Local News

The Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans honored nine accomplished women at the 2025 Impresa Awards. Scholarships were also presented to several deserving female high school seniors at the event. “We’re always so proud to host the Impresa Awards,” JCCIA Women’s Division President Rosemary Ranallo says. “It’s our opportunity to shine the spotlight on Italian-American women of accomplishment and to encourage young Italian-American women to follow in their footsteps.” This year’s honorees are: Lisa Capitanini, award-winning investigative producer for NBC 5 (WMAQ-TV) Chicago Tracey Tarantino DiBuono, founder and director of Zzazz Productions Linnea McHugh, chief policy …

The Italian American Veterans Museum has banded together with four other veterans museums from across the Chicago area to create a game-changing venture in Addison. The Chicagoland Veterans Campus will be located at 39 Army Trail Boulevard in a stately 100-year-old former school building owned by St. Paul Lutheran Church. Participating in the creation of the campus are the Chicagoland Combined Veterans Museum & Library (CCVML), Camp Grant Historical Society Museum, Hellenic American Veterans Memorial & Museum, Italian American Veterans Museum (IAVM) and 10th Mountain Division Museum. Spearheading the project is CCVML President Lorenzo Fiorentino, a retired Army Major and …

After six whirlwind months of construction, the first floor of the Community Center at Casa Italia has been transformed as part of an ongoing rinascimento at the venerable institution. The Community Center has always been a great venue for special events, with a modern lobby and restrooms, the Chandelier Room accommodating up to 140 guests, and the building’s former gymnasium being available for larger crowds. But the gymnasium was only accessible via flights of stairs, and food had to be prepared off-site and brought in, preventing the facility from reaching its full potential. All that has changed, thanks to a …

Consul General Mario Bartoli pulled out all the stops for the first Festa della Repubblica celebration of his tenure at the Italian Consulate in Chicago. Around 450 leaders from both sides of the Atlantic packed the Morse Genius Chicago Room of the Chicago History Museum and poured out onto the plaza behind the museum during the June 9 festivities. Food stations and information booths were arrayed indoors and out, with a Lamborghini gracing the plaza. Food service was coordinated by Joe Monastero with the assistance of Michelle Durpetti Events and Onesti Entertainment. Music was provided by DJ Tommaso Conforti. Presentations …

The Grand Lodge Illinois/Wisconsin of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America celebrated its 49th biennial grand convention on June 14 at Crystal Sky Banquets in McCook. After a hiatus since 2019 due to the Covid-19 crisis and the loss of key members, grand lodge officers and delegates from seven filial lodges gathered to share ideas, elect new leadership and honor community service. A ceremony honoring deceased members was followed by reports from grand lodge officers and lodge presidents. Chicago Heights Lodge President Giacomo Mancini spoke about his 35-year membership and his lodge’s 100-year anniversary in 2026. Participants …

The first Italian American pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Chicago was such a resounding success, the shrine is gearing up to replicate the experience on Sept. 21 Buses will once again pick up and drop off attendees at Casa Italia in Stone Park and the Old Neighborhood Italian American Club in Chicago, with Villa Cesare in Schererville, Indiana, and the American Italian Cultural Society in Crest Hill added to the itinerary. Pickup times will vary, depending on distance from the shrine. Tours of the shrine will precede a noon Mass, followed by a reception. …

At the start of the 21st century, shopping online was still a futuristic fantasy. And then, in the spring of 2000, Federico Marchetti invented one of the world’s first platforms for online sales, launching a company that would revolutionize the luxury fashion sector. In “The Geek of Chic: An American Dream, Italian Style,” Marchetti tells the tale of an awkward kid from the seaside town of Ravenna, Italy, who transformed himself into a pioneer in online retail. He’ll be sharing that story at a Sept. 17 book signing at the Book Cellar in Chicago. Readers will follow Marchetti’s improbable career …

The legacy of Florentine poet Dante Alighieri was once again celebrated as the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans hosted its annual Dante and DiFrisco Awards Luncheon at the Galleria Marchetti in Chicago on May 22. Lynn Sweet was the 2025 recipient of the Dante Award. A respected journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times for more than 40 years, she most recently served as its Washington bureau chief. “I am deeply honored to have my decades of work in Chicago recognized by such a distinguished group,” Sweet said. “The award represents truth in journalism, and Lynn is a fiery example of …

  Roselle Sister Cities Italian Committee will host a tour of the region of Puglia from Sept. 7-16. “Puglia is known for its history-rich cities, vibrant culture, dramatic seaside cliffs, crystal-clear waters and rustic cuisine,” tour creator Pat Capriati notes. “We’ve put together a trip that will showcase all those qualities.” The itinerary will include Bari, Mola di Bari, Alberobello, Martina Franca, Lecce, Otranto, Martina Franca, Torre dell’Orso, Santa Maria di Leuca, Polignano a Mare, San Vito, Rutigliano and Manduria. Along the way, participants will witness the pageantry of the Feast of Maria SS Addolorata; explore the ancient trulli of …

On May 13, more than 300 elected officials, political lobbyists and community leaders converged on the Bank of Springfield Convention Center for the third annual Italian Caucus Reception in the state’s capital. What began as a quiet dinner prepared by Elmwood Park Mayor Angelo “Skip” Saviano and Bloomingdale Mayor Franco Coladipietro has blossomed into what legislators refer to as the “best party in Springfield.” The event is chaired by State Rep. Anthony Deluca and Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans President Ron Onesti. “When I heard about the event a few years ago, I thought it would be a great …