Close

Coco Pazzo in River North is marking 30 years in Chicago. The Italian restaurant was one of the first to serve Tuscan-inspired food in the city. Located at 300 W. Hubbard, it opened in the winter of 1992 serving up ultra-thin pizzas, seafood vegetables, meats and chicken in a special wood-fired oven.Breads are baked in house and pastas are made fre...

502

With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Gene & Georgetti Chicago is feeling positive about a busy March. Beginning today, the 81-year-old Chicago restaurant will honor its tradition of offering a special menu during the Lenten season. “This was a tradition that started when I was a little girl, and one that we love to honor,” says third-generatio...

733

St. Peter’s, the architectural wonder that dominates the skyline of Rome, is more accessible than you think. The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia houses its own capolavoro of the iconic basilica and its adjacent piazza. Just take a short car ride to west suburban Stone Park and an invigorating ascent to the third floor, and there it is in all...

554

The Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization is fielding applications for its 2022 scholarships. CIACO bestows more than a dozen $2,500 scholarships annually to high school seniors based on academic achievement and need. Checks are traditionally presented at a banquet hall at the group’s Honor and Hope Gala, but this year, they’ll be gi...

797

They say it takes a whole village to raise a child. In the case of Casa Italia, Italian Americans across the metropolitan area recently rallied around the beloved institution. The Casa was hit particularly hard by the pandemic last year, canceling its spring gala and losing a quarter of its operating revenue in one fell swoop. But when the going go...

553

The Italian American Political Coalition will honor a pair of local dynamos at its annual Heritage Celebration. Leyden Township Assessor Al Biancalana will receive the coalition’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the event, and DuPage County board member Sam Tornatore will receive the group’s William Paca Award. The event is slated for March 24 at Elm...

691

The year is 1800, the city is Rome and Mario Cavaradossi, a painter and revolutionary, is in love with the beautiful singer Tosca. Baron Scarpia, the chief of police, covets Tosca for himself, setting the stage for one of opera’s great tragedies. When a political prisoner and ally of Mario escapes, Mario is apprehended for questioning. Revealing no...

453

The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans and the JCCIA Women’s Division will join hands to celebrate an Italian-American version of Women’s History Month throughout March. In keeping with the 2022 Women’s History Month theme — “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” — they will honor Italian-American doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters...

522

Naïve painter Antonio Ligabue has often been compared to other famous untrained artists like Henri Rousseau and Vincent van Gogh. Like them, Ligabue developed a special affinity with the natural world. While living a life between nervous breakdowns and psychiatric wards, he produced an incredible body of work ranging from imaginary orientalist them...

586

The Old Nichols Library in downtown Naperville is getting a surprising new tenant this summer. Restaurateur Brian Goewey recently announced he's opening a sixth location for the Gia Mia Italian restaurant chain in the historic building at 110 S. Washington St. While it will have a menu familiar to fans of the Gia Mia's in Downers Grove, Elmhurst, G...

789