Tag Archives: Casa Italia

Casa Italia in Stone Park will host its monthly cenetta, Mangiare con gli amici, on May 21 in the Community Center. A happy hour with cash bar at 5:30 p.m. will be followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Served family-style, the menu will include antipasti, lasagna Bolognese, salad, chicken saltimbocca, breaded pork cutlet, roasted potatoes, broccoli in lemon and garlic, fresh fruit, coffee and cake, with a carafe each of red and white wine at each table. The cost is $50 per person. Reservations are required. Sons and Daughters of Italy in America will be spotlighted at the event. To …

I-A Literati 2026, Casa Italia’s 22nd annual celebration of local Italian-American authors, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 23 in the Florentine Room of the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia. The event will begin with coffee and sweets, and a meet-and-greet with the writers, followed by the keynote address and presentations. Additional activities include book sales and signings. This year’s authors will be Peter Belmonte, Lou Bruno, Ryan Byrnes, Frank Di Piero, Leah Eskin, Richard Leto, Mike Rosanova and Carla Simonini. Freewill donations are encouraged and reservations are required. To register, click here.

Casa Italia has launched Sabato Culturale, a series of Saturday morning presentations on Italian and Italian-American history, culture and thought. The series is the brainchild of Dominic Candeloro, curator of the library in the Italian Cultural Center at the Casa. The sessions in April and May are as follows: April 11 — Casa Italia board member Frank Di Piero will present “Saving Our Stories: From Cenetta to Podcasts to Children’s Books.” The host of the podcast “Italian American Life with Frankie D,” Di Piero has written five children’s books promoting Italian culture. April 18 — “Remembering Padre Feccia” will celebrate …

Casa Italia’s popular film series will return in March and April, with screenings taking place at the Casa’s recently renovated Community Center. March 6 — The biopic “Chiara” explores the life of St. Clare, who rebelled against her aristocratic family to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. March 13 — Re-creating life in the Italian Alps after World War II, “Vermigilio” follows the story of a mysterious deserter from Sicily who walks into a small town and upends a family’s quiet world. March 27 — In “La chimera,” a band of burglars unearths ancient treasures, selling them …

Since the start of 2025, Casa Italia has undergone a dramatic transformation after switching landlords for the first time in its history. To lead the group through this rinascimento, Casa Italia’s board chose a man with a lifetime of experience in banking and finance. “They wanted my guidance and I was honored,” says Peter Volpe, whose term as Casa’s Chairman runs the rest of the year. Casa Italia has been a “home away from home” for the Chicago-area Italian-American community for more than a quarter of a century, according to Volpe. For most of that time, the Casa leased the …

On Oct. 18, the Casa Italia Library unveiled a new website aimed at preserving family histories for posterity. Designed by library volunteer Olivia Greco, the portal allows visitors to submit stories about themselves and their family members. “This project is a wonderful way to get anyone involved,” Greco says. “If you want to tell your family’s story, but feel like writing is not your strong point, this is a perfect opportunity. It’s a fast and easy way to save our stories before they’re gone forever.” For more, click here.

Frank Conforti Jr. — along with the three generations of the Conforti family who have run Frankie’s Deli for more than half a century — were the guests of honor at Casa Italia’s 54th annual gala. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8, at The Carlisle in Lombard. Joining Frank Jr. in the spotlight were his parents, Frank Sr. and Connie, and his son Mario, who have played key roles in making Frankie’s one of the most popular Italian food emporiums in the western suburbs, along with his wife, Linda, their son Frankie and son-in-law, Dominick Carmignani, who …

The library at Casa Italia hosted two presentations this spring by Dino Fabrizi, an Italian architect who possesses in-depth knowledge about ancient Roman architecture and design. Fabrizi’s first presentation focused on Rome then and now, exploring the extent to which the city has remained the same despite centuries of change. He revealed how much of ancient Rome’s infrastructure is still standing and even functional, from its roads and theaters to its aqueducts, drainage systems and baths. Some places have found new life, he noted, becoming something else while retaining their original vocation. In his second presentation, Fabrizi discussed the important …

After six whirlwind months of construction, the first floor of the Community Center at Casa Italia has been transformed as part of an ongoing rinascimento at the venerable institution. The Community Center has always been a great venue for special events, with a modern lobby and restrooms, the Chandelier Room accommodating up to 140 guests, and the building’s former gymnasium being available for larger crowds. But the gymnasium was only accessible via flights of stairs, and food had to be prepared off-site and brought in, preventing the facility from reaching its full potential. All that has changed, thanks to a …

The Calabresi in America Organization has elected Gina Badagliacca to serve as its 2025-2026 president, and the longtime member couldn’t be more thrilled to helm the vibrant organization. “I think everything about the club is great,” she says. “The functions are exciting, the people are amazing and there are lifelong friendships that we create.” Badagliacca’s parents, Francesco and Rosaria Spizzirri, were both members pretty much since the group was launched, she says, noting that she has been involved since she was a teenager, stepping up her participation after her father passed away three years ago. “He has a lot to …