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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...

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Occasionally when I scroll through social media, I will see something that just stops me in my tracks. When that happens, I immediately screenshot whatever it is. I do this for two reasons. #1- I have a sort of "bucket list" compilation of photos stored on my phone. They serve as reminders of "Hey, Chad. Remember! You need to do this or visit this...

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In baseball and in life, “three strikes” are typically a bad thing. But for world-class bowler Carmen Salvino, it’s just another day at the office. He began his career as a professional bowler at 19 years of age, and 70 years later, he’s only now looking back at just how many pins he’s knocked down. Carmen was born in the Taylor Street neighborhood...

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Opera Festival of Chicago returns for its second season. The three-week festival will feature fully staged productions of Gioachino Rossini’s L’Inganno Felice and Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Corsaro – the first time each has been performed professionally in Chicago in modern history. We also pay tribute to the legendary Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi, hono...

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Pop-opera tenor Pasquale Esposito will perform under the stars in a benefit concert for Casa Italia on July 9. The popular crossover crooner has 11 albums, four PBS specials and a host of world tours under his belt. Esposito released his first album — an Italian musical revue dubbed “Naples … That’s Amore!” — in 2005, with album No. 11 — a double C...

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Chef Luca Issa is bringing some of his signature dishes to life stateside. Sharing the same name as the original Piccolo Buco in Rome, simple, quality ingredients and traditional recipes are the cornerstones of the menu.   The red and yellow tomato sauce featured in many dishes comes from tomatoes grown specifically for Piccolo Buco. For your first...

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When: Sun, July 24, 2022 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EDT - Where: Italian Cultural Garden, 990 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44108 Featuring well known music from Italian opera, Broadway musicals and popular Italian songs with The Cleveland Opera and the Cleveland Ballet. Reserved seating available at $28.50 in front of the stage. Free general admissio...

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After getting its start at farmers markets and then a ghost kitchen during the pandemic, Sfera is now slinging its take on Sicilian street food from a Broadway storefront. Sfera opened May 11 at 5759 N. Broadway, the latest move to expand the three-year-old business. Friends Steven Jarczyk and Daniela Vitale started Sfera by selling their take on a...

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For survivors of the Our Lady of the Angels fire Tuesday was a day of emotion. Ninety-five people, nearly all of them children perished the blaze in 1958.  Survivors and community members gathered at the site for a ceremony decades in the making. The statute of the Virgin Mary, that stood on site that fateful day 62 years ago, is home again — with...

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For the next edition of #OnTapEats, I traveled to Midlothian to Bartolini’s to try their deep-dish pizza. Bartolini’s was suggested by “BIG DUB” and is located at 14420 S. Pulaski Rd. just a few minutes off of I-294 and right next to the Secretary of State facility. Bartolini’s has been serving up fresh pies, Italian beef, and homemade meatballs si...

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