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 the life and contributions of Fr. August Celeste Feccia, C.S., a founding member and past director of the Italian Cultural Center. The presentation will include photos, videos and the reminiscences of his many friends.

April 25 — Journalist and author Judith Valente will present “La Dolce Vita: What Italy Can Teach Us About Living More Mindfully and Joyfully.” Valente has written for the Wall Street Journal and has served as a correspondent for public radio and television. She is the author of six nonfiction books and three collections of poetry.

May 2 — Retired anthropology professor Martin Giesso will talk about Italian immigration to his homeland, Argentina, in a lecture that will include a slide presentation about the Grand Hotel, which was a first stop for thousands of those immgrants. The presentation will be followed at noon by a screening of the 1963 Italian classic film, “Il Gattopardo” (“The Leopard”).

May 9 — Award-winning author Tea Marrocco of Elgin College will lead a writers retreat designed to help prospective authors create vignettes, profiles, descriptions, moods and other narrative building blocks. The workshop will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A $10 fee will cover a light lunch.

May 16 — The award-winning 1979 Italian drama “Christ Stopped in Eboli” will be screened. Directed by Francesco Rosi and adapted from the book of the same name by Carlo Levi, the film stars Gian Maria Volonté as Levi, a political dissident under fascism who was exiled to the Basilicata region in Southern Italy.

May 23 — The Italian Cultural Center will host its 22nd annual I-A Literati from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature presentations and book signings by authors Lou Bruno, Carla Simonini, Peter L. Belmonte, Ryan Byrnes, Richard Leto, Leah Eskin, Mike Rosanova and Frank Di Piero.

Held in the Florentine Room of the cultural center, Sabato Culturale sessions begin with a continental breakfast at 10 a.m., followed by the presentation. A freewill donation of $5 is suggested and reservations are required. Email casalibrary@gmail.com to make your reservations.

After a 25-year hiatus, the Harlem Avenue Little Italy Business Association is returning with loads of enthusiasm, a new logo and plenty of gear.

Funds to kick-start the organization are being generated through the sales of T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and other branded items available on the organization’s website and at member businesses. “Gear is a great way to raise money as well as profile,” says recently elected President Gino Bartucci. “We want the world to know we’re back in business and ready to start promoting our culture and community again.”

Some readers may be asking, “Which Gino Bartucci?” That’s a reasonable question. La Bomboniera owner Gino Bartucci was president of the organization in the early ’90s; the Bartucci now in charge is his son.

The younger Gino runs Harlem Avenue hotspot BarTucci, located next door to Pasta Fresh — which is owned by his uncle Tony — and across the street from La Bomboniera, which is next door to the soon-to-be-opened National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.

Joining forces with them are business owners up, down and around Harlem Avenue who are looking to help each other survive the pandemic while making a name for themselves across the metropolitan area.

Serving on the board of directors are Ron Onesti, Jason Quaglia, Frank Concialdi, Nancy Galletta, John Conenna, Teresa Giannini, Nuccio D’Argento and Frank DiPiero.

Googling Harlem Ave Little Italy will get you to their website, Facebook and Instagram pages. Business and individual memberships are available.

“I started ‘Keepin’ It Real with Frankie D.’ in 2013,” says DiPiero, whose father traces his roots to Bugnara in Abruzzo and his mother to Sant’Ambrogio in Sicily. As for the name, “That’s what everyone called me when I was young and I’m all about being yourself — because only you can be your best self.”

To be sure, DiPiero gives his best on his radio shows, which run on the Windy City Hometown Entertainment Network and typically last from 30 to 45 minutes. The programs cover a broad range of Italian-American issues and organizations, along with history and culture.

A few episodes have proven particularly poignant for Frankie D., including one in May that spotlighted Italo Balbo’s flight to Chicago for the 1933 World’s Fair. “Some people think this was the greatest achievement in aeronautical history as well as one of the proudest moments for Italians in America,” he says. “We featured an expert on the subject and an eyewitness of the landing. It was a 45-minute history lesson [on an achievement] that all Italian Americans, young and old, should know about.”

DiPiero also has a video show by the same name that originates out of Ridgewood High School in Norridge. “It isn’t exclusively about Italian topics, but I have done a show about the thriving Italian program there.” He’s also interviewed Italian alumni whose achievements run from winning a state golf championship to launching an acting career in Hollywood.

DiPiero is proud of the fact that “Keepin’ It Real” led a group of his friends and listeners to launch the Little Italy Cenetta. “We organize dinners around the Harlem Avenue area, but this isn’t just about eating Italian food and smoking cigars,” he says.

Indeed, the Cenetta has hosted Dominic Candeloro — an Italian scholar, author and former history professor who is spearheading the campaign to start an Italian American Studies Program at Loyola University Chicago. “I’m honored to say that I’m on the committee for this project and hopefully by the fall, we will have achieved our goal of raising $500,000,” DiPiero says.

If the program launches, it won’t be the first time DiPiero’s been on the right side of Chicago history. He’s also the owner of Jeri’s Diner in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood — a 24-hour eatery that remains virtually unchanged since his father opened it in 1963.

“It’s like going back in time,” DiPiero says. “I talk to people from all walks of life there and I’m a curious guy by nature. So doing a show about my favorite topic and greatest passion—Italian America—was a relatively easy transition.”

In other words, Frankie D. not only keeps it real: He serves up local radio with a generous helping of personality.

You can contact DiPiero at 773-307-7748 or frankdp4@yahoo.com, or check out his “Keepin’ It Real with Frankie D.” Facebook page.