It’s been a long, eerily quiet year at the Mazzini-Verdi Club in Franklin Park. The once-bustling facility at 9230 W. Belmont Ave. has been shuttered since March 2020 because of the pandemic, and club leaders and members are looking forward to returning to business as usual.

“The club is like a second home to us, and we deeply miss gathering there, but the safety of our members comes first,” says Mazzini-Verdi President Bernard Ghilarducci. “We’ll be reopening as soon as the state of Illinois gives us the green light, and we’ll, of course, be following all guidelines and restrictions.”