April is a busy month for Italian-related activities, especially in New York. This Sunday, April 13^th, Antonio Meucci will be honored at his 200^th birthday celebration on Staten Island. Every Italian and Italian American knows – or should know – that Meucci was the original inventor of the telephone, or as he called it, teletrofono.

Sponsored by the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Order Sons of Italy in America, and the Italian Heritage and Culture Month Committee, the celebration includes a Stamp Cancellation Ceremony, a luncheon, and a Tuscan garden tour. Reservations are required and it may be too late, but if you are interested in attending, call 212.642.2100 for more information.

Another event, Sicilian Crossings to America … is on exhibit at Stony Brook University until April 13^th. With 120 panels, the exhibit tells the story of the immigrants and their journeys from Sicily to America. The exhibit was previously on display at Ellis Island from November 2007 to February 2008.

Hours at Stony Brook are somewhat limited – just in the afternoons until 4:00 p.m., and there is sure to be a crowd this weekend – the exhibit moves to another venue after Sunday. Thanks to Linn for sending the article from Suffolk Life, and to Paula who attended last Saturday, and reported that the exhibit was packed.

Read the article about Sicilian Crossings to America.

For a list of April events in the metro New York area visit John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

One more wonderful Italian-related event this April is the front page story of La Gazzetta Italiana, the newspaper I contribute to and have mention many times in previous newsletters. This month’s issue features two of my articles, and my report on organic – biologica – food in Italy is on the front page.

The newspaper is undergoing many changes, all to increase awareness of Italian culture. The Web site has been recently revised and each month several articles from the paper are available to read online. It’s still undergoing some changes and the April content has not yet been added, but soon you should be able to read my piece on organic food in Italy and the article I wrote for the March issue, “Five Outstanding Italian American Women.”

Speaking of Web sites, the long awaited – at least by me – updated www.jtmancuso.com is finally online. Since 1998, I have updated the Web site every three months, but last year my increased involvement in promoting Italian heritage (and Con Amore) took a very large share of my time. Because March was the ten-year anniversary, I planned to work on the Web site and announce its update to coincide with the ten-year milestone.

In mid-March I completed the updated Web site, however, I hadn’t anticipated that an upgraded version of the program, new operating system, and different browser would cause a series of computer glitches that turned several days of work into several weeks. After numerous phone calls, posts to troubleshooting forums, conversations with at least 10 different techs, and attempts to upload the Web site, it was hard to believe when I finally saw it online. (Please note: If you have linked to the page of Con Amore, the URL has changed to http://www.jtmancuso.com/index_files/page2.htm. If you are linked to the Home Page, the URL is the same.)

In keeping with the Italian theme, I’ve added several pages and new links, extending the Italian links pages from three to four. Pages for Italian cooking tips, some basic Italian recipes, and reviews of Italian books have been added. All the other pages have been updated, and my e-newsletter, Simply Elegant, is scheduled for delivery in the next few weeks!

Many who have visited www.jtmancuso.com have told me they really enjoyed it; and with all the information provided and links, a friend commented that “it’s not a Web site, it’s a portal”. See for yourself, pour a glass of wine, find a comfortable chair, and be prepared to spend some time on your visit.

Two new pages have also been added to Thirty-One Days of Italians. One page is to campaign American Girl® for an Italian American doll. Three years ago, I wrote to the company, suggesting an Italian doll be added to the historical collection of 13 dolls. I’ve followed up to no avail. The company will need to hear from more than just one person, so go to Italian American Doll and see how you can help.

Another page, Remembering Our Heritage, is for readers to share their memories. While reading a wonderful story by Maggie S., I thought that it should be shared. Her memories, and the memories that you have, are what preserve our heritage. I’ll be adding one of my memories soon, and please send yours. Keep it to about 250 words and send to 31italians@earthlink.net.

Let’s make Italian American Heritage Month a nationwide celebration. Next month, voting begins for Thirty-One Days of Italians. This year, I’ll be doing even more to promote it, and I ask you to do the same. I started Thirty-One Days to educate all nationalities about Italians’ and Italian Americans’ contributions to America. For example, you can learn more about Antonio Meucci (scroll down to Technology) by visiting the links provided. Meucci, along with 13 others, is an Honorary Member of Thirty-One Days of Italians. That means that their contributions are so significant, that they must be honored every year. See the rest of the Honorary Members on the 2007 list of Thirty-One Italians.

Also, please consider becoming a sponsor. Several sponsorship levels are available, and in return your organization or Web site logo with link will be placed on the Thirty-One Days of Italians Web site. For individuals, consider becoming a sponsor to help preserve Italian heritage for your children or grandchildren, or in memory of your immigrant parents or grandparents. A separate sponsor page for individuals and families can include the names of those you honor. It is important that my work continues and Thirty-One Days of Italians becomes a nationwide event.

Along the same lines, Con Amore is an excellent way to promote our heritage. Many scholars and socioculturalist note that reading about our heritage is an important part of preserving it. While that’s true, today’s generation can’t relate to the hardships endured by Italian immigrants of the early 1900s. Information must be entertaining and user-friendly, and both Thirty-One Days of Italians and Con Amore are!

We must adapt and relate to the times. Sort of like – “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Or if you visit Rome, stay in Roman Homes, “as the Romans do.”

A final note – many Italian recipes are often vague. It’s said that’s because the Italians who write them believe that the cook following the recipe knows the basics. Here’s a classic example from an 8.8 ounce (250g) package of Molino di Ferro corn meal pasta:

How to cook

100 g Pasta, 1 litre water, 10 g salt

Add salt to boiling water. Add pasta, stirring occasionally. Cook. Drain pasta, keeping part of the water.