Derks to step up to Columbian Club presidency
For Christopher Derks, finally becoming president of the Columbian Club of Chicago is an honor … and a bit of surprise. “You work your way up through the ranks, so you know it’s coming,” he says of the presidency. “It has come a lot quicker than I was expecting.”Derks will assume the presidency on Jan. 1, but the club’s annual installation dinner h...
Parisi a master of collaborative community art
The Italian American community knows Jean Parisi best as La Befana, the good Christmas witch who made appearances for decades at yuletide celebrations throughout the Chicago area. But that’s just the tip of the cultural iceberg for this veteran community arts activist. Over the decades, she has created massive community art installations, staged pl...
Italian Women in Chicago, Volume II, Siamo arrivate (We have arrived)
The Casa Italia Library/ Italian Cultural Center (Chicago) announces the release of Italian Women in Chicago, Volume II, Siamo arrivate (We have arrived). This anthology is a collection of stories, spotlights, poetry, and much more. You can order Italian Women in Chicago vol ii from Casa Italia here. Focusing on “Saving Our Stories,” “Pop Culture,”...
Undo’s Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival announces scholarship increase
There was a special announcement on Sunday night at the Undo’s Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival’s Annual Christmas Gala. The festival’s board of trustees announced that they will be adding an additional $500 to their scholarship awards. Each year, the festival has awarded two local students a $1,000 scholarship, and now they will increas...
'Traditions and Progress' exhibit chronicles history of Italian Americans in local area
The exhibit “Traditions and Progress: Italian Americans in Northern Indiana” continues through May 4 at The History Museum, 897 Thomas St. The exhibit features photographs, maps, artifacts and information about the history of Italian Americans in northern Indiana, a press release says. “Traditions and Progress” describes the heritage, values and wi...
Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection in Chicago in March 2025
In order to meet Cupid and Psyche, as is only right since they are two mythological figures, one has to penetrate into the ancient heart of the capital, in Trastevere. Beyond a small secret garden, crowned in the center by a citrus tree, is a room with a very high ceiling where the mortal Psyche, who in beauty equaled Venus, forever holds in her ma...
A very Italian suburb
As I grew up in Highwood, visiting my friends was like being in my own home: the same foods were served, I sat on the same style furniture, and I saw pictures of relatives on their walls posted in a fashion similar to mine at home. The promotional calendars of the local Italian insurance firm hung right next to the pictures of the pope in all our k...
The Italian American Veterans Museum is on the march!
After nearly two decades at Casa Italia, the Italian American Veterans Museum will be bidding a fond farewell to our longtime home and marching confidently toward a promising future. We’re going to need your support like never before: please donate here. We’re calling on supporters past and future to give as generously as you can to help us defray...
Traveling exhibit showcases our immigrant roots
The “Italians in Chicago” traveling exhibit may be appearing at a public library near you in the not-too-distant future, thanks to the efforts of the volunteers at the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia. The idea for an exhibit documenting the Italian-American immigrant experience in Chicago was hatched in 1978 by Dominic Candeloro, who taught...
Members propel CIACO to new heights
Running a large, successful non-profit enterprise has its challenges, but Chicagoland Italian American Charitable Organization President Lou Scaramuzzo says his members make his job so much easier. “The membership is so cooperative and willing to do whatever it takes to help people,” Scaramuzzo says. “They are very giving people who do exceptional...
Italian American Cultural Club opens hall of fame nominations for local icons
As a part of celebrating 100 years, the Italian American Cultural Club in Steubenville, OH is opening nominations for its brand-new hall of fame for Italian Americans. “Now in 2025, our club is essentially a mechanism to keep that culture alive,” said Frankie DiCarlantonio, president, Italian American Cultural Club. “Now we have these great descend...
Consulate of Italy in Detroit Bestows Knighthood upon James Vincent Bellanca III
The Consulate of Italy in Detroit is proud to announce that James Vincent Bellanca III, a prominent attorney and esteemed member of the Italian-American community, has been awarded the title of Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. This pre...