Local News

The Consulate General of Italy in Chicago celebrated the 80th anniversary of la Festa della Repubblica in grand fashion on June 4 at the Chicago History Museum. The event was spearheaded by Consul General Mario Bartoli and his staff with the support and involvement of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, Italian Trade Agency, Italian National Tourist Board, Italian American Chamber of Commerce Midwest, and other local and regional authorities, as well as a host of sponsors. More than 400 leaders from both sides of the Atlantic packed the Morse Genius Chicago Room at the CHM and poured out onto …

Ballet Légere will hold auditions for its 41st annual production of “The Nutcracker” on Aug. 8 and 9 at Légere Dance Centre in River Forest. Parts are available for girls and boys, gymnasts and tumblers and male and female dancers, both teen and adult, for pointe and non-pointe roles. Callbacks will be announced Aug. 15 and 16 and held Aug. 17-31. Ballet Légere has been performing “The Nutcracker” annually under the direction of Donna Vittorio since 1985. For more information, call 773-237-1874, balletlegere@yahoo.com.

More than a century of close ties binds Rockford, Illinois, and Ferentino, Italy. That bond was made official when they became Sister Cities two decades ago. State, city and county proclamations have recognized this milestone. Mayors Larry Morrissey of Rockford and Piergianni Fiorletta of Ferentino signed the official Sister City documents in May 2006. Nine officials from Ferentino’s city council and the city’s arts and cultural organization traveled to Rockford for the ceremony and a busy week of meetings and festivities. Ferentino is an ancient-yet-modern city of 21,000 people located 45 minutes southeast of Rome. It is rich with Roman …

Casa Italia presented its 22nd annual IA Literati authors exposition on May 23. The event was chaired by Anna Weiss and emceed by Frank Di Piero. Lou Bruno, author of “The Love of San Demetrio,” talked about his transformative journey to his ancestral home to research his novel. Former Loyola University professor Carla Simonini shared insights from her scholarly dissertation “Traveling Italy, Writing America” and Oak Park’s Mike Rosanova read from his autobiography, “Big Brains and Broken Hearts.” Leah Eskin, longtime food writer for the Chicago Tribune, spoke about her debut novel, “Like Wafers in Honey.” It follows the parallel …

Everybody loves a summer festival, and this month features a treasure trove of Italian-themed outdoor celebrations. Buon divertimento! AUGUST 1 FESTA FUORI at the Mazzini Verdi Club in Franklin Park is sponsored by the Mazzini Verdi Ladies Club. Dubbed “Una Serata di Ballo,” the event features cocktails at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m. and entertainment by DJ Alex. (630-443-8722, 773-589-0388)   JULY 31-AUGUST 2 FESTA ITALIANA at Boylan Central Catholic High School in Rockford is sponsored by the Greater Rockford Italian American Association. The event features food and beverages for sale, live entertainment, and activities for children and adults. …

  One of the most thrilling and glamorous events in the Chicago-area Italian-American community is the contest to determine who will reign as La Bella Regina of the Columbus Day Parade. “Few events in the community can match the pageantry of the annual Columbus Day Queen pageant,” says Ron Onesti, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. “The queen will be the star of the Italian community for a year’s reign.” Sponsored by the JCCIA, this year’s pageant will be held at 6 p.m. on July 29 at the Des Plaines Theatre. The event will be chaired by …

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Melrose Park will celebrate the 133rd anniversary of its devotion to the Blessed Mother on July 19. Festivities will begin with a 7:30 a.m. Mass in English and a 9 a.m. solemn Mass in Italian, followed by a procession with the statue of the Blessed Mother to a noon field Mass. A procession through the streets of the parish afterward will culminate in a 4 p.m. benediction, followed by a 5 p.m. Mass in Spanish. The Sicilian Band of Chicago and Caliendo’s Banda Napoletana will perform during both processions, and food and …

Cabrini Shrine will celebrate the life of Mother Cabrini and the 80th anniversary of her sainthood July 11-12, featuring music, guest speakers, and ethnic cuisine. Saturday’s festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. with a performance by the Children’s Spanish Choir at St. Mary of the Lake – Our Lady of Lourdes. The Rev. Corey Brost of St. Viator House will speak at 12 p.m. on church teaching and migration. The Gospel Choir from St. Simon of Cyrene Parish will perform at 2:30 p.m., with the day’s events concluding with 4 p.m. Mass. Polish and Italian food will be served from 11 …

Each year, more than two dozen Italian patron saint celebrations grace the Chicago area. Kept alive by paesani from villages and cities across Italy, these events preserve some of the most cherished of our traditions. Festivities range from simple religious services to solemn masses and processions to family festivals that last several days. But they all have one thing in common: devotion to the spiritual protectors of la bell’Italia. At press time, information was available on the following events. JULY 19 THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Melrose Park is …

Villa Cesare in Schererville, Indiana, will host its annual Festa Italiana from July 17-19. The event features food and beverages for sale, live entertainment, a beer and wine garden, contests and classes for adults, activities for kids, and bocce. Admission is free. A bocce tournament, and spaghetti-eating and grape-stomping contests, will take place on July 18. Registration for all three events is required. Entertainers includes Vince Amore, Frankie Seta, the Tradizione Vivente Italian dance troupe, Carmelo Zaccone, and the Tommy Panici Quartet. For more, click here.