Italian-American Herald - May 2023

BOOK REVIEW
Drexel Hill author weaves terrific tale with novel ‘Rug Man’
PAGE 3
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MAY 2023
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Inspired by Sinatra as a boy, he started performing the songs a few years later
By Ken Mammarella
Frank Sinatra is a big deal for Vincent Romano. “Thanks for the great music,” he wrote on his Facebook page, Vincent Romano Sings the Songs of Sinatra. “You changed my life.”
In an interview, he explained how that change involves singing Sinatra’s best, mostly at retirement homes. “Seeing all the people get up, dance and relive their glory days is something special.”
The Exton, Pa., resident was 5 or 6 when he first recalled hearing Sinatra’s “Summer Wind. “It has a special place in my mind,” he said. “From there, I just listened to more Sinatra songs.”
He was 15 when he began thinking about the community service requirement at Downingtown East High School. By then he had studied music and had performed with
See ROMANO - page 8
Buona festa della Mamma
Mother’s roles have changed, while honoring them has not
By Jeanne Outlaw-Cannavo
Across the world, Catholic and Christian societies venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary, not only as the mother of Jesus but also as
a mother figure for all children of God. This adoration has endured through
the centuries and is the reason for the importance of mothers in society where they have become such
an integral and beloved figure
in the family.
This month Italians
will celebrate mothers and mother figures as many do across the globe.
The history of Mother’s
Day in Italy dates to the
10th century when it was
celebrated on March 25 as a
religious festival honoring the
Virgin Mary. In this century,
the very first “Mother’s Day” was
introduced by the Fascist regime
in 1933 as la Giornata della madre
e del bambino (the day of the mother
and child.) The first official Mother’s
Day was in May 1957, about 50 years
after it was founded in the United States. The tradition was started by a parish priest in Assisi in Umbria, and it was celebrated by people in the region with great enthusiasm. The day was so successful that, the following year, the holiday was adopted across Italy’s 20 regions.
Many mothers in Italy embrace the role of creating a loving, stable home for their children, and are an important part of
maintaining
beloved traditions that
are centered around culture, religion,
and food. Mothers are still regarded as the cornerstone of the family and as central figures of the communities where they live. But like many women around the world,
the role of an Italian mother has changed with the times.
During the 1960s and 1970s there was a great shift in the culture of Italy, not just
See MOTHER’S DAY - page 4
Writer Andrea DiFabio and her husband Gregg take the Italian-American Herald backstage to Chazz Palminteri in Atlantic City.
From bullets to Broadway and beyond - the versatile Chazz Palminteri in his own words
By Andrea Di Fabio
A 9-year-old boy, Calogero, sits on his Bronx stoop, when – POP! – he witnesses
a mob boss, Sonny, murder someone. Calogero’s decision not to rat sets into motion a years-long relationship with Sonny which causes him to grapple with following
the life of crime or making an honest living like his father, Lorenzo.
Thus the stage is set for “A Bronx Tale,” the autobiographical one-man show by Chazz Palminteri that continues to wow
See PALMINTERI - page 6
Vol. 10 / No. 5