Profiles

Opting to go to Vietnam as an enlisted man rather than an officer, Allan Zitella often chose the thornier path, emerging relatively unscathed despite the greatly increased risk. The youngest of three children, Allan Zitella was born in Chicago to Joseph and Christina (Zipparo) Barrile. His mother died when Zitella was 3 years old and he and his siblings, Richard and JoAnn, were eventually adopted by their maternal great-aunt and -uncle, Anna and James Zitella. Zitella grew up in the neighborhood around Harlem and North avenues, one block from his maternal grandmother. His adoptive father emigrated from Riano, Italy, and …

A driving force in the Cubs’ 2016 championship season, Anthony Rizzo returned to Wrigley Field for the first time since being traded to the Yankees in 2021 for a Sept. 6 matchup with his old team. Watching Anthony Rizzo’s rise to stardom in the Windy City was a Cubs fan’s dream come true. As the player and team reached unimagined heights together, America’s pastime became a religious experience in the home of deep-dish pizza and the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. Being a lifelong devotee of the Chicago Cubs, I endured the multi-season heartbreak that reached a new low in …

A dancer since early childhood, Mickela Mallozzi has parlayed her lifelong passion into a popular PBS series that travels the world to celebrate the joy of movement. Mickela Mallozzi is the four-time Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer of “Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi,” a PBS series that highlights the diversity of dance with episodes filmed around the world. Born and raised in Connecticut, Mallozzi tells Fra Noi about her Italian roots, the path that led her to create the show, and filming with her nonna in Italy. Elena Ferrarin: Did you grow up connected to your Italian heritage? Mickela …

After 39 years as a police officer, Philip Tenerelli continues to serve his community in an abundance of ways. Now happily retired and a proud grandfather, he looks back on his career with satisfaction. Growing up in the South Side of Chicago, Tenerelli knew a lot of police officers who lived in the area and, after deciding that he didn’t enjoy working in sheet metal like his father, chose to go into law enforcement. “I just thought it was a pretty cool job,” he explains. After graduating from Leo High School in Chicago, Tenerelli attended Moraine Valley Community College, where …

Whether you believe in destiny or not, it’s undeniable that serendipity played a role in how Matt Cozzi ended up as the co-host of the podcast “Locked On Cubs.” Cozzi and his friend Sam Olbur started the job in July 2022 as the fourth hosts in the history of the podcast, which altogether numbers more than 1,100 episodes. Their show has been very successful, with 10,600 YouTube subscribers and a No. 33 ranking among Apple’s top baseball podcasts in the United States this summer. The 30-minute episodes air five times per week and consist almost exclusively of post-game analysis during …

Maria Rago’s journey to finding her life’s mission — composing music — started with what most would call a moment of folly. The Italian pianist and composer was 24-year-old with an Italian literature degree in her native Caltanissetta, Sicily, when she went with a friend to a concert by the cellist Giovanni Sollima. All of a sudden, in the middle of the performance, Rago turned to her friend and declared, “I want to be a musician.” Astounded, her friend replied, “Come on, be serious,” she recalls. Rago was certain. “I am telling you — that’s what I want to do,” …

Italian conductor Emanuele Andrizzi spent years laying the groundwork for the creation of the Opera Festival of Chicago, which marked its fifth season this summer. A native of Rome, Andrizzi led the orchestral program at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University for more than a decade before being appointed in August as director of orchestral studies at Shenandoah University’s Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia. Over the years, he has conducted at Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Diego Opera, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, the Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Philharmonic, Orchestra della Città di Ravenna, Opera Theater of St. Louis and Cluj …

A radioman on a Landing Ship Tank during World War II, Samuel Cascio and his crew delivered weapons, troops and other cargo throughout the Pacific. The only son among four children, Dr. Samuel Cascio was born in Chicago on Aug. 27, 1924, to Joseph and Josephine (Guercio) Cascio. His father, a barber, was born in Baltimore, and his mother emigrated from Cefalù, Sicily, with her family. Cascio grew up in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side of Chicago with his maternal grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins living two blocks away. He often brought his grandmother home for visits. …

Musical genres come and go, but Frankie Valli who made walking like a man famous is as dynamic today as he was when he scored his first hit with The Four Seasons in 1962. “You want a contract? OK, here’s the contract … a Jersey contract.” That’s part of an exchange in the global theatrical phenomenon “Jersey Boys,” as Frankie Valli extends his hand to bandmate Bob Gaudio when the legendary supergroup, The Four Seasons, was born. The handshake deal has stood the test of time for more than six decades. It is a barely legal arrangement unheard of in …

  An award-winning rower in high school, John Salvi overcame brain cancer and returned to his sport, stronger than ever. Rower John Salvi won nationals as a high school senior and came in 5th place at the U-19 World Championships last year. Impressive in their own right, Salvi’s accomplishments are even more significant in light of the fact that he battled brain cancer while in high school. He’s been in remission since October 2022. “The sport is massively physically intense and mentally exhausting, which makes success in the sport that much more fulfilling,” says the 19-year-old, now a sophomore studying …