Photo Courtesy of “Tic Tac alla Menta” at Flickr

On Saturday, September 12th, thousands of mourners filled Milan’s Duomo for a state funeral. Didn’t hear about it? Then it might surprise you even more to learn that the nation’s highest burial honors were in celebration of the life of an Italian American!

It’s true. His name was Mike Bongiorno, and although he was born in America he was nothing short of an Italian icon to generations of Italians.

Don’t worry if you don’t know who he was, though. I didn’t either. I had just came back from running some errands in Napoli along with my fidanzata when we heard the news. Seeing her mother on the couch almost in tears, Fil turned to the TV and gasped, “Mike Bongiorno è morto!?!”

…Who?

We immediately began to watch the news together – and as soon as I saw his face it hit me. He’s the “game show guy!” I tried to think of people reacting like this if Alex Trebek had died, but no luck. So what gives? Was this just Italians being emotional, or was there something more to the man?

It turns out there was much, much more to him. After chatting more with Fil and doing a little research myself, I discovered that not only was he a mainstay of Italian television, having appeared on RAI on the first day of television transmission in Italy in 1953; he has since been a part of their lives ever since, with dozens of game shows, talk shows and even as host of the San Remo Festival for 11 years.

However his notoriety is much broader than just being a game show host for over 50 years. He was an icon in every sense of the word. Some even credit him with the linguistic unification of Italy! Each region in Italy had its own dialect – and three (including Neapolitan and Sicilian) are so interlaced with their respective cultures and histories that they are actually considered languages, having written forms in addition to spoken. Although most Italians now know both dialetto and italiano, until recently this wasn’t the case. Many Italians, particularly in the rural south, only spoke their native dialect! But with the birth of television and the massive popularity of Bongiorno, many say that Italians forced themselves to learn Italian – not only to be able to understand what was being said, but to be able to participate as contestants as well!

Learning his life’s story, it’s no wonder he captured the hearts of millions of Italians. After moving to his mother’s hometown of Torino from his birthplace in America, he became active in the Italian resistance during World War II and actually spent time in a German concentration camp before being released in a prisoner exchange program – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What is most amazing is that almost all the things he did in his life, he did as an American citizen. Bongiorno did not become an Italian citizen until 2003. But, as it is in Italy, once they love you – they love you for life, no matter where you’re from!

Mike Bongiorno lived a captivating life, and I’m sorry I didn’t learn about – and appreciate – him more while he was still alive. I can honestly say that he has one more fan now – and a fellow Italian American at that!

Like many third and fourth generation Italian-Americans, Rocco Brienza has a burning passion to reconnect himself with his ancestral roots – and realized a lifelong dream when he hosted a true Italian dinner-dance on March 21st at the beautiful Perthshire Banquet Hall in Fulton County, a charming venue in rural Upstate New York.

Like all Feste Italiane, the recipe for success starts with two things – music and food – and Rocco made sure his guests had plenty of both during his first annual celebration, rightly named the Monteleone di Puglia Festival in honor of his grandparents who left the hilltop village – known for being the highest in the region of Puglia – a century ago. At the turn of the 20th century, Monteleone di Puglia (located in the province of Foggia) boasted a large population of immigrants in Montgomery, Fulton and Herkimer counties in Upstate New York, particularly in the city of Little Falls.

I had a blast – particularly after we finished our cena squisita and the dance floor opened up. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a slave to the rhythm of a nice ballroom or Latin dance, and I decided to warm up the crowd with a short tarantella – followed by a tango to Chittara Romana (Che bella canzone!).

The most memorable part of the evening for me was the drawing of the various prizes for the event’s raffle – I won over 10 times! The first time my name was called was exciting (I never win!); the third time was funny. By the eighth or ninth time I, along with my entire table, was in stitches! I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. I hope the other tables didn’t think I fixed the results!

Throughout the night I met a lot of people from around the area, and made some new friends. I’d like to thank Rocco – who runs the “The Italian-American Connection” at www.youbuylocal.com – for his hard work and dedication in making this event a great success. Grazie! I (and everyone who attended) will be looking forward to the “2nd Annual” next year.

Well, the big event is over – and what a huge success it was!

This past weekend, we teamed up with Aperitivo Bistro to host an exclusive Italian wine tasting event before the Thursday, Friday and Saturday night performances of “The Rat Pack – Live at the Sands” at Proctors Theater. We sold out all 30 of our package tickets each night – with all the profits going to benefit the Northeast Parent & Child Society, a wonderful cause serving New York’s Capital District.

Sheila Burke, wine director for Mazzone Management Group, was the sommelier for all three evenings, one of only three certified sommeliers in the Capital District. As part of this italyMONDO! exclusive package, she introduced some amazing Italian wines to the guests – and me as well!

The two Sicilians seemed to be the crowd favorite; but for me, the Super Tuscan from Banfi was the winner. However, everyone had their own favorite. Even my mother, who’s not a wine lover, came to the event on Saturday night “ and after a few tastes, she couldn’t keep her hands off the Orvieto!

Here’s are the wines Sheila introduced to our guests:

RENOTO (Fuedo Maccari; Sicily) – red
This smoky, full-bodied Sicilian wine was a Nero D’Avola blended with 20 percent Syrah. Nero D’Avola is a “big,” well-extracted grape that flourishes in the sunny Mediterranean climate of the Isola del Sole. Its potency is mellowed and balanced by the Syrah, which enhances it – finishing round and juicy. Its “burnt rubber” finish is particularly unique.

CENTINE (Banfi; Tuscany) – red
The famous Banfi winery is owned by the Mariani family, originally the American wine growers of the Riunite brand, over 7,000 acres of prime wine making real estate in the Tuscan countryside between Siena and Florence. They are particularly famous for their Brunellos. The Centine is a well-priced Super Tuscan with a well-rounded black fruit flavor and peppery undertones.

ANTHÌLIA (Donnafugata; Sicily) – white
Donnafugata is a Sicilian winery that still uses ancient vines descending from the original vines Greek settlers used over two millennia ago. The names of their wines are based on famous novels; this one in particular is called Anthìlia, named after the area where the famous novel “Leopard” is set.

ORVIETO (Salviano; Umbria) – white
The 4,900-acre Salviano estate is on the banks of the Tiber river between Todi and Orvieto in the heart of the Umbrian D.O.C. region. This refreshing wine is made from a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Trebbiano and Grechetto grapes, and is well-structured and balanced with ripe fruit overtones.

We also had incredible Italian cheeses as well as a ton of other delicious hors d’oeuvres made by Aperitivo Bistro.  Everyone had a great time!  I even got to play on a vintage Vespa displayed at the event – what a treat! Maybe I’ll have to get one so I can cruise around Upstate New York “Italian style.”

The show itself was fantastic as well. If you closed your eyes, you’d swear it was the Rat Pack up on that stage! It started with Frank taking the stage, singing a few a few songs to warm up the crowd. Then the fun started when Dean came out (half drunk – but what else would you expect?), cracking jokes and singing classics like Volare and On An Evening in Roma. He then introduced Sammy, who sang crowd favorites including Mr. Bojangles.

The second act opened up with Dean – my personal favorite of the show – and he was soon joined by the rest of the Rat Pack. The second act really stole the show. Each singer was fantastic – their voices, looks, mannerisms – but as a group, there was magic in the air. It was truly the Rat Pack as they must have been!

What a perfect weekend – family, friends old and new, all coming together for some Italian vino, food and fun, all to benefit a great cause.  Now That’s Amore!

I hope you’ll join us at our next event! But why not experience Italian wine in Italy, touring boutique Italian wineries on a custom designed Heritage Tour? Call us today! 1-866-992-1116