Up Close In Indy: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel
For those of you who’d like an Art History 101 refresher, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was a painter and sculptor of the High Renaissance, best known for his frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. It took him nearly five years to finish the job, and the resultant masterpieces have been revered ever since. No, no...
Stark County Italian-American Festival returns after pandemic hiatus
After a three-year absence, the Stark County Italian-American Festival is back with street food, music, carnival games and the beloved bocce. An annual celebration for the local Stark County Italian-American community since 1987, the festival did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. The three-day event (Friday, Saturday and Su...
Italy mayor calls for return for art on display at Cleveland Museum of Art
An Italian mayor where a 16th century altarpiece was stolen in 1905 told News 5 a push is underway to retrieve what they believe is the lost masterpiece, currently located in Cleveland, Ohio. "It has become an important issue for our town and for our community," Figline Valderno mayor Guilia Mugnai said. "It is a part of our collective memory, so i...
Community to salute Silvestri
The Italian-American community will salute Peter Silvestri at a retirement party on July 22 at Casa Italia. “Peter Silvestri has faithfully served the citizens of Elmwood Park and surrounding communities for nearly half a century,” says Casa Chairman Ron Onesti. “We invited the entire community to celebrate the life and career of one of our communi...
Mt. Carmel to celebrate 129th feast
The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and Shrine will celebrate the 129th anniversary of its devotion to the Blessed Mother on July 17. Festivities will begin with a 7:30 a.m. Mass in English and 9 a.m. solemn Mass in Italian, followed by a procession with the statue to a noon field Mass. A procession through the streets of the parish afterward will...
LICNA spearheads transformation of Taylor St. piazza
Italian immigrants who sought a better life for themselves and their families on Chicago’s Near West Side were honored on May 22 with the naming of Piazza Italia di Chicago at 1434 W. Taylor St. The Little Italy Chicago Neighborhood Association (LICNA) spearheaded the renaming of the former Piazza Di Maggio, installing flags that represent each of...
From tux to Tigers jersey: DSO's maestro enthralled with Detroit as he finally settles in
It’s hard to pin down exactly when Jader Bignamini cemented his bond with Detroit. For the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s music director, appointed in 2020, perhaps it was his emotional performance of Beethoven’s Third with a scaled-down ensemble at an audience-less Orchestra Hall, the finale to a grueling pandemic year. Or possibly it was an evening...
Look Back: American Fireworks Family Illuminates Cleveland for 120 Years
Propping his arm on the workbench, 9-year-old John Sorgi watches his father, Jim Sorgi, tie a knot on a 5-inch cylinder shell. The “Wizard of Ahhs” is just a boy, but he’s following Jim’s footsteps, who started by stuffing fuses in paper tubes for his father, Vincenzo Sorgi. Vincenzo, a third-generation pyrotechnician, immigrated from Avezzano, It...
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish Festival celebrating 30 years
After a two-year hiatus due to the novel coronavirus, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will be bringing back its annual parish festival. The 30th Annual Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Annual Parish Festival will take place from 2 p.m. to midnight June 24 at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club, located at 29717 Euclid Ave. Admission to the festival is free. “In weste...
Taste Of Joliet: 'The Heart Attack' Or Sicilian Italian Sausage?
After being canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, Taste of Joliet returns to Memorial Stadium Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday morning, Joliet Patch found several food vendors getting their booths ready for Friday's 3 p.m. opening. Romeoville resident Don Marino runs the Marino's Kitchen food stand. His banner procl...
Bronze wolf statue gifted to Cincinnati from Rome during Mussolini's reign has been stolen
A bronze statue of a wolf — a gift from the city of Rome to Cincinnati during the 1930s when dictator Benito Mussolini was in power — has been stolen from Eden Park. Cincinnati Parks spokesman Rocky Merz says a park visitor reported the missing statue early Friday morning. "What they discovered is that — the statue is a large bronze statue of a wol...
Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival in Wheeling To Feature Classic Car Show This Year
Food, music and the celebration of Italian culture are all on tap during this year’s Undo’s Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival in Wheeling. The festival is slated for July 29-31 on Water Street at Wheeling Heritage Port. The festival kicks off at noon July 29 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and continues through the afternoon of July 31. Ja...