Onesti, DeLuca pull out all the stops for Springfield reception
What do you get when a true showman joins forces with one of Springfield’s most respected legislators? The second annual Italian Caucus Tour of Italy Reception, of course. Hosted for the last two years by Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans President Ron Onesti and State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, the blockbuster event drew more than 300 movers an...
Paolo Busti marks 40 years
Tuesday night’s scholarship dinner gave the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation a chance to look back at its founding four decades ago while also honoring local Italian Americans today. The foundation, which gathered at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel, took time to pay tribute to Vito Gautieri, its lone living founder among those who started the organiza...
Celebrate Italian food, culture at Holy Rosary Church
Holy Rosary Church in Indianapolis is excited to announce the summer highlight from 5-11 p.m. Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, at 520 Stevens St and surrounding Lacy Park. Experience the joy of an outdoor Italian festival with delicious food, music, and fun activities for all ages – and it’s all free! Enjoy over 25 Italian dishes, music, dan...
Wickliffe Italian-American Club hosts first Heritage Day event
The Wickliffe Italian-American Club recently hosted their first Italian-American Heritage Day, an event they hope to expand on in the coming years. Located at 29717 Euclid Ave., the club’s free event took place June 1 and featured pony rides, face painting and a balloon artist for children, as well as a bocce target game for kids to learn how to pl...
That's Amore! Italian military team will return to Oshkosh's AirVenture after nearly 40 years
Guess who’s back! It’s been almost 40 years in the making, but the Frecce Tricolori, the military aerobatic team representing the Italian Air Force, is finally returning to Oshkosh for this year’s EAA AirVenture show. EAA Director of Communication Dick Knapinski confirmed the news via news release, highlighting the Italians’ return ahead of July’s...
Mazzini-Verdi Club President Bernard Ghilarducci
Bernard Ghilarducci and Luigi Banducci are close friends who have been at the helm of the Chicago-area Mazzini Verdi Club since about 2007, when they started alternating two-year presidency terms. Ghilarducci’s current term as president started Jan. 1. A retired engineer, he has been a member of the club since 1980, when he and his wife, Fidalma, j...
First lady Jill Biden to visit Milwaukee, speak at Festa Italiana
First lady Jill Biden will make an appearance at Festa Italiana this weekend in Milwaukee. The annual festival will take place at Henry Maier Festival Park from Friday, May 31 through Sunday, June 2. The first lady will deliver remarks during the opening ceremonies, the Italian Community Center said on Wednesday, May 29. The opening ceremony event...
Beato Giovanni Liccio Society President Sapienza
After 27 years as a member of the Beato Giovanni Liccio Society of Chicago, current President Tony Sapienza is as active and enthusiastic as ever. The group’s mission is to promote and foster the teachings of its patron, Beato Giovanni Liccio, a 15th century priest from Caccamo, Sicily, who spent his life helping the needy and the poor, and to whom...
This couple was saving for their first home in Chicago, but bought a $25,000 house in Italy instead
Kristina Knighten and her husband, Paul Cordier, were living in the United Arab Emirates and working as TEFL-certified teachers when they decided they were serious about buying their first home in America. Knighten, 38, was raised in the Chicago suburbs, and Cordier, 45, was raised in London but loved the idea of living in the Windy City after havi...
Relive the liberation of Italy in WWII!
“Mountainmen: Gothic Line 1945”. Des Plaines Theatre • 1476 Miner St. Des Plaines, IL. 7:30 p.m. • Thursday, June 20 Free seating • RESERVATIONS REQUIRED here. It took Allied forces nearly two brutal years from July 1943 to May 1945 to topple Mussolini’s regime and drive Hitler’s forces from the Italian peninsula during World War II. Key to their s...
Mazzini Verdi Ladies Club President Giovanna Carlino
Mazzini Verdi Club Ladies Club President Giovanna Carlino has made many deep friendships thanks to the club, and she encourages others to join and experience the same gift. “It’s an enjoyment,” she says. “All of us when we go, we are happy people, we greet each other like we haven’t seen each other for years but we saw each other yesterday.” A nati...
A conversation with three WWII Veterans!
At 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, the Italian American Veterans Museum (3800 Division St. - Stone Park, IL) will offer a rare glimpse into World War II through the eyes of three living Veterans who served in three different branches of the military on three different fronts. Carl Liture was a Navy Machinist Mate who served on the Shangri-La and witness...