NEWS FROM : MIDWEST  

Fazoli’s, America's largest fast casual Italian chain, announced the opening of its newest franchised restaurant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota—marking the brand’s first location in the state. The new restaurant, which is set to officially open its doors on, August 1, is located at 4224 West Empire Place. The Sioux Falls restaurant will feature an as...

If not for unexpected morning rain, Kansas City would not be celebrating a major gift: a bronze cast of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s 15th-century Gates of Paradise. The original gilded doors were made for the east entrance of the baptistery in front of Florence Cathedral by Ghiberti and his workshop from 1425 to 1452. They depict scenes from the Old Testamen...

Former Lustre Christian High School star, Michele Capasso, signed a Letter of Intent to play for Dawson Community College next season.  The point guard hails originally from Italy, but came to Montana as a foreign exchange student in 2015-2016 and had a stellar season.  As a senior, he averaged 30.5 ppg and was named All-Conference and All-State in...

Remember Hill Day in St Louis?  Ciao St Louis is hosting Festa Italiana and the Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 1, 2017.  The parade will wind through the Hill and entertainment will be provided throughout the parade route.   The parade ends at Berra Park followed by the festa with Live Entertainment, Food, Drinks and games. This is the largest celebra...

Raffaele De Vito, professor emeritus, was honored with the Silver Stirrup Award for Meritorious Service at the 45th Annual Team Kansas awards banquet June 6 at Emporia State University. The Silver Stirrup Award recognizes De Vito’s spirit of leadership and dedication for his service on the Kansas International Trade Coordinating Council, where he s...

A pair of Kansas City pals has picked up some serious bragging rights. Chris Cardello and John Liberto are the 2017 United States Bocce Federation National Championship Tournament champions. In June, the pair picked up the title in Chicago, IL after only playing together for seven months. Now, they head to Poland to represent the United States in t...

Portillo’s, the fast casual concept known for its menu of Chicago-style favorites, celebrates the opening of its 50th location on Tuesday and the brand’s first Minnesota location at 8450 Hudson Rd. in Woodbury. Opening at 10:30 a.m., Portillo’s is celebrating the new restaurant with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Portillo’s founder Dick Portil...

John Mariucci was born to Italian immigrants on the Iron Range. The Eveleth boy grew into a young man about the time the Great Depression hit, which might explain why he played hockey with his heart on his sleeve, always ready to take one -- or six -- for the team. He was an All-American and national champion at the University of Minnesota, then pl...

MidiCi Neapolitan Pizza Company says it best on their own table cards: “Pure ingredients. Rare freshness. Classical simplicity. Historical heritage.”  The surprisingly chic pizza joint allows diners the opportunity to experience authentic Italian-style pizza—as well as appetizers, salads and desserts—that rival food from Italy itself. While the foo...

Dear Bocce Players, the Italia-America Bocce Club invites to play in the 11th Annual Aldo Della Croce Open Bocce Tournament, November 10-12, 2017. The tournament will have two divisions. The ADC division which is open to all genders with minimum prize money of $5000.00 will be given out top eight teams. The Fiore division which is open to women onl...

Help us choose a theme for next year's "Italian Film Festival's Building Bridges: Emerging Filmmaker Awards" -- new in 2018! In 2018, the Italian Film Festival (IFF) celebrates its tenth year! To commemorate a decade of contemporary Italian cinema in the Twin Cities, the IFF will offer two award opportunities for the best short films made by emergi...

Natalina “Nona” Maracchini Monti, 99, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, July 1, 2017, at home in Hibbing. Natalina was born in Montelago, a town in the Province of Ancona, Italy, on Dec. 20, 1917, to Nazzareno and Maria (Baldelli) Scipioni. While she didn’t make it quite to her 100th birthday, in her Italian view, she was 100 as she...