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Lake in the Hills resident Dominic Florio is ready to step out of retirement and make his mark on the Crystal Lake restaurant scene at age 73. “I decided one more time. I can only play so much golf, and I love the business,” he said. He is opening a fine-dining Italian restaurant off Randall Road called Florio’s Italian. The restaurant, at 1540 Car...

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A Rockford man shares the history of Italian immigrants that settled into Rockford and their impacted in the area. On Saturday, members of the community gathered to look at the history of Italian immigrants in Rockford at the Rockford Public Library, 6685 E State Street. “Today were addressing the town Americans that settled into Rockford, Illinois...

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Gino Bartucci Sr. has been trying to create a Little Italy on the Northwest Side for over four decades. With support from the city and the recent revitalization of a local business association, his dream might now be within reach. Over the past year, the city’s Department of Planning and Development has worked with local business owners, residents...

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Live Italian music returns to Chicago this month as international superstar Zucchero brings his Overdose d’Amore World Tour to the Copernicus Center on Thursday, May 16. “Zucchero’s live show is one of the most electrifying, upbeat and exciting Italian musical experiences we bring to Chicago,” says Ron Onesti, promoter of the Chicago show. “Everyon...

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Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara is in Italy this week to strengthen ties with the city’s Sister City of Ferentino. Rockford participates in the Sister City program, which works to increase global cooperation, promote cultural understanding, and stimulate economic development. Ferentino has been Rockford’s Sister City since 2006. The Mayor of Ferentino...

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What happens when improvisation meets 19th century opera? When jazz meets Puccini? Something incredible and unique happens, giving birth to the project Puccini, My Love by the Italian duo Back-In-Time (B.I.T.). On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Giacomo Puccini, the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago in collaboration with F...

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What started out as a brief stint in Vietnam for this highly decorated Army veteran blossomed into an illustrious 44-year career that encompassed a variety of roles in Military Intelligence and Civil Affairs. The younger of two sons, Darryl Chiostri was born at Cabrini Hospital to Louis and Mary (Doro) Chiostri, who were living at the time in an It...

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Jo Ann has been immersed in the activities of the community since birth, thanks to the unwavering involvement of her father, Joseph R. Salerno. “My father was a member of every Italian society, club and lodge in the Chicago area,” she fondly recalls. “It’s only natural that I followed his example of promoting Italian values and traditions.” One of...

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A long-running effort to turn a stretch of Harlem Avenue on the Far Northwest Side into a walkable showcase for Italian American businesses and culture like Little Italy’s Taylor Street is inching forward. City planners told the 2-mile stretch between Grand Avenue and Irving Park Road can become a destination neighborhood with improvements to the s...

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The Italian American Veterans Museum ushered in a new slate of officers with the new year, electing retired Navy Cdr. Joseph Edward Troiani, Ph.D., as president. “I’m proud to serve as president of the museum in honor of family members who served in the military before me,” Troiani says. Troiani’s grandfather Joseph Troiani served in the U.S. Army...

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