Profiles

While studying to be a lawyer in college, Anthony Greco joined the Army National Guard and was transformed by the experience. The older of two children, Anthony Greco was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Anthony and Tracy Sherrill Greco. His mother, from Evanston, recently passed away. His father was born in Calabria, Italy, and at 6 months old, immigrated with his mother to Patterson, New Jersey, to join his father. They later moved to the Chicago area to help with the family restaurant. Greco grew up in Melrose Park enjoying Italian foods prepared by his paternal grandfather, who owned Tony’s …

There’s a famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi that applies to the renovation of the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii: “First, what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” This spring, the Shrine will be in full bloom at our newly renovated place of worship, which has been the home of Italian Americans for more than a century. Fr. Richard N. Fragomeni, Ph.D., rector of the Shrine, always says, “The Shrine is a place where your heart has a home.” Well, this renovation wouldn’t be possible without the hearts of many. …

For 50 years, members of the Mazzini-Verdi Club and Mazzini-Verdi Ladies Club have gathered at 9230 Belmont Ave. in Franklin Park to spend time together, host events in the clubhouse ballroom and play in friendly yet competitive games of bocce on the indoor courts. To lead the clubs as they begin the next 50 years are two presidents with plenty of experience, Luigi Banducci and Lydia Arnstein. Arnstein joined the Mazzini-Verdi Ladies Club around 35 years ago. This year and next will be Arnstein’s third two-year term as president. Her predecessor, Giovanna Carlino, sadly passed away late last year, during …

Pat Disabato takes to the stage of the The Lyric Theater in Blue Island. After a three-decade career in newspapers, Pat Disabato now works as live events manager for The Lyric Theater in uptown Blue Island, which he describes as having “a vibe like no other.” “It resembles a 1940s Las Vegas cabaret with state-of-the-art sound and lighting,” he says. “We have servers taking drink orders, so folks can enjoy the show without having to leave their seat. They love that.” A native of Blue Island, Disabato grew up wanting to be either a major league baseball player or a …

If she hadn’t trusted her instincts, Carla Cornette would have never embarked on the circuitous path that eventually led her to find her life’s passion: teaching Italian. In fact, that’s precisely her advice for young people. “Listen to your gut!” she says. “If you’re passionate about something, follow that and make it work.” A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Cornette is the director of undergraduate studies for the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Missouri, where she also teaches Italian. Cornette has taught at the University of Missouri (nicknamed “Mizzou”) for the last three years after teaching …

Spinal muscular atrophy may confine her to a wheelchair, but it hasn’t prevented Luisa Rizzo from soaring to the top of the drone racing world. The pinnacle of 23-year-old Luisa Rizzo’s drone racing career so far was her triumph at the 2024 Women’s World Drone Racing Championship in Hangzhou, China. She used her innate talent, lightning-fast reflexes and strategic prowess to outlast 111 of the world’s best pilots, all while seated in her motorized wheelchair. “When I won the gold medal, it was unexpected for everyone. I had everyone cheering for me, not just Italians,” Rizzo says. “I was not …

I first heard the above about seven decades ago. It gave me and my cousins the giggles to hear my Uncle Mil refer to one of my great-aunts that way. But let’s start the story with the man who brought so much lighthearted joy into our lives. His name was Emilio Antonio Grippo. Born in 1920, he was the first son and fourth child of Antonio and Elena (Morrone) Grippo, who had emigrated from Laurino, Salerno, Campania, Italy around 1912. My grandparents lived on May Street just south of Taylor Street in Chicago’s legendary Little Italy. Finances, fate and the …

A stockbroker turned actor who was “discovered” on a train ride into work, Michael Cavalieri now focuses exclusively on Sicilian and Italian culture as a writer and director. New York native Michael Cavalieri is an actor, writer and director who has made his desire to elevate storytelling about Sicilian-American culture the leitmotif of his work. Cavalieri made his directorial debut with “Ritornato” (2021), a short film about a man who travels to Sicily to fulfill a promise to his dying mother and ends up discovering a life-changing family secret. His award-winning documentary “La Porta Dell’Inferno” (2022) focuses on child laborers …

  Before netting top honors at this year’s Sanremo Festival, Sal Da Vinci had been quietly amassing a loyal fan base outside the international media spotlight with his heartfelt love songs. When Sanremo Music Festival crowned Sal Da Vinci its winner this year, it felt less like a breakthrough than a coronation long delayed. For decades, Sal Da Vinci has been one of Italy’s most beloved musical interpreters of romance, carrying the melodic grandeur of canzone napoletana into pop, theater and television. But his victory with “Per sempre sì” wasn’t simply another career milestone — it was a cultural moment. …

In his 13 years as mayor of Bloomingdale, Franco Coladipietro has worked on several large-scale projects, but none as consequential as the redevelopment of the now-demolished Stratford Square Mall. The site, renamed “The Grove,” will be home to Bloomingdale Yard, a 100,000-square-foot sports training facility slated to open next year. There are also plans for restaurants, an event lawn, a man-made lake, retail space and luxury residences. The old mall, once the largest revenue generator for the village, had become a symbol of failure, Coladipietro says. “Failure doesn’t sit well with me,” he says. “The mall’s ownership group had no …