By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Mar 22, 2011 at 8:18 AM

My friend Giuseppe "Gano" Ganelli -- the Italian radiologist who is also boss of the International "Happy Days" fan club -- dropped me a note from his home in Codogno to update me on Milwaukee sightings on the boot.

"Next week," he wrote, "there will be in Milan the premiere of the Italian Version of "Happy Days: The Musical. It's the same (one) that you saw in Milwaukee but it's a very big Italian production. So, the city of Milwaukee returns to the Italian media. A lot of newspapers and magazines wrote about the musical and about Milwaukee!"

Here is one example of the media that Milwaukee's getting and here are some photos from the production. The advertising blitz for the show even has some Milan trams emblazoned with the "Happy Days" logo.

Ganelli -- who visited Milwaukee for the unveiling of the Bronze Fonz -- got a sneak peek at the production and is -- perhaps unsurprisingly since he's a lover of all things "Happy Days" -- enthusiastic.

"It's great!" he said. "I was at the final rehearsal and it's great ... amazing! It'll star in Milan next week and then it'll tour all around Italy (even in Turin in April)."

He added the "even in Turin" because Gano knows how to hook me. Ayyyyyyy.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.