Columns

The 25th anniversary edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema is upon us, and it’s hard to believe that a quarter of a century has gone by since the first edition in 2001. This year’s lineup features 15 films that exemplify the richness and diversity of contemporary Italian cinema, from young filmmakers to veterans, from comedies to dramas to documentaries. “It’s always a pleasure to bring the most exciting new films in Italian cinema to our audience here in New York, and this year’s edition of Open Roads should prove especially stimulating, spotlighting some of Italy’s greatest up-and-coming talent, but …

There was a time when Sicily meant departure. Today, it is quietly becoming a place of return. Across the island, something is shifting. Not just in the lifestyle narratives that have long drawn foreigners to southern Italy, but in fiscal policy itself. In a move that is both symbolic and surprisingly concrete, the Sicilian regional government has introduced a new incentive designed to attract residents from abroad — including Italians who once left and are now considering coming back. The idea is simple and striking: Move to Sicily, and the region will refund up to half of your income tax. …

Summertime is here and there are plenty of options to keep you busy. The plan for this month’s column is to offer several opportunities to visit Roseland, Pullman and Kensington. The first thing that comes to mind since it is June, is the St. Anthony Festival on June 14. The end of the month is covered by the longstanding Annual Pullman Garden Club Tour. The next thing that comes to mind is the Taste of Chicago in the Pullman Neighborhood. The Pullman National Historical Park has a full schedule of offerings for the month of June. The Roseland pizza get …

At one time or another, we are all looking for something — a person we’d like to meet, a place we’d like to visit, or something we need.  In all these situations, we can use the verb cercare, which means “to look for.”  But it is possible to extract many other shades of meaning from this simple verb. Cercare can also mean “to ask for” or “to ask about” someone. We can add the phrase “di fare” to cercare when “trying to do” something.  The connection between the verb cercare and the idea of “trying” is probably derived from the …

One morning on our way to Italy in summer 1960, I was playing tag with a few friends on a largely deserted deck of the Saturnia. It had rained the night before, and the gray surface still glistened with dime-sized splats of moisture. Chasing one of the boys, I slipped and fell on my back, sliding fast toward the railing. With the ship’s heaving and my own momentum, I feared shooting into the sea beneath the lowest tier of the metal rail. Bending my knees, I came to a stop when my left shin slammed against a large bolt connecting …

When you’re at home researching your genealogy, or at a library or FamilySearch center, it doesn’t matter what the weather is like. You’re indoors! When you want to visit someone at a cemetery, to say a prayer or to get some genealogy information about them, you’re mostly outside. In good ol’ Chicagoland, you have to plan your cemetery trips around the weather. Too much rain leads to soggy wet muddy ground. Too many leaves in the fall leads to flat stones covered and you can’t see them. Too much cold wind leads to freezing. Too much summer heat leads to …

With spring and summer upon us, I thought I’d write about Roseland’s Little League. However, once I got into researching my collection of Calumet Index Annuals, I realized that I’ve never written about these outstanding pieces of Roseland history. There were annual issues from 1964 to 1972 that covered specific topics. As a journalist I am always keeping track of sources for information. Of the nine issues that I believe existed, I’m only missing the 1967 and 1971 issues. The best part of each issue are all the dated ads, which display prices that are hard to believe considering the …

Today I would like to talk about citizenship. A hot button topic to be sure, but for genealogists, the documents filed for citizenship can be a great source of information about our relatives and can tell some parts of their story when they are no longer here to tell it themselves. Chicagoans have a number of resources on good ol’ Familysearch.org. There are also resources on Ancestry.com if you’re a subscriber or if you’re using a library’s free subscription. Before 1929, a person could file for citizenship in several different courts. These are: Cook County Circuit Court Cook County Superior …

Giulio Bertelli’s debut feature, “Agon,” was selected for the Museum of Modern Art’s annual New Directors/New Films festival. The 55th edition took place at MoMA in New York from April 8-19. Set against the lead-up to the fictional Ludoj 2024 Olympic Games, “Agon” follows three female athletes as they prepare for and compete in rifle shooting, fencing and judo. The film immerses the women in the political, social, technological and physical pressures of elite sports. Drawing inspiration from Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, and Russian cavalry officer Nadezhda Durova, “Agon” offers a contemporary exploration of the contradictions in sports: originally designed for wartime …

General Italian Pronunciation Although Italian is a phonetic language, with words that are easily sounded out by the letter, the correct syllable to stress often remains an enigma. The main reason for this is the lack of accents in written Italian. In the few cases where the very last syllable of an Italian word is stressed, the vowel at the end of the word will be given a grave (`) accent, as in città (city) or caffè (coffee).  The commonly used adverb, perché (why), takes an acute accent.  Otherwise, accents are infrequently used in Italian and pronunciation is learned by …