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Back in 2020, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had three statues of Christopher Columbus removed in Chicago. For all the time since, Italian American groups in the city have been fighting to put them back. They continue to do so, and now call the removal of the statues "selective censorship." A few weeks ago, there was an uproar at City Hall over...

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Never underestimate the power of one person to make a difference, especially if that person has the vision, drive and reach of Pat Capriati. In a matter of months, Capriati was able to conjure an American-Italian Sister Cities relationship out of thin air, bringing together good people on both sides of the Atlantic who otherwise never would have me...

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Chicago’s best restaurant (at least according to our esteemed dining writers) is turning 10 this year! Monteverde, chef Sarah Grueneberg’s love letter to all things Italian, continues to get accolades year after year, and the restaurant is doing something special to celebrate its anniversary. I sat down with Grueneberg to talk about the restaurant,...

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-Buona Beef gathered a team of volunteers at the Cornerstone Community Center in the Sheridan Park neighborhood and cooked up 75 pounds of Italian beef and spread it across 109 feet of bread to set a world record for the World's Longest Italian Beef Sandwich, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY. "A Chicago eatery cooked up 75 pounds of Italian be...

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From the Ariston stage, Carlo Conti announced live the launch of the 2025 edition of the Sanremo Giovani World Tour, dedicated to new young Italian music talents. The Sanremo Giovani World Tour will feature Alex Wise, Maria Tomba, Settembre, Vale LP & Lil Jolie. The four participants were revealed during the second episode of the Festival, and thei...

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Among all the athletic luminaries honored at the 2024 Chicago Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame ceremony gala in November, Josh Colaizzi was the only one too young to enjoy a celebratory glass of wine. Colaizzi, 17, took home the evening’s Future Star Award for all the baseball accomplishments he’s managed to rack up as a teen. Colaizzi, a cente...

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The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans honored five elected officials at its second annual Government Relations Luncheon on Nov. 19 at the Des Plaines Theatre. The event was spearheaded by JCCIA President Ron Onesti, with Enza Ranieri, a recipient of last year’s awards, chairing the committee. More than 150 organization presidents, elected...

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The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame celebrated its 45th annual gala on Nov. 15 at Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village. More than 700 attendees witnessed the induction of NBA star Chris Corchiani, ESPN national correspondent Sal Paolantonio, NFL pioneer Bruno Banducci, wrestling great Lou Albano, baseball pioneer Philomena Gianfran...

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Wednesday February 12 2025, 11:30 (Local time). Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology, 3137 S Federal Street, Chicago, IL. Free with registration here. The Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago present the IX edition of the Italian Design Day (IDD). Over millennia of human evolution, food has tra...

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Stefani Restaurant Group, a cornerstone of Chicago’s hospitality scene, is celebrating the success of Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, a specialty quick-service Italian shop and pasta lab nestled at 6075 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Gladstone Park. Celebrating its one-year anniversary, the bottega isn’t just another Italian eatery—it’s a culinary experience....

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