Retired local businessman and charitable dynamo Richard Montalbano Sr. will receive the prestigious Joseph P. Cianci Humanitarian Award at UNICO National’s annual convention, which will run from July 24 to 28 in Nashville. A knight grand cross of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Montalbano is also a past grand knight and district deputy of the Knights of Columbus and a past regional director and grand commander of the Order of Alhambra. He has served for nearly 40 years as the curator of the Crypt of the Saints, a shrine at Visitation Parish in Elmhurst that contains …

The Sons and Daughters of Italy in America will honor veteran educator Lyn Scolaro as Person of the Year at a gala on July 13 at Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park. For details, call 630-913-7654. The following profile was provided by the organization. Lyn Scolaro Professoressa Lyn Scolaro is the daughter of Veneto parents Mary (Cecchin-Galliera Veneta) and Attilio (Loreggia), sister to Lori (Robb) Vasilevich, and the proud ZiZi of Luc and Giuliana. She has been at Prospect High School for 28 years, and has been teaching Italian for 37 years, beginning her career at Mother Guerin High School in …

Romanucci & Blandin, partners Stephan Blandin, Antonio Romanucci and Frank Sommario have all been named to the 2019 Illinois Super Lawyers Top 100 List. This year marks several milestones for the firm, with founding partners Romanucci and Blandin being named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list for the 15th consecutive year and Sommario being named to the Top 100 list for the first time. In addition to being on the Illinois Super Lawyers list for the past 15 years, both Romanucci and Blandin have had a presence on the Top 100 list for a majority of that time.

The Gene Siskel Film Center will screen the world premier of “Shelf Life: The Story of Lanzi Candy,” a documentary by Michael Lahey on July 12, 13 and 17. For decades, Chicago was renowned as “Candy Capital of the World,” home to the giants Brach, Mars, Ferrara, and Wrigley, and scores of mid-sized and small family-owned companies. Those glory days are largely gone, but, against that background, filmmaker Lahey explores his grandfather Elmo Lanzi’s sweet spot in Chicago’s history. An Italian immigrant in search of the American dream, Lanzi began making candy and selling it from his storefront in 1920. …

Studenti del liceo Elk Grove Village di Chicago e studenti di Termini Imerese in Sicilia hanno fatto parte di un entusiasmante programma di scambio culturale per circa due decenni. Fondato dalla famiglia Giovanni Gullo, lo scambio porta studenti dalla Siclia nell’area di Chicago a novembre, mentre studenti di Elk Grove High School vanno in Sicilia a marzo. Gli studenti Sabrina Gullo e Fabiana Monachello hanno scritto il seguente resoconto del loro recente viaggio. A due settimane dal nostro ritorno non riusciamo ancora a superare il fatto che abbiamo lasciato i nostri amici, i nostri nuovi fratelli e sorelle, le nostre …

The Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish and Shrine commemorated the recent passing of the Rev. Peter Sordi with an 11 a.m. Mass on June 1. The Mass was concelebrated by local Scalabrini priests, with Bishop Lawrence Sabatini and the Rev. Nicholas Marro speaking during the services. (708-344-4140) Rev. Peter was born and ordained in Italy, accepting his first position as a parish priest at Holy Guardian Angels and Our Lady of Pompeii in 1946. He taught at Sacred Heart Seminary in Stone Park, served in various leadership roles on the provincial and general levels for the Scalabrini Fathers, and …

The Comboni Missionaries commemorated the second anniversary of the death of the Rev. Angelo Biancalana with a 6 p.m. Mass on June 11 in the chapel of the Comboni Mission Center in LaGrange Park. (708-354-1999) Rev. Angelo was born in Italy, moved to the Chicago area in 1951, and was ordained on May 25, 1958. Following that, he did missionary work among Native Americans in California, ran the Comboni’s vocation program in Cincinnati and crisscrossed the country in search of future missionaries. Fulfilling his dream of going to Africa, he spent more than 15 years there as a pastor, teacher …

Gina Arquilla DeBoni has been appointed managing partner of Romanucci & Blandin. She joined the Chicago-based law firm in 2010. As one of the few female managing attorneys in the state of Illinois, Arquilla DeBoni is responsible for the overall management and quality assurance of the firm’s legal and compliance services for its clients. “Gina is an asset to our firm and a passionate advocate of justice for her clients,” says Antonio Romanucci, founding partner at Romanucci & Blandin. “We are extremely proud to promote her to the position of managing partner and know she will continue to see success …

Dall’Adriatico al Mediterraneo, lo scorso giugno, otto studenti e la loro maestra hanno attraversato l’Italia per dieci giorni. È stato un viaggio molto divertente. I primi due giorni siamo stati a Lido di Gesolo vicino a Venezia. Gli studenti hanno nuotato nel Mar Adriatico. A Venezia abbiamo visto la piazza San Marco, il Ponte dei Sospiri e il Palazzo dei Dogi. Da Venezia abbiamo visitato Firenze: Ponte Vecchio, il Duomo e la casa di Dante sono alcuni dei luoghi che abbiamo visto. Prima di andare a Roma, da Firenze siamo andati a San Gimignano. A Roma abbiamo visto il Colosseo, …

Durante questo semestre, abbiamo imparato la diferenza tra il passato prossimo e l’imperfetto. Ogni studente ha portato una fotografia sua e poi l’abbiamo letta nel passato: che tempo faceva, che ore erano, che cos’è succeso. È stato molto divertente perché gli studenti dopo hanno giocato una parodia di quello che è stato nella fotografia! Poi abbiamo fatto una bella storia con tutte queste loro fotografie inisieme e l’abbiamo recitata ed anche finta! È stato meraviglioso! Abbiamo letto le storie e abbiamo anche fatto una piccola conversazione. Dopo, gli studenti hanno fatto anche delle domande come una intrevista e ogni studente …