Happy Easter ~ Buona Pasqua A Tutti !!!

Happy Easter To Everyone e Buona Pasqua.

May your day be filled health and happiness. I made biscotti this morning with my mother. Then its off to church, then we come back and eat again. Have a wonderful day.

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Palm Sunday -- What Does Your Church Mean To You?

Happy Palm Sunday to all the readers of Italian American Girl. I'm not one for holy rolling or pushing religion on anyone. But as it is, I was brought up with a strong faith in Catholicism. I think everyone has their one way of self Catholic expression and I really don't think anyone is perfect: especially Catholics. In light of all the negative things that have happened in the church which no one denies is definitely bad, we have to also look to our own self expression of what our Catholic churches mean to us.

I think many churches serve as a place to reflect, a place to find peace, family, history and traditions. I recently received a letter from a parishioner in Brooklyn, New York who pleaded for me to read what's happening at her church. She like many others was once the faithful parishioner of a church called our Our Lady of Loreto Brooklyn.

This traditional, magnificent church has been the constant in a changing neighborhood and has served many Italian Americans since the early 1900s in Brooklyn, NY. Many baptisms, communions, weddings, services and masses have happened here and now with the ever changing downturn of economic decisions, church officials have decided to let the church be demolished.

As an Italian American, we fight everyday to preserve our heritage and work on campaigns to raise money to save buildings, (for example; Little Italy) programs, statues, art, language... why is this church being demolished? The driving force behind all bad decisions-- which it seems Italian American history is always getting hammered always goes back to economic factors. Look, I was in church this morning... admiring the beautiful artwork and history....and I thought how you can you destroy something so beautiful for something you know will result as my father would say in dialect (S-K-I-F-E-W --not the true spelling.)

Also, my father worked for the Archdiocese in New Jersey for over 25 years so when I see things like this happen it upsets and actually disgusts me. Do tradition & faith have no place in this world anymore or has the not so mighty dollar brainwashed everyone? I feel for the parishioners in Brooklyn, who love their church. You know the Vatican is old too, are they demolishing that as well for condos in the middle of Rome?

Let us also reflect this is Holy Week with not so holy actions taking place. This parishioner wrote me "I'm praying for a miracle." AMEN TO THAT.

This was also covered in The New York Times: "A Fight for a Church Is Evoking Introspection"

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Faces of America - Immigrant Stories of Famous Americans on PBS

As you know I am always talking about the immigrant story because for me its a very close connection. My father came to America in the 1950s and then my mother later in the 1960s. I am always so intrigued with the story on how my father decided to leave Italy and journey to a place where he knew no one and had nothing. This new show on PBS, called, "Faces of America" really takes an in depth look into the immigrant's story and but what makes it so unique is that they profile famous people, including Meryl Streep, Mario Batali and many others. If you have an opportunity to watch it, you must.. its on PBS.

Faces of America premieres nationally Wednesdays, February 10 - March 3, 2010 from 8-9 p.m. ET on PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/ Tweet

Happy Saint Patrick's Day To All the Irish-Italian Americans.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Irish and including our Irish/ Italian Americans. I think the celebration of St. Patrick's Day in the United States is always celebrated to an extreme stereotype but we have to remember history plays an important role to the meaning behind St. Patrick's Day. Happy St. Patrick's Day!


http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89 Tweet

Travel to Sorrento, Italy -- Advice From A Travel Expert.

Sorrento is a magical place no matter what time of year you visit but it’s especially wonderful in the spring. It’s when this small city along the Amalfi Coast literally springs to life with vibrant bursts of color from wisteria vines to walls of fresh jasmine. There is color everywhere you turn and the scent of jasmine mixes with orange and lemon blossoms…….you know you’re in paradise.

Getting to Sorrento from the U.S. is a bit of a trek. Most travelers choose to fly to Rome and then either drive or take a train down to Sorrento. A company called
Meridiana or Eurofly flies direct from New York to Naples between June and September but they have a limited schedule. The best bet is to fly into Rome and then rent a car for the drive down. Renting an automatic car can be expensive in Italy and hard to find but I have been using Auto Europe for years and they are reliable and affordable. Also, once you arrive in Sorrento, you can park the car and forget about it because everything is within walking distance or reachable by ferry or train.

The Sorrentine Peninsula offers so much to see and do that it would be impossible to list it all in such a brief space so I have highlighted some of the best I have come across in my frequent travels to this Eden on Earth:

Best 4-star hotel

: Hotel Antiche Mura - just feet from the main square (Piazza Tasso) and staffed by the wonderful Savarese family who cannot do enough for their guests. While they do not offer lunch or dinner in their restaurant, the breakfast buffet is one of the best.

Best spa

: Spa La Serra at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. Spa treatments or a vacation must-do for me and the therapists at La Serra are some of the most gifted anywhere.

Best spot for people watching

: Fauno Bar sits smack dab in the middle of Piazza Tasso. You can sit here and watch the world go by with a morning cappuccino or an afternoon glass of wine.

Finally, for those who may be worried about getting around in this foreign city, fear not, almost everyone in Sorrento is fluent in English and those who aren’t fake it really well! Buon Viaggio!


Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney and the creative force behind
Wanderlust Women Travel.

Photos/Copyright- Courtesy of Wanderlust Women Travel Tweet

BERTOLLI Presenting "Into the Heart of Italy" A Unique Webseries Featuring Italian American Celebrities, Rocco DiSpirito, Marisa Tomei, & Dan Cortese.

Bertolli Frozen Meals is getting ready to launch a new series of webisodes titled “Into the Heart of Italy: Six Adventures, Three Celebrities, One Mission… To Unlock the Secrets of Italian Passion for Food and Life.”

This one-of-a-kind online series will feature celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito and actors Marisa Tomei and Dan Cortese as they explore the food and culture of Italy.

A trailer for “Into the Heart of Italy” will premiere during Desperate Housewives at 9/8 CST.

I’ll be tweeting tonight for @Bertolli’s Taste & Tweet. I received a wine aerator & a gift card to cover the purchase of one of their meals. Join Me Tonight on TWITTER for the Taste & Tweet which includes a VIP giveaway to win one of three local cheese making classes up to a $150 value!

Every Tweet using #BertolliItaly between Sunday, March 14 from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM EST Monday, March 15, will be entered to win the prize, which will be selected by a random drawing Monday. A link to the rules and regulations will be tweeted from @Bertolli at the start of the Taste & Tweet or can be found on the Bertolli Facebook page.

Join me on Twitter: @italianamergirl

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Tarantella Calabrese -- For My Calabrese You'll Love This

This music is something you heard in my house daily. My father loves it! Great job lip synching guys! Tweet