Songs of Home: From Italy to the U.S.A.
For this week’s edition of “Songs of Home,” I go back to a home that was home for my ancestors before their immigration to Chicago and the tunes they brought with them. My mother is half Sicilian and my father is Sicilian and Calabrese. It is safe to say that I grew up Italian-American, and I’m forever proud that I did. More so, I’m proud that I gr...
Bindi North America Showcases Expanded Family of Brands
Bindi North America returns to the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago with an expanded presence and a renewed focus on culinary innovation. For the first time, the renowned Italian dessert group showcases not only its iconic Bindi brand but also welcomes two new names to the table: Sammontana, Italy’s leading gelato producer, and Tre M...
Fresh Italian Dishes Shine at Mia Francesca
Mia Francesca, located less than half a mile from Wrigley Field in Chicago serves fabulous Italian dishes— perfect for a night out with friends and family. On the Friday night I visited, every table was full, the service was delightful and the food was scrumptious. Here’s everything I tried! After starting with delicious complimentary bread, I orde...
Chicago Park District to loan Columbus statue to Italian American group for museum, end lawsuit
The Chicago Park District has reached a deal to end a lawsuit over the removal of Chicago's Christopher Columbus statues. The City of Chicago, which owns the statues, will not be bringing the statues back to their former sites in Grant Park and Arrigo Park. But the city will loan the statue that was removed from Arrigo Park, at Polk and Loomis stre...
Italian-themed Gina’s Gelato & Java opens in Parma Heights
The sweet taste of Italy has arrived in Parma Heights with the opening of Gina’s Gelato & Java. “Gina’s Gelato & Java was something that came out of a desire to open a venue in our community,” said Jeff Caro, who owns the new business with his wife, Gina Lloyd. They live in the city. “We come from a line of food service industry families. We sold o...
I-A Literati to spotlight local writers
“I-A Literati 2025,” Casa Italia’s 21st annual celebration of local Italian-American authors, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 17 in the Florentine Room of the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia. The event will begin with a meet-and-greet with the writers, followed by the keynote address and presentations. Additional activities include...
Team Italy spark plug Nicky Lopez joins hot-hitting Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs signed versatile infielder Nicky Lopez to a one-year contract on April 23, 2025 after releasing him earlier in the spring. The Cubbies initially offered a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training on February 7, 2025, but the 30-year-old utility man was one of the final roster cuts before the MLB Tokyo Series against the...
Italian American Sports Hall Of Fame Moves To Dunning, Anchoring Northwest Side’s Growing Little Italy
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, which has been celebrating sports history for nearly 50 years, has found a new home on the Far Northwest Side. The Hall of Fame spent much of the past two decades on Taylor Street in Little Italy, but when the museum’s building was sold in 2019, all of its memorabilia went into storage as the hunt...
Valenti a pro bono attorney without borders
Over the last two decades, Thomas P. Valenti has put his arbitration and mediation skills to use across the globe, traveling to places like Greece and India, and now helping young people in Afghanistan via online mentoring. Valenti is a Chicago-based dispute resolution specialist who has held a law license since 1977. He first worked as a trial att...
Farmo Launches “Farmo Five” in Chicago
Italian health-food company Farmo has officially launched production of gluten-free Mac & Cheese at its newly inaugurated “Farmo Five” manufacturing site in Elgin, Illinois, marking a significant step in its US expansion strategy. The facility—Farmo’s first in North America—is designed to meet rising demand for gluten-free products in the region. I...
Castella helps connect Fermi Scuola to Chicago area
Italian-born Marta Castella recently signed on as Italian programs outreach director at Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi in Chicago, a job she describes as “equal parts cultural bridge and growth architect.” Founded in 2016, Scuola Fermi is the only full-time Italian immersion school in the Chicago area, offering bilingual education from preschool thro...
Book Presentation / “Pulcinella’s Life, Death and Resurrection” by Antonio Fava
Event date: The May 14 2025, 18:00 (Local time) - Place: Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago - For a fee: No Antonio Fava, Maestro of Commedia dell’arte, will present his book “Vita Morte e Resurrezione di Pulcinella” (Pulcinella’s Life, Death and Resurrection) at the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, in collaboration with Laughing Stock Th...