Army machine gunner Paul Calabrese (Vietnam)
The oldest of four sons, Paul Calabrese was born in Chicago to Joseph and Betty (Spindler) Calabrese. They lived in a family-owned six-flat on the West Side of Chicago until moving to Oak Park when Calabrese was 6 years old. He recalls Sunday dinners and Christmas gatherings at his paternal grandparents’ home. “I remember grandma making raviolis al...
The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Chicago opens new office in Milan!
The Italian American Chamber of Commerce Chicago, in collaboration with the bank "Banca Popolare di Sondrio", is pleased to announce the opening of its new office located in Milan (at the Banca Popolare di Sondrio Milan office, in Via Santa Maria Fulcorina 1). This partnership aims at facilitating and promoting the growth of Italian Companies in th...
IAPC to honor Onesto, Coladipietro
The Italian American Political Coalition will present Franco Coladipietro with its William Paca Award and Anthony Onesto with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual Heritage Celebration on March 11 at Elmcrest Banquets in Elmwood Park. (708-369-2500) Coladipietro has been the village president of Bloomingdale, Illinois, and a member of the Du...
Larry Lujack, Dick Biondi rock into new Hall of Fame
Chicago radio legends Larry Lujack and Dick Biondi have been named charter inductees in the Hall of Fame of the new Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 under construction in Joliet. Lujack, who died in 2013, was elected by museum members in the DJ category. Biondi was named recipient of the Founder’s Lifetime Achievement Award and also will be...
How friendship with Auriemma spurred Martelli's Michigan arrival
Surrounded by reporters during Michigan basketball’s media day, associate head coach Phil Martelli fielded questions that had the same general premise: Why did he, a bona fide coaching legend who spent the past 24 years as the head coach at St. Joseph’s before being fired last spring, become an assistant under first-year Michigan coach Juwan Howard...
Castanza to serve as chairman of Casa Italia
Angelo Castanza has been elected by the board of directors to chair Casa Italia for a two-year term. Joining him as fellow officers are Jo Ann Serpico as vice chairman, Cathy Lange as treasurer and Paul Basile as secretary. A past president of the Calabresi in America Organization, Castanza has been a member of the board since 2014 and served as vi...
Ennio Cominetti: How Italian Opera in the 19th century influenced how and what was heard in Italian Churches
Sunday March 1 @ 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm. 4050 West Maple Rd. Ste 250 – Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. Please join us in this special Caffè e Cultura. Maestro Cominetti of the Lombardy region will offer a few remarks on his past teaching career as an Adjunct Faculty at the Sacred Music Arts Academy in Rome and also his founding and artistic direction of the...
St. Joseph Table abound across Chicagoland
Each March, dozens of Italian families, organizations, parishes and businesses in the Chicago area open up their doors and their hearts to the less fortunate by setting up St. Joseph’s Tables. At press time, information was available only on the events in this listing. To be listed next year, call 708-338-0690 or email info@franoi.com.
Founder of iconic local restaurant Mamma DiSalvo’s dies
The patriarch of one of the Dayton-area’s most beloved restaurants died at Kettering Medical Center on Wednesday, Feb. 12, his namesake confirmed. Mamma DiSalvo’s Italian Ristorante founder Rinaldo DiSalvo Sr. leaves behind a legacy of love, his son, Rinaldo DiSalvo Jr., the owner of DiSalvo's Deli & Italian Stores, said this morning. “He was a...
Air Force refueler Dominic Guerrieri
The youngest of six children, Dominic Guerrieri was born in Chicago and grew up on the Far Northwest Side of Chicago near Foster and Cumberland. His father, Carmen, and mother, Rita (Mariano) were born in Chicago. His grandparents emigrated from Basilicata and Bari, Italy. One of the youngest of 28 cousins, Guerrieri enjoyed his close-knit family....
Historical Treasure: Francis Vigo, an unsung Hoosier hero
In the Vigo County Courthouse belfry hangs a 2-ton bell, a gift to the citizens of Vigo County from a donor who played an important role in the Indiana Territory during and after the Revolutionary War. Vigo County was named in honor of this patriot in 1818. Our Historical Treasure this week is a replica of this bell, on display in the County Histor...
Singers join YSO for Italian Valentine
The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra will celebrate Valentine’s Day with an Italian flair Saturday. “Now, That’s Italian” will feature vocalists Alyson Cambridge and James Valenti performing arias from Italian operas and love songs backed by the orchestra, led by Randall Craig Fleischer. “The idea started with celebrating Valentine’s Day and a nod to...