Profiles

The Italian American community knows Jean Parisi best as La Befana, the good Christmas witch who made appearances for decades at yuletide celebrations throughout the Chicago area. But that’s just the tip of the cultural iceberg for this veteran community arts activist. Over the decades, she has created massive community art installations, staged plays with puppets of her own making and performed commedia dell’arte, the traditional Italian improvisational theater. She’s also taught a range of visual and performing arts to students of all ages and experiences including families, senior citizens and individuals with special needs. And for 30 years she …

For Christopher Derks, finally becoming president of the Columbian Club of Chicago is an honor … and a bit of surprise. “You work your way up through the ranks, so you know it’s coming,” he says of the presidency. “It has come a lot quicker than I was expecting.” Derks will assume the presidency on Jan. 1, but the club’s annual installation dinner has been moved from its traditional time slot in January to April 12 at Cuneo Mansion. Joining Derks as officers will be First Vice President Gerald Iannuzzelli, Second Vice President Edoardo Izzi, Third Vice President Michael Quaid, …

On his way to becoming a history teacher, Michael Bodenhagen stumbled onto teaching Italian. Now, he’s found his passion, he says. Bodenhagen grew up in Homer Glen, Illinois, in a family that was very proud of its Italian heritage, he says. His maternal grandparents moved from Bari to the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, and relatives on his father’s side came from Termini Imerese, Sicily. “My mom and nonna would speak to each other in Italian, which would be the driving factor in my desire to learn Italian,” he says. “In addition, we would have big family parties …

Daniel Pizzoferrato says that the first time he heard someone play the zampogna, it felt like he was listening to the sound of his ancestry. That moment 10 years ago prompted Pizzoferrato to embark on a journey to master the ancient Italian instrument, which he now showcases at Italian-American Christmastime celebrations in the Chicago area. He also occasionally plays with La Tosca Italian Mambo Ensemble, based in Chicago. So why was hearing the sound of the zampogna so touching for him that first time? “I grew up with a lot of music and people who played the Italian accordion, the …

Running a large, successful non-profit enterprise has its challenges, but Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization President Lou Scaramuzzo says his members make his job so much easier. “The membership is so cooperative and willing to do whatever it takes to help people,” Scaramuzzo says. “They are very giving people who do exceptional charitable work.” Scaramuzzo is on his second stint as president of CIACO, having previously led from 2007-14. A member of CIACO since 2003 and a board member since 2005, he has been with the group almost since its founding in 1998. One way to track the group’s growth …

An Italian-language instructor at the University of Illinois Chicago for more than 24 years, Maria Iusco is the creator of the school’s longest-running study abroad program, which has brought hundreds of students to Siena and Salerno in Italy. Speaking two or more languages is an asset that helps students become citizens of the world and opens more professional opportunities for them, she says. “This is what I build on in all my classes every single day,” Iusco says. “This is a gift that was given to me, and this is what I give to my students.” Born and raised in …

Now representing Italy on his sixth of seven continents, Chicago’s new consul general has been a part of several initiatives that have significantly impacted his country’s relationship with the rest of the world. Most of us have been in the proverbial right place at the right time at least once in our lives. Mario Bartoli, Italy’s new consul general in Chicago, has made a career of it. During nearly a quarter-century in the Italian diplomatic corps, Bartoli has played a role in easing tensions between North and South Korea, worked with local authorities to secure the release of two hostages …

An ammo bearer and then M-60 gunner for the Army, Paul LaFalce is still dealing with the psychic damage wrought during endless recon missions in the jungles of Vietnam. One of four children, Paul LaFalce was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, to Anthony and Maria Scrivani LaFalce. He grew up there surrounded by his extended family. LaFalce’s paternal grandparents emigrated from Calabria and his maternal grandparents from Abruzzo. LaFalce remembers many good cooks in his family. “Grandma LaFalce made the best meatballs and sauce,” he says. “And Grandma Scrivani made the best homemade cheese ravioli.” The LaFalce family, which included …

What do Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola, Frank Crespi and Jim Pisoni have in common? The baseball legends have been immortalized on a mural in Cuggiono, Italy! All four were born between 1918 to 1929 on “The Hill,” the legendary Italian-American neighborhood in St. Louis, to parents who had emigrated from western Lombardy, where Cuggiono is located. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, thousands of residents of Cuggiono and nearby towns such as Inveruno, Malvaglio, Buscate and Arconate immigrated to the United States, with St. Louis being one of their primary destinations. The idea to honor the four baseball stars …

Italy’s first master chocolatier, Cecilia Rabassi is creating an oasis in the Tuscan countryside where people can savor and learn about “The Chocolate of Tomorrow.” “Creating chocolate is like a dance. Every movement must be perfect and perfection is achieved only by trying and trying again, with sacrifice, perseverance and passion.” That’s how Cecilia Tessieri Rabassi, the first female maître chocolatier in the world and the first person to earn the title in Italy, describes on her website the product she has carefully crafted for more than 30 years. Rabassi was appointed Cavaliere al merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight of …