Tag Archives: Casa Italia

There is strength in numbers, the adage goes, and nowhere is that more apparent than at Casa Italia in Stone Park, where numerous organizations will join forces to stage the Casa’s annual Christmas Village. The complimentary open house is slated for Dec. 1, 2024. The following organizations have signed on to participate at the time of publication: the Associazione Regionale Siciliana in America, Calabresi in America Organization, Associazione Regionale Pugliesi in America/San Nicola, Chicago West Suburban UNICO, Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization, Columbian Club of Chicago, Italian American Executives of Transportation, Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, Società San Francesco …

  Defining her identity and pinpointing where she feels most at home — in Italy or the United States — has never been easy for Raffaella Spilotro, the director of the children’s summer camp at Casa Italia in Stone Park. That’s because, for the first nine years of her life, Spilotro grew up in Capurso, a small town in the province of Bari, Puglia, with her parents speaking only Italian. Her mother and father came with their families to America in the 1960s, met and married here, and decided to move back to Italy when she was 2 months hold. …

Maribel Weisz of Antique Resources and Stephanie Sarris of Bellehaven Designs will celebrate Italian American Heritage Month by hosting a charity event they’re calling “Che Bellezza! An Evening of Italian Culture and Murano.” The fundraiser will run from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Antique Resources, 1741 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Boasting the largest collection of antique chandeliers in the Midwest, Antique Resources recently added a wide array of antique and vintage Murano glass chandeliers and accessories to its collection. “Maribel was so excited about her new Murano pieces, I suggested we host a party so people can find out …

Casa Italia volunteer and archivist Barbara Stasell has created an opera display in the first-floor library room in the Italian Cultural Center at the Casa. The figurines were created by Nora (“Norie”) Kalka, a local ceramicist who learned the craft during a short sojourn in California in the late 1940s. Back home in Chicago, Kalka hoped to continue her work, but the equipment and materials were only available at the time from suppliers on the West Coast. Buying them there and shipping them east, she set up her shop and developed her skills, making many gracefully imaginative pieces. “An interest …

A new day is dawning at Casa Italia as the village of Stone Park enters into negotiations with the Scalabrini Fathers to purchase the property bordered by Division Street and 39th, 37th and Soffel avenues. The Casa currently leases the property from the religious order. Plans for the property include a park district-style facility with banquet rooms and offices, police station, and pro-size soccer field and event pavilion, but the Casa isn’t going anywhere. The organization will consolidate operations in the building that houses the Italian Cultural Center. The oldest structure in Stone Park, the building will be brought up …

A wide range of Italian classes for both children and adults will be available across the Chicago area this fall. The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia offers exploratory language classes for 5- to 7-year-olds, beginning classes for 8- to 12-year-olds, and intermediate and advanced classes for 12- to 14-year-olds. Locations include Addison, Carol Stream, Elmwood Park, Highwood and Lemont. Children’s classes run for 30 weeks from September 2023 to May 2024. Adult Italian classes include beginning, intermediate and advanced, and will be conducted exclusively online. Adult classes run for 16 weeks starting in mid-September and are two hours long. …

The Calabresi in America Organization is no stranger to high-profile, large-scale events, co-hosting a massive summer festival with Società San Francesco di Paola in August, a wildly popular trip to Calabria in September and a well-attended dinner dance in October. Smaller in scope, their St. Joseph Table still packs some fundraising wallop. More than 200 members and guests took part in this year’s event, which generated $5,000 in donations to Casa Italia. The check was presented by CIAO President Chris DeSanto (on the right in the photo) to Casa Chairman Ron Onesti at the Casa’s April board meeting.  

The Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia in Stone Park unveiled a restored and enhanced Italians in Chicago exhibit at an open house from 6-9 p.m. on May 12. Archivists Terry Quilico and Barbara Stasell began work on the project two years ago under the direction of the exhibit’s creator, ICC Library Curator Dominic Candeloro. “The exhibit was renovated in the 1990s, but due to the deterioration of some of the displays, we decided that further renovations were needed,” Candeloro says. “As work progressed, we realized that there were significant aspects of the history of Italians in Chicago that were …

If you’ve finally decided to visit Italy but you’re worried about being able to communicate with the locals, the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia has the class for you. This six-week course will introduce you to important travel phrases and expressions used by native speakers in real life situations (e.g., at the airport, restaurants, hotels, banks, etc.) in a conversational format. Conducted via Zoom, the class will run from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays from May 24 to June 28. The fee is $295 until May 15 and $345 thereafter. To register, click here.    

Casa Italia honored Edward S. Lezza Jr. as Man of the Year and Joseph A. Russo as Humanitarian of the Year at its 2023 gala. The following profiles were provided by the organization. Edward S. Lezza Jr. Edward S. Lezza Jr. is a resident of Westchester, where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth and rescue dogs (Princess and Hazel).  Eddie was raised in Bellwood where his family currently resides.  He attended St. Simeon School in Bellwood.  Following graduation from Nazareth Academy, he received an Associate Degree in Business from Triton College. Eddie began at the family bakery, Lezza Spumoni & …