JCCIA Division to honor 8 stellar women
The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will honor eight accomplished women at the 2021 Impresa Awards. Scholarships will also be presented to several deserving female high school seniors at the event. “We’re always so proud to host the Impresa Awards,” JCCIA Women’s Division President Rosemary Ranallo says. “It’s our...
CIACO to celebrate Gatto
The Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization will honor George Gatto Sr. as Man of the Year at its Honor and Hope Gala. The event will take place on Nov. 6 at the Medinah Shrine Center, 550 Shriners Drive, Addison. “George is an extremely successful businessman, but he’s one of the most down-to-earth guys you’ll ever meet,” says Tom Reb...
Viva la Panza at Italian American Professional Business Club
What an Amazing Night! Viva La Panza, the premier fundraising and networking event of the Italian community, drew 450 men and women to Todaro’s Party Center on Wednesday October 28, 2021 for an evening of great food and comaraderie. The event downsized from 670 attendees to 450 was in recognition of Covid concerns. The celebration presented by the...
Johnny Frigo became a top-tier jazz violinist in his 70s
It’s hard to believe that in more than 15 years of the Secret History of Chicago Music—at least 350 installments—I haven’t covered a jazz violinist. Admittedly, the violin isn’t strongly associated with jazz, and despite my music-nerd credentials I can only name a few folks who’ve played it in that context. But if you’re into jazz fiddling, Johnny...
Watch: ‘The Path Forward' – The Argument to Keep Columbus Day Intact
In this episode of "The Path Forward," NBC 5's LeeAnn Trotter talks with panelists from the Italian American Human Relations Foundation of Chicago about Christopher Columbus Day and why they are pushing for Columbus Day to keep being recognized. Canceling Christopher Columbus Day, celebrated on the second Monday in October, is a sentiment that’s be...
Artemisia Gentileschi: New Perspectives
The Getty Museum recently acquired Lucretia, a newly discovered painting by Artemisia Gentileschi—arguably the most famous Italian woman painter of the 17th century. In this panel discussion, four leading experts on the work of Artemisia Gentileschi focus on the discovery of new documents and the emergence of unknown paintings over the last 20 year...
Shrine to launch jubilee year for Mother Cabrini
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the canonization of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, and to celebrate the occasion, the national shrine to her, located in Lincoln Park, is launching a jubilee year on Nov. 13. The year includes a plenary indulgence for those who make a pilgrimage to the shrine, walk through its holy door and complete the necessar...
Nardella selected for National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame
When Chicago Wolves assistant coach Bob Nardella was growing up in Melrose Park, the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame was located next door in Elmwood Park. His father, Robert, relished taking his son to the institution’s conventions hosted in Rosemont. “It was a big thing for my father,” Nardella said. “He took me all the time. There...
Greater Rockford Italian American Association inducts 2021 Italian Hall of Fame
The Greater Rockford Italian American Association held its annual Hall of Fame banquet Saturday at the Venetian Club. Inductees to Rockford's Italian Hall of Fame are nominated by the community and selected annually by the GRIAA’s Hall of Fame and Special Recognition Committee. Mike Doyle was the 2021 Italian Hall of Fame inductee. Mike has had a l...
Cincinnati’s first Columbus Day helped fight anti-italian prejudice
The reputation of Christopher Columbus is pretty much in the dumps these days, and the annual holiday celebrating his voyage of discovery generates spirited debate. It’s almost forgotten now just how important Columbus Day was to the grudging acceptance of Italian Americans. In the late 1800s, Italians were only reluctantly tolerated in the U.S. A...
IL POSTO DEGLI UOMINI. Dante in Purgatorio dove andremo tutti. Book presentation with the author Aldo Cazzullo from Italy
Please Join Us - Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. Time: 4:00-5:30pm EST. Virtual Zoom Event. The event is open to the public - Registration is required here by October 22, 2021. For Dante’s 700th anniversary of his death, Mondadori released the sequel to “A riveder le Stelle” by Aldo Cazzullo, to pay homage to the "Poet who invented Italy" continuing on the...
Madison Italian-American club hosts third annual car show
Car lovers flocked to the parking lot of the Madison Community Pool on Saturday, Oct. 9, for the North Star Athletic Club's third annual car show. Participants chatted about their vintage rides and sports cars as visitors streamed by. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot off Rosedale Avenue, also offered good eats from a f...