Tag archives: Italian

The Feel of an Aperitivo Meal
By Brooke Bidwell   |   May 2, 2023

You do not have to travel to Italy to experience the delicious food that comes from its rolling hills and cobbled streets. Andrea Girardello and Brian Dodero opened Aperitivo at 7 W. Haley St. in October of 2020, inspired by the Italian emphasis on choosing fresh, quality ingredients rather than intricate preparations. The namesake? “Aperitivo” […]

Gina Lollobrigida Remembered 
By Richard Mineards   |   January 31, 2023

On a personal note, I remember Italian screen legend Gina Lollobrigida, who has died in Rome at the age of 95. I had a delightful dinner with the actress at a boffo bash in Punta del Este, Uruguay, when I flew there from New York to attend a champagne-soaked party for 550 guests hosted by […]

Mollie Moves On
By James Buckley   |   December 7, 2021

I’ve known Mollie Ahlstrand for more than 30 years. Her high-end Italian restaurant on Coast Village Road was there for more than 25 of those years. But, the fires, the floods, the debris flow, and other disasters took their toll and she moved her place to Santa Barbara three years ago, only to run into […]

For Starters
By Hana-Lee Sedgwick   |   December 24, 2020

Giving Santa Barbarans yet another reason to venture out for wine is Aperitivo, an Italian-inspired wine bar from owner-operators Brian Dodero and Andrea Girardello – two food and beverage veterans who met while working at the Four Seasons Biltmore.  Taking its name from the Italian tradition of gathering after work for a pre-dinner drink and […]

Chalk it Up! I Madonnari Street Painting Festival Persists During Pandemic
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 21, 2020

Street painting artists have been compared to masochists, in that their hobby of drawing with chalk on the sidewalk has become an obsession, back pain and sore knees ignored in a mission that is exhibited annually on the pavement in front of the Santa Barbara’s Old Mission during the I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival […]

Italy’s Consul General
By Erin Graffy   |   May 30, 2019

The Italian Cultural Heritage Foundation of Santa Barbara held a beautiful luncheon at La Cumbre Country Club recently to host the honorable Silvia Chiave, Consul General of Italy. Advisory board member Fred Sidon opened with a welcome to the more than 80 people who attended this very special luncheon. Board president Bill Vollero gave the […]

Ferragosto
By Lynda Millner   |   September 6, 2018

Because I lived in Napoli, Italia, for three years and my son was born there, I have a soft spot for all things Italian. Of course, Don and I said, “yes,” when invited by our Italian friends Dr. Jim Barbabella and Frank and Jean Umanzio to a Ferragosto picnic in lower Manning Park. The group […]