.” That’s a lot!
What does that mean to us here in the United States with Italian roots?
We’re among more than 80 million people worldwide whose ancestors left Southern Italy in the late 1800s as stone masons, tailors, bakers, and laborers for a better life
in the new world. Their villages experienced poor economic conditions and in later years were damaged and many destroyed by World War II. Immigrants after 1960 consisted
of young Italian entrepreneurs, many of whom kept their connections to Italy: University professors, scientists, researchers and computer technicians. Today there is a growing interest in Italy among the Italian- American communities in culture, design, food, sports, scientific research and cutting- edge technology. Recently, the actors Russell Crowe and Sylvester Stallone made news exploring their Italian roots. Students of all ages are learning the Italian language and traditions. Consulates around the world have seen an increase in applications for Italian dual citizenship.
What area of Italy does Roots Tourism cover?
Roots Tourism focuses on lesser-known rural villages and countryside areas of Southern Italy, allowing Roots Tourists to experience the “untouched” heritage of their ancestors. These regions include Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, and Sicily. Today’s worldwide interest in exploring ancestry and hometowns creates tourism economic growth opportunities for local Italian residents, especially in food and wine. Many of these regions offer homes for sale at prices as low as 1 Euro.
What is a Roots Tourist?
For many, it is an emotional journey
Premier Digital Partners
back to their roots exploring the region
their ancestors left behind for a new life in America, many never speaking a single word of English. With today’s technology, language is no longer a barrier. American-born Sonia Ceritano, with dual citizenship from her
now “new hometown” in Castel Castagna, Italy, started Abruzzo Sister Tours to assist travelers wanting to explore the region
of their ancestors. Roots Tourists want to experience local traditions, taste flavors and attend festivities of the medieval villages their ancestors left. Once visiting Italy as a Roots Tourist, many people become advocates
for the regions connected to their family history. This allows the start of a new chain of connections with Italians in Italy.
The ‘roots’ of Italian-American Herald
Ten years ago the Delaware Valley Italian-American Herald came under Rob Martinelli’s leadership as chairman of Today Media and publisher of the newspaper. Martinelli’s grandparents Ricardo and Rose Madatto came from Mongrassano in Italy,
in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region. They brought with them their 4-year-old daughter Carol Madatto Martinelli (1925-2014), who would become Rob’s mother. Rob is part of a generation that has strengthened Italy’s reputation in the United States with careers in politics, economy, arts, cinema, science, research, and sports. He and his family have participated in student
exchange programs with Italy.
My Roots journey since COVID
I first visited the Abruzzo village,
Loreto Aprutino, of my grandmother
Lucia Nobilio Acciavatti, in 1976. The
years following COVID found me meeting people from around the world like never before – from Belgium, Ireland, England, Germany, Scotland, even Aston, Pa., and New York. They were buying a house, opening an Airbnb, renovating a castle or opening a restaurant. Living life among the local villagers, thanks to my Italian family, made me see my grandmother’s childhood hometown through her eyes until she left
at 19 years old. It’s over 100 years now and my grandmother kept the “bridge” open between our relatives in Italy and the United States. With the passing of the last of her Italian-American children, my future includes keeping that bridge open for my nieces, nephews and their children on both sides of the ocean.
Want a deeper understanding of your past? Explore Roots Tourism. Give your family a new meaning to the present, and explore how Italy fits into your future. Think about your ties with Italy, and this movement will last well beyond 2024. IAH
RENAISSANCE ESTATES OF PACKER PARK
Natalie Pantaleo's wine column will return next month.