southphillyreview.com
Vol. 67 NO. 24 n JuNe 12, 2014
Viva Filitalia
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Beach Bound
n Want to spend summer nights getting down at the shore? Check out SPR’s Beach Bound nightlife preview. See page 23.
Dr. Pasquale Nestico, with scissors, led the June 1 celebration of Italy’s global and local contributions. P h o t o P r o v i d e d b y F i l i ta l i a I n t e r n at i o n a l
sPoRTs
The Italian Festival marked the grand opening of the East Passyunk Avenue-situated History of Italian Immigration Museum n By Bill Chenevert R e v i e w S ta f f W r i t e r
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n A Point Breeze resident will end his two-sport high school career at the Carpenter Cup. See page 45.
ilitalia International’s annual La Festa della Repubblica on June 1st, otherwise known as the Italian Street Festival on East Passyunk Avenue, was far more significant this year. It also marked the grand opening of the entity’s History of Italian Immigration Museum, 1834 E. Passyunk Ave., which seeks to celebrate “Italian roots and American dreams.”
The museum’s mission is similar to that of its sponsor organization, which translates to “Love for Italy,” and that is “to promote, protect, and preserve the Italian heritage, language, culture and customs throughout the world and encourage the study of the Italian language.” Dr. Pasquale Nestico founded Filitalia International in 1987 and maintains a busy cardiology practice at 1809 Oregon Ave. He was immensely pleased with the festival and the grand opening and said “It was a remarkable day – we had about
Triangle plaza takes shape
15 to 20 thousand visitors.” He and his peers also raised nearly $20,000 and sold about 25 of 233 12” x 12” tiles that will be embedded into the sidewalk in front of the museum over time. In the 27 years since its inception, Filitalia has grown to include 20 chapters, nine of which function outside of United States borders. Through scholarships, language classes and exchange programs, the organization aims to preserve its culSee ItalIan amerIcan muSeum page 10 >>
An underused Grays Ferry Avenue space gets a pedestrian-friendly makeover.
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