Some benefactors are drawn to the limelight that their generosity attracts and others prefer to work their charitable magic behind the scenes. Domenico Gambino is cut of the latter cloth. A co-owner of the Tony’s Finer Food grocery empire, Gambino has been a quiet force for good in the Italian-American community for decades, deploying resources and leveraging connections with little fanfare and great effect. “What I do I do from the heart and because it makes me feel good,” Gambino explains. “That’s all the thanks I need.” Born in Ciminna, Sicily, in 1945, Domenico is one of eight children of …

It’s amazing what someone can accomplish with a little passion and diplomacy. State Rep. Anthony DeLuca’s recent defense of Columbus Day is a shining example. As we all know, annual celebrations of Columbus have been under assault for decades, with cities and states across the country either flat-out eliminating them or supplanting them with celebrations honoring Native Americans. The latest major municipality to deep six Columbus Day was Los Angeles, where the city council voted 14-1 to replace it with Indigenous People’s Day following a fractious public hearing that attracted national media attention. But here in Illinois, our celebration still …

  Nobody puts on a show quite like an Italian. And when the showman is Riccardo Muti, leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a concert of Italian opera masterworks, you know you’re in for a treat. My wife and I leapt at the opportunity to attend after learning about the program in the June installment of Artbeat. But mere words on paper couldn’t possibly prepare us for the operatic thrill ride to come. Our seats were on the fringe of the first balcony, where it hovers above the left side of the stage. From that vantage point, we …

  The sun shined brightly on the 2016 Columbus Day Parade, which attracted one of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds in recent memory. The weather was glorious and the spectators stood five deep along State Street all the way from Monroe to Wacker. Buses filled with volunteers and parade goers left the grounds of Casa Italia in the early morning for the Mass, with a second wave departing later in the morning and heading directly for the parade. The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii was filled to capacity for the Mass, the altar was gorgeous with bouquets of flowers, …

    Last month I described a multitude of features in familysearch.org, and hopefully I helped beginners, intermediate level and advanced genealogists. One area I have not spent a lot of time in is the Learning Center, most likely because I have been at this for so long, that I don’t look at beginner material. However, for those of you who are just starting out with your Italian research, the Learning Center is a great place to find out how to begin (besides this column, of course!) If you happen to have other ethnicities to research besides Italian, it can …

From arias and symphonies to Neapolitan streets songs and pop, Italian music cannot be categorized by style or genre. But if there is one word that sums up centuries of musical creativity, Robert Rodi may have found it: crescendo. In honor of this, Rodi has created a multi-genre musical production titled ’O sole mio. Based entirely on Italian music, it combines classical melodies such as “Core ‘ngrato,” “’O sole mio” and “Caro mio ben” and more modern favorites like “Al di la,” “lo che non vivo” and “Volare” with modern Italian pop like “Ancora, ancora, ancora.” These songs touch on …

  In our ongoing series, Basilicata: Land of Cinema, we take a look at one film getting a lot of international attention. It was announced recently that “The Sled” (La slitta) by Emanuela Ponzano was selected for the Rhode Island International Film Festival, which will take place in Newport from August 9 to 14. This is great news for Ponzano because placement in this festival qualifies the film for Oscar and Bafta awards. Shot in the scenic Monte Sirino area of Basilicata, the story follows Alfred, a child who lives with his family in the woods near an isolated village in …

  In the column I wrote last month about widespread efforts to blot out Columbus Day, I touched upon a game-changing encounter that took place a quarter of a century ago. In July 1991, Native- and Italian-American leaders entered a room as adversaries and left as allies who embraced each other’s cultures and supported each other’s causes. As a result, peace reigned over Chicago’s quincentennial Columbus Day celebrations. But how exactly did this remarkable détente occur? For the answers, I turned to its principal architect: Dominic DiFrisco. A gifted public relations professional and talented mediator, he served as president of …

  Columbus Day is under assault as never before. Once unabashedly celebrated throughout the land, it was hailed initially by President Harrison in 1892, designated a national holiday by President Roosevelt in 1934, and pegged to the second Monday in October by President Nixon in 1972. A couple of halcyon decades followed during which schools, banks and governmental agencies across the country closed each year in honor of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea. The hero of the day is particularly cherished by Italian Americans, who have celebrated his history-altering accomplishments and shared ancestry with parades that back to San …

  At our annual celebration honoring the Italian students inducted into the National Honor Society, “Società Onoraria Italica-Sezione Cristoforo Colombo,” the Prospect High School Italian Program showcased the hard work of students at Prospect High and St. Raymond’s and honored members and organizations in the community who share the passion of Italian with the Italian students at Prospect. The Copernico exchange students from Verona and Prospect teamed up with the SOAR Program at Fairview to send the beloved children’s book character Flat Stanley to Verona over the holidays. The SOAR children were presented with a framed collage of photos of …