The Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island proudly announces that legendary basketball coach Rick Pitino will be honored as the inaugural recipient of the Francis B. Spinola Award, a distinction created to recognize Long Island natives of Italian descent who have made a lasting impact on American culture while exemplifying leadership, vision, and service….
The following letter was issued by the Italian American Conference of Presidents and signed by Chris R. Vaccaro, President and Founder of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island, expressing strong opposition to the sweeping decree that significantly restricts eligibility requirements to obtain Italian citizenship by descent.
The Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island board was proudly featured as guests of honor at the 98th annual San Gennaro Feast in New York City’s Little Italy. Executive Director Chris Vaccaro and Operations Director Lou Bernardi were joined by board members Matt Drucker and Nick Luisi at the “Feast of All Feasts.” They…
This is the latest in a series of posts chronicling historic landmarks on Long Island with ties to the Italian American community. Born in Bologna, Italy, Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the radio, made a significant contribution to world and Long Island history when, in 1902, his “shack” in Babylon, NY, was the home of wireless…
This is the latest in a new series about important Italian American figures on Long Island. A longtime influential Republican leader from Long Island, Joseph F. Carlino was also the first Italian American to serve as Speaker of the New York State Assembly, a post he held from 1959 to 1964. He was an Assemblyman…
Chris R. Vaccaro, the Executive Director of the Italian American Heritage Society of Long Island, spoke with Italian studies students at Comsewogue High School about preserving heritage and building opportunities for the next generation. “I often talk about bridging that gap between honoring the past and inspiring the future,” said Vaccaro. “Well, I can’t inspire…
This is the latest in a new series about important Italian American figures on Long Island. Long Island can’t claim Vince Lombardi or Joe Montana, but plenty of Italian Americans from the area played and coached in the NFL. As we celebrate Super Bowl Sunday, let’s look at the notable names to grace the gridiron…
This is the latest in a new series about important Italian American figures on Long Island. Francis B. Spinola was the first Italian American to serve as a United States Congressman when he was elected in 1887. A Renaissance man and one of the most influential Italian Americans of his time, he also served as…
This is the latest in a series of posts chronicling historic landmarks with ties to the Italian American community on Long Island. The Church of Saint Rocco in Glen Cove is the oldest recognized Italian parish on Long Island and has been open for over 80 years. Italians settled in the Orchard Neighborhood in Glen…
This is the first in a new series about important Italian American figures on Long Island. You can not tell the story of Italian Americans on Long Island without the first Italian native to settle on our land. That distinction belongs to Pietro Cesare Alberti, who immigrated from Venezia in 1635. Alberti settled in New…
