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My father, Daniel (Adelmo) Donati, departed Genoa, Italy, with my grandmother aboard the SS Caserta and arrived at Ellis Island on Dec. 5, 1914. My grandfather was already in the U.S., and he sent for his family once he was established in an area outside Monongahela, Pennsylvania. When my father reached his teens, he was sent to Chicago for employm...

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When: January 28 2024, 19:30 (Local time) - Where: Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Drive Evanston, IL 60208 In collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, the distinguished Italian violinists Antonio Pellegrino and Dino De Palma join the Baroque Music Ensemble to present Vivaldi’s ever-popular The Four Seasons. Pellegrino and...

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The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) will once again sponsor a curated selection of some of Italy’s very best menswear and men’s accessories designers at the Chicago Collective trade show, February 3-6, 2024, at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, Illinois. Sartorial tradition and the world’s most sophisticated manufacturing techniques combine to lead US re...

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On the occasion of the new production of Cinderella (La Cenerentola) by Gioachino Rossini, on stage at the Lyric Opera of Chicago from January 21st through February 10th, the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago presents a discussion to introduce Rossini’s opera, led by prof. Jesse Rosenberg and some cast members. Rossini’s enchanting fairytale he...

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Born in Austria to Neapolitan parents, Patrizio Buanne believes that Naples is more than just his ancestral home, it’s part of his cultural identity. “Think Tom Jones, Italian-style.” That’s how The Boston Globe described the voice and music of multilingual Neapolitan pop crooner Patrizio Buanne, who has sold more than 10 million records around the...

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While he was growing up in Chicago Heights during World War II, Dominic Candeloro wasn’t at all proud of his Italian ancestry. His father was a low-paid construction worker who only learned a few words of English. That and the fact that Italy was fighting against the Allies made him ashamed of his roots. The feeling persisted after the war, when th...

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Nobody wants to be thought of as stupid, an idiot…Or comme si dice what’s that word I’m looking for? Oh. Chumbolone. Ah yes, Chumbolone. Because no one wants to be a Chumbolone. No one. It’s worse than being thought to be a mook. A Chicago cop named Anthony Doyle—whom prosecutors described as a muscled-up messenger boy/juice loan collector for the...

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Carme Forte Jr. will ascend to the presidency of the Columbian Club of Chicago at a black-tie installation dinner on Jan. 27 at Medinah Country Club. Forte has been a member since 2015. “My father has been a member of the club for 20 years or more, and I always loved attending events with our family,” he explains. “I wanted to become more involved...

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It may come as a surprise to Italian Americans living in the northern half of the Chicago area, but the far southwest suburbs boast substantial communities of paesani as well. “Mokena’s population is the highest and Homer Glen has a large one as well,” reports longtime local elected official Steve Balich. “Joliet and Crest Hill have good-sized popu...

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Every Christmas, I make a stop at Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Market in Elmwood Park. I walk through the aisles of shining fruit and veg, ogling the tempting sausages and cheeses, getting way more exotic olives than we probably need, and picking through what is probably the area’s largest selection of holiday panettone. I adore the place. And that adorat...

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