Important Italian Sites

To broaden your experience, spend some time visiting the following websites.

Italian Creativity in the United States (performers, artists, writers, photographers)

Parliamo Italiano, Las Vegas This is a meet-up group organized by Meri DeLorenzo Howard, the site’s author and long-time IFAFA member. Participants in this group meet to practice their Italian, cook, watch movies, taste wines, travel, and more, all related to Italian.

Joe Soprani of Philadelphia, PA, is a noted accordionist, educator, arranger-composer who has dominated the accordion scene in Philadelphia for over forty years, playing in major concert halls, theaters, TV shows, and hotels.

Alessandra Belloni is a singer, percussionist, dancer and actress who is recognized as an important voice of traditional southern Italian music and dance. Alessandra taught dance and tambourine percussion workshops at the Buffalo, NY, IFAFA conference in 1997.

Federica Calvino Prina, Research Specialist in Italian Dance Forms, from Genova, Italy. Federica taught several dance workshops at the Pittsburgh, PA, IFAFA conference in 2000.

Beppe Gambetta, Acoustic Guitarist, from Genova, Italy. Beppe performed at the Festa Folcloristica for the Pittsburgh, PA, IFAFA conference in 2000.

Musicàntica performs music from southern Italy’s oral tradition while encompassing a more contemporary musical idea they call Mediterranean World-Music. They present music, poetry, and ritual passed from one generation to the next by untrained musicians belonging to such segments of Italian society as peasants, fishermen, and street vendors.

Charlie Rutan plays Italian, Scottish, Irish and French bagpipes in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York.

Angelica Di Chiara-Hardin, an Italian-American artist who sells her artwork in galleries, shows, and through private commissions. Her work includes acrylic and oil paintings on canvas, original digital art, and color pencils.

Gino Carlotti is the author of Flashbacks From the Other Side of the Tracks, a collection of 18 personal accounts of growing up in an Italian-American home in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. His book may be ordered through amazon.com.

The Italian American Press. Here you will find many useful links and helpful resources to Italian Americans and other self-published writers.

 

Italian Folklore in Italy

Federazione Italiana Tradizioni Popolari   The Italian Federation for Popular Traditions, with links to member groups throughout Italy, with full contact information.

TraMontana   Documentation and dissemination of cultural materials of the mountain communities which speak romance languages. (This website is not available in English.)

Gruppo folcloristico Città di Erba “I Bej”   Folk group from the city of Erba, near Lake Como, northern Italy.

Gruppo folcloristico Santa Gorizia   Folk group from the town of Gorizia in the Friuli region of Italy.

Folk Group “Aria di Casa Nostra” Folk group from Alatri, near Rome and Montecassino in Ciociaria.

Il Gruppo d’Arte Folclorica “La Basulata” from the town of Baia e Latina (CE), in the region of Campania, Italia, has as its purpose that of rediscovering and sharing, in Italy and abroad, that which represents the popular culture of Campania.

Arsumè Musica Popolare , is a musical group which studies and performs traditional tarantellas of southern Italy. Their website contains music, photos, and videos of several concerts as well as information about tarantellas and tarantism.

FolkEst   is an organization, headquartered in the Friuli region of Italy, which studies, researches, and presents traditional and modern folk music. Check their website for information on their yearly festival, a calendar of folk events, and CDs of marvelous Friulan folk music!

Terra di Calabria is a group located in Calabria in Italy which performs traditional Calabrian folk dances.

I Castellani di Giovi is a folkloric association located in Italy whose purpose is to spread knowledge about and safeguard the traditions of the Campania region of Italy.

Sara Cappello , cantautrice popolare siciliana is a Sicilian singer who has spent years researching and reproducing traditional music in Sicilian dialect.

Mimì Palmiero is an Italian celebrity who hosts a variety of shows on Italian TV. His website has a number of videos relating to Italian folklore.

Torrita Flag-Throwing Group from Siena, a folklore association that performs in Italy and around the world to spread the historic culture of Italy.

 

International Folklore

The National Folk Organization was organized to unite individuals and organizations that support folk arts in the United States.

Stockton Folk Dance Camp is offered every summer on the campus of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. Dances of different countries are offered each year.

Smithsonian Folkways (a division of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC) has a website, Folklife , which highlights their collection of artists and recordings of music from around the world. If you type “Italy” into their search engine, you’ll find links to several recordings and articles related to Italian folklife.

The International Dance Council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) serves as an umbrella group for all forms of dance in all countries of the world.

Folkmoot USA, an International Festival in North Carolina, is a two-week celebration of the world’s cultural heritage through folk music and dance.

With dance groups from around the world, the International Folkfest in Murfreesboro, Tennessee promises to be a week of excitement and education.

Italian Language Study

ILUSS – Italiano On-Line is a non-profit organization that promotes Italian language and culture abroad. ILUSS is a convenient and useful resource for professors and students throughout the world.

Fondazione Italia is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1988 for the purpose of promoting the teaching and learning of the Italian language and culture across the Southwestern United States. The organization receives grants from the government of Italy in support of its mission and is currently looking for elementary and middle schools in Nevada to apply for an Italian language incentive grant. For more information, please visit our website or contact Hilary Stern at info@fondazione-italia.org .

Scuola Vita Nuova is an Italian Fine Arts Charter School, part of the Bisceglia Italian Cultural Center in Kansas City, Missouri, where students, elementary grades through high school, study languages and cultural arts in addition to their regular studies.

Centro Studi Italiani offers an Italian electronic classroom with language study by grammar topics, language games, and pen pal exchanges.

 

Genealogy / Family History

Italian Genealogical Group gives helpful links on genealogy, lists the calendar for their guest speakers, and gives great contact links for more information on tracing Italian roots.

Explore Ellis Island American Family Immigration History Center, to look up your ancestors in the database of immigrants who came through Ellis Island. You can do a passenger search or a ship search. If you have not already done so, you may also have the name(s) of your immigrant ancestors engraved on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor.

Genealogical Data Bank Website created by the Mormons who have collected genealogical data back to the 1500s, this site is currently free for users and does not accept advertising.

Una Storia Segreta is the website describing the experiences of many Italian-Americans who were interned as “Alien Enemies” during WWII. This topic was discussed by author Lawrence DiStasi at the 2002 IFAFA Conference in San Francisco, CA.

The Italian Oral History Institute is a non-profit community-based research and public education organization. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and make accessible materials relating to culture and history of Italians in California.

Genealogy: The Complete Resource Guide discusses the practical reasons for genealogy searches (medical history, legal, issues, etc,) and provides information and links for getting started and finding resources.

 

Italian American Organizations and Websites (multiple topics)

National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), is the major advocate in Washington, DC, for nearly 25 million Italian Americans, the nation’s fifth largest ethnic group. Its mission is to preserve and protect Italian American heritage and culture through its many programs.

ItaliansRUs, (Italians Are Us) prepared by Anthony Parente, is an on-line source for a variety of topics related to Italy and Italian-Americans. You can also subscribe to a weekly email newsletter by clicking Molto Italiano.

The American Italian Heritage Museum and American Italian Heritage Association in Albany, NY, strives to educate and preserve our Italian heritage and cultural traditions.

The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa , located in the city of Des Moines, restores, preserves and promotes Italian Heritage and Culture through planning, promoting and carrying out charitable, educational and cultural activities. Their museum houses books, genealogical information, and artifacts contributed by local Italian-Americans. Please contact the Center through their web site or send an email to Susan DeFazio.

The American Italian Cultural Center of New Orleans promotes the culture and heritage of the American Italian community by offering Italian language and culture classes, seminars, concerts, and events.

The goal of the Italians of Central Oklahoma is to preserve the beauty, history and charm of the Italian culture and heritage for the community, not only for today, but for generations to come.  The ICO is a gathering place that educates, serves and inspires individuals who are seeking to enjoy or learn more about the culture and heritage of the Italian people.

John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College brings together information about activities and initiatives in the Italian American community, especially in the New York City area.

Italia Seattle spreads information among the Italian community in Seattle, Washington.

ITALIAMERICA – Italian Cultural Organization is a site which honors families who emigrated to the Americas from Southern Italy and Sicily. Dedicated to preserving the language and culture of our immigrants and their families all over the world.

Italian Los Angeles points the way to art, architecture, clubs, performances, food & restaurants, and businesses that are Italian in nature within the area of the city of Los Angeles, CA.

 

Places to Visit in the United States (of special interest to Italian-Americans)

Enrico Caruso Museum in Brooklyn, NY. The official website of the Enrico Caruso Museum of America, established by Cavaliere Ufficiale Aldo Mancusi to honor the world’s greatest tenor.

The Italian American Museum in New York City, NY.

The American Italian Museum of the American Italian Heritage Association in Albany, NY.

Travel in Italy (including specific Italian regions or cities)

Italy With Us is a community of people who live in Italy, visit Italy or dream of visiting Italy. They share their knowledge and experience of Italy, the Italian people and the Italian way of life.

In Italy is a site for travelers to Italy. They offer information on lodging, day trips and tours, museum reservations, culinary experiences and helpful information about places to see and things to do in Italy.

Tour of Italy offers virtual tours through each of Italy’s 20 regions in both English and Italian and offers an array of information about hotels, restaurants, night life in Italian cities.