For Donato Chiusano of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi, creating beautiful presepi (Italian manger scenes) is more than a passion—it is a way to give glory to Christ all year long. I first met Donato last December when I saw one of his beautiful creations on a Facebook group, “Irpinia Terra di Mille Tradizioni.” I was struck…
Category: Irpinia
Celebrate Good Times, Come On! (North End Series, Part 3)
St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston’s North End culminated with an explosion of Italian pride. While the Feast itself came to Boston by way of Montefalcione, there is no denying that this Feast has Beantown written all over it. Following a Mass in Italian at the North End’s St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church, the statue…
A Way to Say I Love You (North End Series, Part 2)
A streetside Mass provided one of the most moving moments of St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston for me this past weekend. The outdoor Mass in honor of St. Anthony is held the Saturday evening of St. Anthony’s Feast, where Via Di Santa Lucia and Via Di Sant’Antonio meet. This year’s Mass was presided over by…
Ties that Remain: Celebrating Guardia Lombardi in Pennsylvania
More than one hundred years ago, a group of Italian immigrants arrived in what is now known as the “Bunker Hill” section of Dunmore, Lackawanna County. These immigrants came from the small Southern Italian town of Guardia Lombardi, located east of the city of Naples in the Province of Avellino, and with them they brought…
The “Feast of All Feasts” in Boston’s North End
More than 100 years ago, immigrants from Montefalcione brought Saint Anthony’s Feast to Boston’s North End, continuing their hometown’s veneration that dates to the 14th century. This year’s feast will be held from August 25-28. Saint Anthony became the official patron saint of Montefalcione because of his protection during the 1688 Sannio Earthquake, which severely…
“Zì Vicienzo”: Bonito’s Resident Mummy
“I am Vincenzo Camuso,” with these words, the soul belonging to Bonito’s resident mummy has revealed his identity to the living in dreams. For more than 200 years, “Zì Vicienzo” (Uncle Vincenzo) has been on display for the faithful who live in and around Bonito to venerate as if he was a canonized saint. Camuso’s…
The Soundtrack of the Soul: Luciano Bruno
For Luciano Bruno, music isn’t just something he does, it is the soundtrack of his life. Luciano was born in Naples, but lives in Grottaminarda, working to promote the region’s heritage and culture through his music. “I began to play and write songs at 14 years old, and I never stopped,” he said, adding that…
In Their Own Words
For many people, just to hear the voice of a loved one again is worth more than gold itself. When historian and author Anthony V. Riccio set out to record Italian immigrant stories in Boston’s North End nearly 40 years ago, he did not know that these voices would one day prove to be that…
The Voice of My Past
Every October, the more than 15.7 million Americans of Italian descent celebrate National Italian American Heritage Month. For every single one of those Italian Americans, there is a story as to why they are proud of their heritage and what their ethnic origins mean to them. I’m no different from my Italian American brothers and…
The Entry to Hell and the Cult of Mephitis
It is the place that Virgil described more than 2,000 years ago when he wrote, “Est locus Italiae medio sub montibus altis, nobilis et fame multis memoratus in oris, Amsancti valles” or, in English, “There is a place in the middle of Italy beneath high mountains, noble and celebrated for fame in many places, the…
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