Italian American Archives

Tourist Traps to Timeless Landscapes

By Chris Carosa on July 22, 2025

Not all tourist traps are alike. At some point, a tourist trap transcends its label, becoming a “must-see” simply for being so over the top. I can’t remember when we saw the first Wall Drug roadside sign, but its fame far exceeded its actual appearance.

We’d long left Chicago’s skyline behind for the flatlands. Of course, before the wide-open spaces, we traversed Wisconsin and Minnesota. It’s kind of arbitrary, but somehow poetic, to declare that crossing the Mississippi River truly makes you feel “out West” for the first time.

I-90 crosses the Mississippi on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border immediately south of Lake Onalaska. Yeah, they call it a lake, but it looks like it’s part of the river. Stretching 4 miles across, this is the widest span of the Mississippi River (if you include the Lake).

Oddly, crossing the Mississippi didn’t immediately scream “out West.” Instead, my brain went Continue Reading “Tourist Traps to Timeless Landscapes”

Posted in History, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Advertising, American Dream, Bandlands, Betsy, billboard, bison, Catarina, confidence, consecrated Americans, dinosaurs, Dune, E Pluribus Unum, Emma Lazarus, erosion, Faith, fossil, Founding Fathers, France, freedom, geology, Gutzon Borglum, Hamburger, hope, I-90, Italian, Italian American, jackalope, kitsch, Lake Onalaska, liberty, Lincoln Borglum, Luigi Del Bianco, marketing, McDonald's, melting pot, Minnesota, Minuteman Missle Silo, Mississippi River, Mount Rushmore, Peter, photography, prairie dogs, quarter pounder, Rapid City, Reptile World, roadside sign, sedimentary stone, South Dakota, Space Invaders, spirit of America, statue, Statue of Liberty, strata, sweet light, tourist trap, Wall Drug, William Andrew Burkett, Wisconsin, wretched refuse

The Italian-American Triumvirate: #3 – Family

By Chris Carosa on October 19, 2021

We begin our third and final installment of the Italian-American Triumvirate to honor Christopher Columbus and all descendants of Italia during October as we celebrate Italian-American Month.

The third item on the list has been known by many names. In fact, those who remember football in the 1960s may also remember the three pillars being defined quite differently (and creatively). Italian-Americans played a prominent role in this.

On June 16, 1970, Brian Piccolo, starting running back for the Chicago Bears, died. Only seven months earlier, on November 16, 1969, Piccolo scored a touchdown on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons. He then surprised his teammates by Continue Reading “The Italian-American Triumvirate: #3 – Family”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged ABC Movie of the Week, Bill Eaton, Billy Dee Williams, Brian Piccolo, Brian's Song, business, career, Chicago Bears, children, Christopher Carosa, Country, family, Gale Sayers, God, grandma, Green Bay Packers, Hawaii Five-0, I Am Third, Italian American, James Caan, M.D., Marcus Welby, Marlon Brando, Santino, Sonny, Superbowl, The Godfather, The Mod Squad, Vince Lombardi, Vito Corleone

The Italian-American Triumvirate: #2 – Country

By Chris Carosa on October 12, 2021

As mentioned last week, October is Italian-American Heritage Month. Not only do we take a day (either the original October 12 or the second Monday) to celebrate Christopher Columbus, the Italian that most influenced America, but, like other ethnic groups, we spend the entire month honoring those who immigrated to the United States centuries after the first Italian discovered a brand new world.

This is the second in a series of columns on “the Big Three,” the three institutions that, though they to some extent describe all Americans, speak especially to the cultural heritage of Italian-Americans.

Recall the meaning of “Italian-American.” It represents an acknowledgment that you are Continue Reading “The Italian-American Triumvirate: #2 – Country”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abruzzi, Accadia, Al Smith, American, Antonin Scalia, Apennine, Apollo, bigotry, Bing Crosby, Carosa, Columbus, Dad, Dominic Salvatore Gentile, Eddie Rickenbacker, Ernest Borgnine, Fontecchio, Frank Sinatra, Gemini, immigrant, Italian, Italian American, Italy, Joe DiMAggio, Jr., L'Aquila, Mercury, NASA, Rome, Rudolph Valentino, Samuel Anthony Alito, Serradifalco, Sicily, Walter M. Schirra, World War II, Yankee Clipper

The Italian-American Triumvirate: #1 – God

By Chris Carosa on October 5, 2021

Each October we celebrate Italian-American Heritage Month. The month is obviously chosen in honor of the Italian that most influenced America: Christopher Columbus. Of course, Columbus’ discovery of the New World predated the creation of the United States by about three centuries, but our country long ago adopted his journey as an inspiration for the nation.

Columbus has since been joined by many Italian immigrants who would become Italian-Americans.

That’s an important distinction: “Italian-American.” It recognizes that you are, in fact, an Continue Reading “The Italian-American Triumvirate: #1 – God”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged and Gold, Aristotle, Baptism, Catholic, Christian, Christopher Columbus, church, Confirmation, Crassius, diocese, Ethos, First Holy Communion, First Triumvirate, Fontecchio, Gaius Julius Caesar, Glory, God, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Italian American, Italy, jesuit, John F. Kennedy, Ku Klux Klan, Logos, Marriage, Mass, Modes of Persuasion, New England, Pathos, Pompey, Protestant Ethic, rhetoric, Roman Republic, Rule of Three, Spain, SPanish, Three Kings, trium virorum, unification of Italy

The Real News About Kathy Hochul Being New York State Governor

By Chris Carosa on August 24, 2021

You’ve probably read the headlines about Kathy Hochul “making history” by becoming the first woman to hold the position of New York State Governor.

If you’re like me, you cringe every time you see the appellation “first” applied to anyone. With the clear exception of sporting events, landing on the moon, and a few others, the term “first” seems more like a back-handed compliment. In today’s world of woke, it makes people wonder if “token” wouldn’t be a better description.

And that’s not fair.

I know. I’ve lived with this designation. The “first” Italian-American to do this… The “first” Catholic to do that… The “first” graduate of Gates-Chili high school to…

Each time, despite the apparent good intentions of various speakers of those words, it always felt condescending.

While I’m proud of my heritage, I didn’t want to be remembered merely as an Italian-Continue Reading “The Real News About Kathy Hochul Being New York State Governor”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Albany, Allegany County, Buffalo, Catholic, Charle Evans Hughes, Chautauqua County, Democrat, Erie County, Fortune Magazine, Frank Higgins, Gates Chili, governor, Greater Western New York, Grover Cleveland, Horace White, Italian American, Jack Kemp, John Roberts, Kathy Hochul, Manly Fleischmann, National Football League, New York City, New York State, Republican, Reuben Fenton, Roger Goodell, self-esteem, Tammany Hall, Tom Perez, United States Supreme Court, William Donovan

Declaration of (Italian) American Independence

By Chris Carosa on October 9, 2018

“They all laughed at Christopher Columbus/When he said the world was round…” So begins the lyrics of Ira Gershwin for brother George’s 1937 composition “They All Laughed.” The Gershwins wrote the song for the movie Shall We Dance, starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Frank Sinatra famously included the tune in his masterpiece Trilogy album, where he sings the closing lyrics “Who’s got the last laugh now?” with a knowing wink.

From Christopher Columbus to Frank Sinatra, it’s clear that Italians and Italian-Americans have had a tremendous impact on America. Over the next three weeks, we’ll focus on those names history books seem to have neglected.

Did you know Italian-Americans played a prominent role in the founding of America? For example, three of the first five American warships were named after Italians. These were Continue Reading “Declaration of (Italian) American Independence”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Andrea Doria, Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Columbus, Conqueror of the Old Northwest, Declaration of Independence, Filppo Mazzei, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Furioso, George Gershwin, George Rogers Clark, George Washington, Ginger Rogers, Giovanni Caboto, Giuseppe Maria Francesco Vigo, Hannibal of the West, Henry Hamilton, Ira Gershwin, Italian American, John Cabot, John F. Kennedy, Lewis and Clark Expedition, New Orleans, Patrick Henry, Shall We Dance, St. Louis, St. Vincent, Terre Haute, They All Laughed, Thomas Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Treaty of Paris, Trilogy, Vincennes, William Clark

Celebrate! October is Italian-American Heritage Month!

By Chris Carosa on October 3, 2018

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of illegal lynchings between 1882 and 1962 was 4,736. This data was compiled by the Department of Records and Research, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama; and published in: Ploski, Harry, and Williams, James; The Negro Almanac: A Reference Work on Afro-American, 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 1983. As you might suspect most of these lynchings (roughly 73%) were perpetrated upon blacks. It might astonish you, however, to learn the largest lynching event in U.S. history contained no black victims. Here’s how I discovered this fact.

A couple of weeks ago, Tim and Deb Smith’s “Mendon’s Historic Hamlets – Rochester Junction, Part 2” told the story of the death of Spencer Howe. The suspect, Nicolo DeNardo, fled the scene, but was later captured by police. The headline in the Democrat and Chronicle shouts “Struck Down by a Dago.” The casual use of that ethnic slur got me curious. Did other newspapers of that era also use it?

I quickly found out there’s an island called Dago in the Baltic Sea near the Gulf of Finland. Apparently, it was quite the popular place to wreck your ship in the eighteenth century.

I landed closer to my mark when I saw the following page two of the Friday, January 2^nd, 1835 edition of The New York Evening Post. Here’s what it said: “Five Dollars Reward, for Continue Reading “Celebrate! October is Italian-American Heritage Month!”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Christopher Columbus, Dago Frank, David C. Hennessy, Italian, Italian American, lynching, New Orleans, Nicolo DeNardo, Thomas Duffy

The Joys of Celebrating Christopher Columbus on Columbus Day (Traditional)

By Chris Carosa on October 10, 2017

Those of you old enough to remember, remember this: Columbus Day is celebrated every year on October 12^th. It’s not the second Monday of October, but a specific date. We’re not the only country to celebrate Columbus Day, although the exact date of celebration may be different. The specific date varies for the same reason the specific date of George Washington’s birthday varies. Based on the Julian Calendar, widely in use in 1492, Columbus and his crew finally sighted the sandy shores of San Salvador on the morning of October 12^th, five days after they observed flocks of birds, indicating they were near land.

A century after Columbus discovered America, Pope Gregory XIII decided he had had Continue Reading “The Joys of Celebrating Christopher Columbus on Columbus Day (Traditional)”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings Tagged Benjamin Harrison, Catholic, Christopher Clavius, Christopher Columbus, Columbus Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, Gregorian calendar, Italian American, Julian calendar, Knights of Columbus, Martha J. Lamb, Pope Gregory XIII