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Time Out
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A huge Italian street festival is taking over Williamsburg this week
Williamsburg smells like sausage and peppers again, which can only mean one thing: the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast is back, and it's bigger, louder and more delicious than ever. Now in full swing through Sunday, July 20, this 12-day celebration is one of the city's most vibrant and historic street festivals—a dazzling mashup of old-world tradition and neighborhood block party. At the heart of it all is the Giglio: a 70-foot wooden tower adorned with angels, flowers and saints, carried through the streets by more than 100 men to the soundtrack of live brass bands. (And yes, there's also a boat. Long story.) The tradition stretches back to 1887, when immigrants from Nola, Italy, settled in Brooklyn and brought their devotion to San Paolino with them. Legend has it that Paolino, a 5th-century bishop, offered himself into slavery to save a widow's son and later returned home to a hero's welcome, greeted with lilies, or 'gigli,' from his grateful townspeople. Over time, those lilies became a soaring tower and the feast became a spectacle of faith, food and community. Today, it's still anchored by the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where generations of Italian Americans (and now just about everyone else) gather to dance, pray and indulge. The Giglio itself is lifted several times over the course of the festival, with the biggest and most theatrical hoist happening this Sunday. But the party doesn't stop there. There's a smaller Giglio just for kids today, and Wednesday marks the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated with a special afternoon Mass and a procession through the neighborhood. For night owls, Thursday's after-dark Giglio lift is a can't-miss spectacle, lit by streetlights and powered by cheers from the crowd. Each day brings new live performances and endless snacks—from crispy zeppole to overflowing sausage rolls. From morning Masses to late-night performances, the streets are alive with music, lights, and the constant whirr of carnival rides. Kids line up for games, old-timers swap stories over espresso and everyone makes time for a fried zeppole (or three). It's chaotic, joyful and unmistakably New York.


The Star
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Bari's big moment
ANTONIO Maria Vasile began working two years ago to connect the United States directly with Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot where many Italian Americans can trace their heritage. Vasile, the head of Puglia's airports, tried to convince carriers that they should set their sights not on Naples or Sicily but on Bari, arguing that the regional capital offers rich culture, history and cuisine worthy of their time and money. 'We don't want to be relegated to being the south,' he said, referring to deeply ingrained biases in Italy against the more economically disadvantaged regions south of Rome. His efforts paid off late last year, when Italian carrier Neos announced direct flights between Bari and New York's Kennedy Airport beginning the first week of June, the first-ever route linking Puglia to the United States. The seasonal flights will run once a week through October. Vasile sees opportunities for all of Puglia, from farmhouse inns to seaside villages, but also for his city of 330,000 people. Vasile, the head of Puglia's airports, sees opportunities for all of Puglia, from farmhouse inns to seaside villages, but also for his city of about 330,000 people. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times The port city on the Adriatic was once little more than a stopover, a gateway to the resplendent beach towns of southern Puglia or Greece via ferry. Bari was too sleepy and sketchy for most tourists, its old town so dangerous that even residents considered it off-limits. Puglia's many charms – a stunning coastline, beautiful architecture, relaxed feel – turned the region into a buzzy destination first. Regulars include Madonna, Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep. Lamborghinis await in the rental car garage. Last year, Italy picked Puglia for the G7 summit, hosting dignitaries in the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia. Now Bari, with its 14.5km seafront promenade and the tomb of the real St Nicholas, is beginning to capitalise on the region's growing appeal, its old days of mob crime mostly behind it. 'This great appeal to tourists has made the people of Bari rediscover a little bit of pride,' mayor Vito Leccese said. 'The more tourists come, the more important we feel, because it means our city is well-liked.' Yet there is also some trepidation among residents that – although Bari is hardly Florence, Rome or Venice – it, too, could be overrun by tourists, or at least profoundly reshaped by them. Does a city that only recently remade its identity now risk losing it? A man riding his bicycle through Piazza Mercantile in Bari. Foreigners – and residents – long avoided Bari's old town, which had been plagued by mob crime and now, with direct flights from the United States starting, residents are excited but wary. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times Tourists walking by the Norman-Swabian Castle, built around 1132 by Norman King Roger II, in Bari. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times Rents have surged in the city centre as many landlords have turned their properties into short-term rentals. Older people on fixed incomes have had to move farther away. So have students of the city's two universities, who represent the very demographic that local leaders say they want to keep, to help reverse decades of brain drain that have affected all of Italy, especially the south, as young people seek better jobs elsewhere. 'Bari is seen as a destination you pass through and then leave,' Mery Coppolecchia, a 22-year-old political science student, said as she sat in a bustling central plaza on the university's urban campus. 'It's a shame because if graduates and students don't stay here, then who does?' Even if they stay, tourism 'is not something stable', said Gabriele Tedesco, 21, a law student, noting that many hospitality jobs are seasonal or low paying. 'It is not something that can sustain, even in the long term, a city's economy.' For tourism to fuel economic development, local governments would also have to invest in public transportation to benefit residents and businesses, said Maria Grazia Cito, an adjunct professor of applied economics and tourism in Bari. It takes her an hour to drive into the city for work – or three hours on public transit. 'Residents should come first,' she said, or the city could lose its character. (Think Venice, which is charging a fee to day trippers who pack the city's antiquated streets, crowding out residents.) 'It's like Disneyland. It loses all its authenticity,' she said. Officials know they have much to do. 'If you want to rent a Ferrari in the airports of Puglia, it is not a problem,' said Vasile. 'The problem is finding a bus.' Bari has come so far that it is easy to be optimistic about its future, said Gianrico Carofiglio, a novelist and former anti-mafia prosecutor. He recalled how he avoided certain neighbourhoods in his youth because they were so crime-ridden. By the time his own daughter was a teenager, she was safe walking alone most anywhere at night. 'The city was transformed, from all points of view,' he said. More shops and cafes. More culture, including an annual film festival. More writers like him who set much of their work in Bari or Puglia. 'It was as if something had been uncorked and the city became an interesting place, full of life and opportunities – obviously with many problems still,' said Carofiglio, who now lives in Rome, crediting several capable administrations, and police officers and prosecutors like himself, for helping to turn around Bari. 'But it is a place where people come and are amazed.' Nunzia Capito making home-made ear-shaped orecchiette pasta which she sells along Arco Basso in Bari. — Gianni Cipriano/The New York Times The nightlife has grown so much that it has become a point of contention. When hundreds of young revellers stayed out dancing and singing in the streets near the city centre during the festival of St Nicholas recently, some residents threw buckets of water from their balconies to shoo them away. Most radically changed is Bari Vecchia, or Old Bari, the historic centre, once ruled by criminal clans. Now, walking tours take visitors to two grand churches: the cathedral and the Basilica of St Nicholas. Residents and tourists line up outside a hole-in-the-wall bakery for Bari-style focaccia. And foreigners join the throng of visitors to Arco Basso street, where women sell ear-shaped orecchiette pasta despite accusations that some sell store-bought goods and the periodic crackdowns on local restaurants that buy untraceable pasta. For now, Vasile understands that most of Bari's tourism will be centred on the warmest months – unlike Rome and Venice, which have plenty of visitors all year. Tourism slows so much in Bari's winter that many of its souvenir shops were still shut down in this season's waning days. Standing near the airport tarmac with a view of the Adriatic during that visitor lull, Vasile allowed himself to imagine a future in which Bari becomes a year-round destination. The flights from New York, he hopes, could just be the start. 'We have become aware of new possibilities,' he said. — ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.


NDTV
08-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Zohran Mamdani's 2020 Post Showing Middle Finger To Columbus Statue Sparks Outrage
Zohran Mamdani, New York City's mayoral candidate has been caught up in a storm's eye after an old social media post of him showing the middle finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus in Astoria resurfaced online. In a tweet from June 2020, he wrote, "Take it down", calling for the removal of the statue. He was running for state office at the time. However, the post was not taken well by Italian Americans in New York, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition, according to the New York Post. Angelo Vivolo, the group's president, vowed not to support Mamdani in November. "We will defend Columbus Day and Columbus statues," he said. Take it down. — Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) June 18, 2020 He was offended and said that Mamdani was being disrespectful to the Italian American community. Vivolo said, "If you offend one community, you offend all communities" and added, "I don't think he will be mayor for all the people of New York City." The Italian community makes up about 8 per cent of the city's population, Joseph Scelsa, the founder and president of the Italian American Museum said. He said, "Who's to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero." Left-wing politicians tend to target Columbus statues and Columbus Day because of how the explorer treated Native Americans when he sailed to North America. His supporters argue that he is important to the Italian Americans as his voyage was a critical moment in history. Last month, Mamdani won a stunning upset in the New York City's Democratic party mayoral primary, when he defeated New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani could face Cuomo again in November as the latter is considering contesting as an Independent. Other contenders are the current Mayor Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee for New York City mayor.


India Today
08-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Zohran Mamdani's old tweet showing middle finger to Columbus statue sparks new row
As the race for New York City's mayor heats up, Democratic Party frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's old tweets have come back to haunt him. First, a 2015 tweet questioning the FBI's surveillance tactics on Anwar al-Awlaki -- a US-born cleric later linked to the terror outfit al-Qaida and alleged to have ties to the 9/11 attackers -- enraged several New Yorkers still reeling from the a 2020 tweet in which he is seen showing the middle finger to a statue of Christopher Columbus has infuriated the Italian-American voter base, which makes up 8 percent of New York City's electorate, The New York Post reported. For context, many Italian Americans view the 15th century explorer Columbus as a symbol of their cultural heritage. 'Take it down,' wrote Mamdani, while showing a middle finger at the statue in New York City's Astoria neighbourhood. "He is being disrespectful to the Italian American you offend one community, you offend all communities," Columbus Heritage Coalition president Angelo Vivolo told The New York American Museum founder and president Joseph Scelsa lashed out at Mamdani and told The New York Post, "To eliminate such a large population of people would be a travesty.""It's not inclusive. It's to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero," he further told The New York Post.- Ends


Time of India
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Take it down': Zohran Mamdani draws flak as old post on Columbus goes viral; Italian Americans criticize
New York City's mayoral candidate on Monday again found himself embroiled in a controversy after an old social media post of him flipping the bird at a statue of Christopher Columbus and calling for its removal started doing the rounds. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a June 2020 tweet, the socialist Mamdani is pictured flipping the middle finger at the towering statue located in Astoria, a neighborhood that falls within his state Assembly district. 'Take it down,' said Mamdani, who was running for state assembly at the time. The post didn't sit well with Italian Americans in the big apple city, including the Columbus Heritage Coalition, ever since this week the post resurfaced on social platforms. Angelo Vivolo, president of Columbus Heritage Coalition, vowed not to support the lefty candidate come November. 'We will defend Columbus Day and Columbus statues,' Vivolo told The New York Post. 'He is being disrespectful to the Italian American community,' said Vivolo, who is the former head of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which runs the city's Columbus Day Parade. 'If you offend one community, you offend all communities. 'I don't think he will be mayor for all the people of New York City.' The Italian Americans make up 8% of the population in the city, Mamdani has disrespected a big voting bloc, said Joseph Scelsa, founder and president of Italian American Museum. 'To eliminate such a large population of people would be a travesty,' he said. 'It's not inclusive. It's exclusionary. 'Who's to say who is a hero and who is not a hero? Columbus is our hero.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Zohran Mamdani pulled a major upset in last month's Democratic primaries for the NYC's mayoral candidate, when he defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Mmadani could possibly face Cuomo again in the November general elections, as the longtime Italian American pol is considering contesting as an Independent, along with current Mayor Eric Adams, who also is planning to run again for the office but this time as an Independent. Also in the fray will be GOP's candidate Curtis Sliwa.