The power to move mountains
“Many hands make light work,” the Old Testament tells us, and that time-honored proverb is as true today as it was when the Jewish people rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls 2,500 years ago. For proof of that, you need look no further than Casa Italia during the holiday season. As many of you know, the village of Stone Park bought the property on which the C...
Insights in History - Traditions and Progress: Italian Americans in Northern Indiana
Wednesday March 5. 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm EST. The History Museum - 897 W. Thomas Street, South Bend, IN 46601. Joe Agostino and colleagues discuss the history, heritage, and contributions of local Italian Americans. Joe is one of several members of local Italian American clubs that provided substantial assistance to The History Museum’s exhibit Traditi...
IAPC to honor trio of titans at heritage event
The Italian American Political Coalition will present Judge Lisa Marino with its Public Service Leadership Award, Melrose Park Mayor Ronald Serpico with its William Paca Award and Patrick Santoro with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual Heritage Celebration on March 6 at The Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park. To make reservations, call 708...
Medieval matches bring ancient Roman history to life
The clash of swords, cheers and jeers of seventh-graders, and the clapped percussion of the 1977 Queen song “We Will Rock You” filled the social studies classroom during the recent Lowell Middle School-style Gladiator Games. Minutes earlier, teacher Drew Struckmeyer had entered the arena, or, to be literal, the space inside a circle of tables at wh...
Spilotro helps Italian students ‘find their fire’
When Enza Spilotro’s family moved from Chicago’s South Side to suburban Addison, she chose to attend the local public high school rather than a private institution because she wanted to take Italian language classes. Nowadays, Spilotro walks the halls of her alma mater, Addison Trail High School, as an Italian teacher, a role she’s held for the las...
Putting smiles on faces with Italian food makes fourth-generation DeVitis owner happy
Nick DeVitis' preparation to one day run his family business started when he was 14, dusting and stocking shelves at DeVitis Italian Market in Akron's North Hill. Now, he's the fourth-generation, sole owner of the popular market after his aunt, Laura DeVitis, and uncle, Tony DeVitis, passed the ownership torch Dec. 31. Nick worked at the store full...
La Pecora Nera, an Italian deli with two metro Detroit locations, to open in Birmingham (MI)
An Italian deli noted for its signature sandwiches is opening a third location in early March. La Pecora Nera, which already operates in Detroit and Farmington, is heading to downtown Birmingham. On the La Pecora Nera menu will be its traditional Italian sandwiches and other sandwiches, plus salads, gelato, and coffee. La Pecora Nera translates to...
Invitation to Apply: Loyola Rubino Italian American Studies Endowed Professorship
The College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago seeks qualified candidates, discipline open, for a tenure-track appointment at the assistant professor level for the Paul and Ann Rubino Endowed Professorship of Italian American Studies beginning Fall 2025. We seek candidates with strong research and teaching profiles in Italian America...
Launch of the second edition of the "The perfect pitch" initiative in collaboration with Retimpresa
The Italian Consul in Detroit, Paola Allegra Baistrocchi, participated on February 20 in the launch talk show for the second edition of ROCK, RetImpresa’s contest dedicated to Open Innovation and collaboration in Italian supply chains. Moderated by Rai journalist Mattia Iovane and available on YouTube, the talk show provided an important opportunit...
Italian American group says Chicago Columbus statues need to be reinstalled as expressions of art
Back in 2020, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had three statues of Christopher Columbus removed in Chicago. For all the time since, Italian American groups in the city have been fighting to put them back. They continue to do so, and now call the removal of the statues "selective censorship." A few weeks ago, there was an uproar at City Hall over...
Making connections
Never underestimate the power of one person to make a difference, especially if that person has the vision, drive and reach of Pat Capriati. In a matter of months, Capriati was able to conjure an American-Italian Sister Cities relationship out of thin air, bringing together good people on both sides of the Atlantic who otherwise never would have me...
Monteverde Celebrates Its 10th Birthday With Specials All Year
Chicago’s best restaurant (at least according to our esteemed dining writers) is turning 10 this year! Monteverde, chef Sarah Grueneberg’s love letter to all things Italian, continues to get accolades year after year, and the restaurant is doing something special to celebrate its anniversary. I sat down with Grueneberg to talk about the restaurant,...
