Italian Heritage Month 2026

Singer-songwriter, Mario Giacalone performing Italian American classics and originals https://www.mariogiacalone.com 10:45 — 11:15 a.m.: Italian Jeopardy with Your Host: Professor Tom Means 11:15 – 11:45 a.m.: Linda Stasi reading from her USA Today bestselling novel, The Descendant, Amazon’s #1 ranked historical fiction on Italian-Americans https://lindastasi.com 11:45 a.m.– 12:15 p.m.: Italy Had Fast Food Long Before “Fast Food”: From the Romans till Today – Paola Pavan, CMO & Partner, Fresco Piada USA 12:20 – 1 p.m.: Hot Italian buffet lunch 1 – 1:45 p.m.: Survival Italian and Commedia Workshop with Professors Tom Means & Claudia Terry 1:45 – 2 p.m.: Mario Macaluso, Founder, Italian Language Project, “Reviving Italian American culture One Word at A time 2 — 3 p.m.: “An Afternoon of Italian Music,” Professor Eugenia Oi Yan Yau & the BMCC Music Majors 3 — 3:30 p.m.: Songs from Dominic Scaglione, former lead of the Tony- Award winning Broadway play, “Jersey Boys” 3:30 p.m.: Closing Remarks: BMCC Modern Languages Faculty 6 p.m: Professor Claudia Terry will present a live Commedia dell’Arte show with BMCC Theater Majors and The Center Stage Theater Club of BMCC (Room S144) Thursday, October 22, 2026 (12:30 – 2 p.m., Fiterman F-1304) Literature and Lunch: Catered, college-wide readings and discussions of Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of An Author” led by Professor Lisa Sarti. Followed by a reading of selected scenes from Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, featuring Professor Terry and students from the Theater Department at BMCC. Q&A with Penelope Bussolino – Translator of Six Characters in Search of an Author