Tag Archives: Associazione San Rocco di Valenzano

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. …

San Rocco has been a part of Frank DeFrenza’s life from his childhood in Italy through his adult life in the Chicago area. DeFrenza was born in 1946 in Valenzano, a town outside Bari, Puglia, where San Rocco is the patron saint. “They say because of him the plague didn’t touch Valenzano,” DeFrenza says. San Rocco was a 14th-century French noble who gave away his wealth to live as a pilgrim, miraculously healing plague victims across Italy. After contracting the plague himself, he was saved by a hunting dog that brought him food and licked his wounds in a forest …