A host of perks and an attractive price tag await those who sign up as members of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. Members can download two e-books per month from the institute’s digital library, access Italian newspapers through a digital newsstand, borrow books and DVDs from the institute’s physical library, and receive discounted parking to institute events and discounted tickets to external events held in collaboration with the institute. A stylish tote bag reflecting the institute’s 2024 theme, In Futuro, is included. General membership is $40, with ItalCultura students paying only $25. For more, click here.  

  Longtime Fra Noi correspondent Dr. Kathryn Occhipinti has released an audiobook titled “Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Important Phrases,” with the same phrases found in her popular pocket phrase book of the same title. Recorded with native Italian and American speakers, the audiobook makes it possible to read and then listen to “all the Italian you need in order to enjoy your trip to Italy,” according to Occhipinti. The audiobook is available on Spotify and most streaming platforms, and the print version is available on Amazon.com and LearnTravelItalian.com. A radiologist of Italian descent, Occhipinti has been leading Italian-language …

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs is seeking North American families who are willing to host girls and boys, ages 15 to 18, from Italy and more than 50 other countries. The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance, and are carefully selected based upon academics and personality, according to ASSE Midwest Regional Director Saphia Lesch. ASSE also offers qualified American students the opportunity to spend a school year, semester or summer with a host family in another country. (800-736-1760)  

The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago has reopened its library after upgrading its catalog, adding hundreds of new titles and creating several new sections. The institute’s library contains 4,000 titles, including books and DVDs. The collection now boasts sections dedicated to Italian fiction, children and young readers, and other specialized themes. The library is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by making an appointment at iicchicago@esteri.it.  

Conte Di Savoia in Chicago’s Little Italy has sold Italian specialties and gourmet foods since 1948, and now can boast a major celebrity endorsement. Chef Jeff Mauro, the host of the TV show “Sandwich King” on the Food Network, told the BBC that Conte Di Savoia makes his favorite vegetarian sandwich. “This three-generations-old Italian deli makes its own mozzarella and its own sun-dried tomatoes, which makes this light and bright sandwich like consuming a gooey bite of sunshine with each bite,” Mauro said. Other vegetarian options include grilled eggplant and egg-salad sandwiches. Meat lovers, fear not, because Conte Di Savoia’s …

Paisans Pizzeria has opened a 10th location in the Chicago area, in the suburb of Oak Lawn. The original location in Cicero was launched in 1985 by Luigi Fejzuloski. Then came Chicago (three locations), Brookfield, Berwyn, Lisle and Morton College. Luigi’s son and three grandsons also became involved in the business, Food Industry News reported. Giving back “is at the core” of Paisans, according to its website. For example, Paisans donates pizza to the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual Muscle Walk in May, and serves Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless through the nonprofit Street Samaritans. For more, click here.

Marisa Palese plans to write a book about what the Chicago Tribune called “the long-disputed story behind the most controversial of all the Chicago-style pizzas.” That’s the stuffed pizza, invented in 1971 by her father, Rocco Palese, who with her mother, Annunziata Palese, opened the original Nancy’s Pizza in 1974. The franchise now has 25 locations, including 18 in Illinois and the rest in Georgia, Missouri and North Carolina. Marisa Palese owns the last pizzeria remaining in the family at 8706 W. Golf Road in Niles. She is looking for a publisher for her book, which will be “a saga …

LAGO Italian restaurant, which opened earlier this year in Lake Zurich, Illinois, is the latest venture from Italian-born celebrity chef Fabio Viviani. Viviani appeared on the reality TV series “Top Chef” in 2008, when he was voted “Fan Favorite.” Through his group, Fabio Viviani Hospitality, he’s opened three dozen food establishments, restaurants, bars and event spaces, according to his website. The Lake Zurich restaurant, however, is special. Viviani, a resident of nearby Barrington Hills, told the Daily Herald, “This is in my neighborhood, so it’s personal. We got a good turnout, it feels great.” Steak is the main attraction at …

Super Lawyers magazine has named 13 attorneys at Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin to its 2024 Top 100 Super Lawyers, Illinois Super Lawyers and Illinois Rising Stars. Among them are several Italian-American attorneys, among them founding partner Antonio Romanucci, who ranked among the top 10 on the Illinois list. Super Lawyers relies on peer selection and review, third-party research, and professional achievement to curate its lists. Candidates are eligible as Rising Stars if they are 40 or younger or have been in practice for 10 years or less. Only 5% of attorneys in Illinois earned the Super Lawyer title and only …

Stefani’s Bottega Italiana, a fast-casual restaurant at 6075 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, specializes in homemade pasta, Roman-style pizza and Italian sandwiches. It also features a “pasta lab” and a retail area with imported Italian ingredients, Block Club Chicago reported. Leading the kitchen is Vincenzo Vottero, a Michelin-starred chef from Bologna, Italy, who also has been tapped as Stefani Group’s culinary director. Vottero’s signature dishes are Bolognese tortellini stuffed with meat and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lasagna made with seven layers of spinach-infused noodles with Bolognese sauce. In addition to Vottero’s handmade pastas, Bottega offers additional pastas made in-house, along with a …