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When a 10-year-old girl gets smitten with dance and harbors dreams of making a profession of it, don’t laugh — it can happen. In fact, that describes how Donna Vittorio, artistic director of Chicago’s Ballet Légere, launched a path that landed her in the terpsichorean trade. “Growing up Italian in my family greatly influenced my interest in the art...

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On October 24, 2019, the National Italian American Bar Association joined the Justinian Society of Chicago in celebrating the new offices of Holland & Knight at 150 North Riverside Plaza in Chicago. Among those attending were NIABA director and Regional Vice-President,   Holland & Knight partner Kenneth Jenero;  Natalie Petric , current President o...

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"I am honorary chair of 'A Musical Tribute Showcasing the Songwriting & Musical Genius of Harry Warren'… because I so believe in the mission of the sponsoring Italian American Human Relations Foundation (IAHRF) … the idea of highlighting the contributions of, in this case, African-American and Italian performing artists is something that I fully su...

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The Comboni Missionaries will honor Joseph A. Russo at their annual dinner dance on Nov. 30 at Manzo’s Banquets in Des Plaines. (708-354-1999) As a boy growing up in Cicero, Russo enjoyed learning about his Italian and Calabrian heritage from his extended family. From those experiences, he decided he wanted to make a difference in the world. As a t...

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The Italian American Executives of Transportation will honor a dynamic father-son duo at their Nov. 16 gala at Ashton Place in Willowbrook. (708-212-1051) Michael Tadin Jr., president of MAT Construction Inc., will be honored as Man of the Year at the event, and Michael A. Tadin, president of Marina Cartage Inc., will be hailed as Humanitarian of t...

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While growing up in the Taylor Street neighborhood, Ralph Triggiano dreamed of becoming a photographer. That dream became a reality during World War II, when the Navy trained him to be its eye in the sky over the Pacific. For two years, he took reconnaissance photos of enemy positions from 10,000 feet in the air, helping to turn the tide in the war...

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Some of Chicago’s best young singers will perform arias and art songs by iconic Italian composers at the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Italia’s Vocal Scholarship Awards Dinner and Concert. The event will start at 2 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the Mentesana Weber Chandelier Room of the Community Center at Casa Italia and feature a wine-and-cheese reception...

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Celeste Raspanti, a volunteer archivist at the Cathedral of St. Paul, remembers stories her mother told about their family forging a friendship at the dinner table with St. Frances Cabrini as they helped her minister to the poor in Chicago. “She drank wine, she ate pasta, she sang songs,” Raspanti said of St. Frances. When Raspanti’s grandfather wa...

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The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to auto racing legend Mario Andretti at a Nov. 9 induction and awards gala at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont. A 1981 inductee of the hall of fame, Andretti earned victories in 111 races during a career that spanned five decades and six continents. Along the...

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Chicagoland is, in my opinion, a great place for Italian cuisine. And, of course, Italian wine. I enjoyed some wonderful wines on a recent trip, most from the Old World because that’s what I seek out when in the Midwest. Old World wine and Italian beef sandwiches. A visit with one of my favorite brothers always involves Italian wines. He dutifully...

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