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When Nicki Pecori Fioretti graduated from Loyola University with an MBA in finance in 1996, she never dreamed she’d be returning in triumph two decades later. But return she did, as the director of community affairs for the Illinois Housing Development Authority, to deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2018 at Loyola’s Quinlan School of...

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I’ve had more than a few good cries since my father passed away in early May. He lived a long life and he was busy and robust until the end, and I’m grateful for that. But in some ways, it makes the loss even harder to bear. Tears still flow over the smallest of things, like driving to Joseph’s Finest Meats for the first time without my dad’s sausa...

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It was more than 60 years ago — March 27, 1956 — and my family was waiting at the Port of Palermo in Sicily to board the SS Queen Fredericka. We were emigrating to America. An official-looking man at the gate checked our papers — first those of my mother, then those of us five kids. He probably checked my papers last, since I had been crying nonsto...

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Parishioners at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii marked two important anniversaries Sunday, June 3: Italian Republic Day, commemorating the vote in 1946 when Italy established a republic as its government, and the 30th anniversary of the death of local resident and U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas Davino, killed in action in the Vietnam War. On hand during a...

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Some people love Italian ice so much, they decide to change careers, and devote their lives to it. At least that's the case for a young family near Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood who have set up shop along a busy stretch of Western Avenue. There, they make nearly a dozen flavors a day, using only the freshest fruits they can find. Marisa Cruz and...

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Conductor, composer and pianist Dr. Emanuele Andrizzi caps his emails with the declaration of another Italian artist, World War I-era writer Gabriele D’Annunzio: “Ama il tuo sogno se pur ti tormenta,” or “Love your dream even though it torments you.” It’s a refreshing tonic to the somewhat mushy 21st-Century mantra “do what you love.” And it define...

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A new shop dishing out shaved ice has opened its doors in the neighborhood. The new addition to Portage Park, called Little Lulu's Italian Ice, is located at 5035 W. Montrose Ave. The shop was established by Autumn Bastyr, a mother of twins and professional photographer, who was inspired to start developing her own treats after struggling to find h...

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Fruitastic-O, which offers Italian ice and “cream ice,” held a grand opening on July 1 at Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St., where it will be stationed until October. Run by owner Mike Small (second from left), of Mt. Greenwood, and his family, Fruitastic-O offers six flavors of Italian ice, including blueberry, lemon, mango and sour cherry. Th...

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Those who experienced Riccardo Muti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on the Harriman-Jewell Series in 2015 or 2017 know that when Muti is on the podium, it’s more than a concert. It’s a spiritual experience. This month, Muti will celebrate his 50th anniversary as a conductor. He has had a remarkable career, including serving as principal c...

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The renamed Little Italy Festa, formerly called Festa Italiana, will take place on Taylor Street east of Ashland Avenue Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 16 through 19. After a hiatus of several years, Ron Onesti of Onesti Entertainment is returning to produce the festa, which celebrates the historic Taylor Street-Little Italy community. The four-day e...

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