A very Italian suburb
As I grew up in Highwood, visiting my friends was like being in my own home: the same foods were served, I sat on the same style furniture, and I saw pictures of relatives on their walls posted in a fashion similar to mine at home. The promotional calendars of the local Italian insurance firm hung right next to the pictures of the pope in all our k...
The Italian American Veterans Museum is on the march!
After nearly two decades at Casa Italia, the Italian American Veterans Museum will be bidding a fond farewell to our longtime home and marching confidently toward a promising future. We’re going to need your support like never before: please donate here. We’re calling on supporters past and future to give as generously as you can to help us defray...
Traveling exhibit showcases our immigrant roots
The “Italians in Chicago” traveling exhibit may be appearing at a public library near you in the not-too-distant future, thanks to the efforts of the volunteers at the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia. The idea for an exhibit documenting the Italian-American immigrant experience in Chicago was hatched in 1978 by Dominic Candeloro, who taught...
Members propel CIACO to new heights
Running a large, successful non-profit enterprise has its challenges, but Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization President Lou Scaramuzzo says his members make his job so much easier. “The membership is so cooperative and willing to do whatever it takes to help people,” Scaramuzzo says. “They are very giving people who do exceptional...
Italian American Cultural Club opens hall of fame nominations for local icons
As a part of celebrating 100 years, the Italian American Cultural Club in Steubenville, OH is opening nominations for its brand-new hall of fame for Italian Americans. “Now in 2025, our club is essentially a mechanism to keep that culture alive,” said Frankie DiCarlantonio, president, Italian American Cultural Club. “Now we have these great descend...
Consulate of Italy in Detroit Bestows Knighthood upon James Vincent Bellanca III
The Consulate of Italy in Detroit is proud to announce that James Vincent Bellanca III, a prominent attorney and esteemed member of the Italian-American community, has been awarded the title of Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. This pre...
The Italian Hall Disaster: A Christmas Tragedy Ignored in Michigan
On Christmas Eve, 1913, a celebration in Calumet, Michigan, turned into a heartbreaking disaster that forever scarred the local community. Known as the Italian Hall Disaster, this tragic stampede claimed the lives of 73 people, most of them children, in what was meant to be a joyful holiday gathering. Background: A Community Under StrainThe early 2...
Unity yields Christmas gift at the Casa
There is strength in numbers, the adage goes, and nowhere is that more apparent than at Casa Italia in Stone Park, where numerous organizations will join forces to stage the Casa’s annual Christmas Village. The complimentary open house is slated for Dec. 1, 2024. The following organizations have signed on to participate at the time of publication:...
Army Specialist 5th Class Allan Zitella
The youngest of three children, Allan Zitella was born in Chicago to Joseph and Christina (Zipparo) Barrile. His mother died when Zitella was 3 years old and he and his siblings, Richard and JoAnn, were eventually adopted by their maternal great-aunt and -uncle, Anna and James Zitella. Zitella grew up in the neighborhood around Harlem and North ave...
Perrone, Clark honored by Greater Rockford Italian American Association
As Italian Heritage Month came to an end last month, we once again honored local Italian-Americans of note. The Greater Rockford Italian American Association held its annual Italian Hall of Fame and Special Recognition Award Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, at the Venetian Club in Rockford, Illinois. The GRIAA is a non-profit organization of volu...
Salute to Veterans: Italian connections for an American sailor
I am a first-generation American and a World War II veteran. My parents came to the U.S. from Lucca, Italy, and settled in LaPorte, Indiana. I was born four short months after their arrival. I grew up speaking only Italian at home. Little did I know at the time that this would have a major impact on my time in the U.S. Navy in World War II. After a...
A Sign of Great Things to Come
There’s no place like home, especially in the heart of Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood. And what better place for the Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation (NOIA) to establish its new, permanent headquarters, now open at 12018 Mayfield Road? This past December, the NOIA executive staff moved in while work on the interior design progresse...