Beloved Italian restaurant Balena is popping up in Chicago early next year
Just a few weeks after we published a piece about the 23 local businesses that Chicagoans wish they could bring back from the dead, Boka Restaurant Group reached out to reveal its intentions of running a Balena pop-up—one of the very eateries mentioned in the story—from January 19, 2025 through January 26, 2025 at the Wellsley (504 N. Wells Street)...
I'm an Iraq War vet who left the US for a life in Europe. I have no regrets.
I served in the US Army from 1998 to 2006, including a year in the Iraq War. I served out of love for the country, but Idon't view the US through rose-colored glasses. Right before the 2016 election, a car followed me as I drove home from work to my Las Vegas neighborhood. All of a sudden, he started honking and losing it. He rolled down the window...
Frank Calabrese, one of Chicago horse racing’s all-time greats and printing shop founder, dies at 96
“The first bet I ever made was at a bookie joint when I was 11 or 12,” Frank Calabrese once told the Tribune. “I bet 50 cents and got $36 back and I was hooked.” Calabrese went on to become one of Chicago racing’s all-time greats, a thoroughbred owner who tied for the lead in winners at Arlington International Racecourse in 2000 and then won more r...
The first Italian American in the new Trump administration will be Pamela Jo Bondi
American attorney, lobbyist, and politician, 37th Attorney General of Florida, Italian American Pamela Jo Bondi was born on November 17, 1965 in Tampa, Florida. Her great grandparents Calogero Bondi and Teresa Cagnina were born in Campania, Italy. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a city council member and then Mayor of Temple Terrace, FL. She is a gra...
Parma will be the European Youth Capital in 2027
Parma will be the European Youth Capital in 2027. The Emilia Romagna city beat off competition from the other challengers: Chișinău in Moldova and Fuenlabrada and Málaga in Spain. The inclusive program implemented by the administration led by Michele Guerra together with the National Youth Council, JEP Junior Enterprise Parma and the city's Youth C...
Mercatino di Natale 2024 at Museo Italo Americano
Join us for our traditional Mercatino di Natale—a festive Italian Christmas Market that’s the perfect place to find unique gifts for your loved ones! On Saturday, December 7 (10:00 AM – 6:00 PM) and Sunday, December 8 (10:00 AM – 5:00 PM) step into a warm, joyful atmosphere inspired by the Christmas markets of Northern Italy and across Europe. Chil...
Discontinued Pasta Shape Returns to New York; But is it the Same?
For two years one of the New York area's most cherished pasta shapes was abruptly discontinued but now, suddenly, it's back just in time for cold and flu season. In January of 2023, a great darkness fell upon Italian families all over the New York area. Ronzoni announced that it was ceasing production of Pastina. At the time, the pasta maker said t...
Buon Natale: Surprising Stories Behind Our Beloved Holiday Traditions
Thursday, December 5th, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EST. A Virtual Program Led by Carla Gambescia. Register here. Registration fee: $10 Members | $20 Non Members. The Zoom link will be sent, upon registration, a few days prior to the event. All the proceeds will go to the NOIAW scholarship fund. Discover the unexpected and delightful stories behind some of o...
‘Parthenope’ Trailer: Sun, Sea and Sex Feature in Paolo Sorrentino’s Love Letter to Naples
A24 knows sex sells, so it’s no surprise that the first U.S. trailer for Parthenope is full of seduction. Newcomer Celeste Dalla Porta, playing the titular Parthenope, appears in various stages of undress throughout, emerging dripping from the sea in a bikini, draped in religious jewelry that barely covers her modesty, tangled up in what looks like...
The Neapolitan Presepio: A Christmas Tradition That Endures in the Italian American Community
Tuesday, December 3, 7 pm - Casa Belvedere, 79 Howard Ave, Staten Island, NY. Free for members, suggested donation for non-members. Join us for a fascinating holiday cultural program presented by Anita Sanseverino and Lou Barrella! The lecture and video presentation explores the origins of the Neapolitan tradition as well as its endurance by creati...
Italian People Have Lasagna for Thanksgiving: A Delicious Twist on Tradition
When we think of Thanksgiving, the classic image of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce comes to mind. But for many Italian-American families, the holiday table tells a slightly different story. Alongside—or sometimes instead of—the traditional Thanksgiving fare, a steaming tray of lasagna often takes center stage. Italian immigrants brought thei...
Italy Raises Profile in Georgia with Chamber’s First Annual Awards Dinner
“Be proud to be Italian” was just one admonition from the podium at the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce’s first annual awards dinner in Atlanta Sunday, but it may as well have been the explicit theme of the evening. The chamber’s Georgia chapter, launched five years ago to tell a fuller story of Italy’s investment links with the state, used the...