The Greatest Race: Chariot-Racing in the Roman Circus
When: Tuesday, March 5, 2019 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM - Where: Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago This series of lectures, "Sport, Spectacle, and Games under the Roman Empire", by Professor Sinclair Bell, will look at the different ways in which sport and spectacle permeated the society and culture of the ancient Roman Empire (ca. 1-200 CE). The...
Cleveland comedian Pescatelli to perform Feb. 16 at The Ren
Cleveland comedian Tammy Pescatelli will perform at the Renaissance Theatre for one night only on Feb. 16, 2019 at 8 p.m. Joined by comedians Rocky LaPorte and Josh Sneed, this is one night of guaranteed laughter. The event is part of the Shaw-Ott Medical Comedy Series with additional sponsorship from Nanogate Jay Systems, LLC. Tammy Pescatelli bri...
Consul general knights Druss, Tarantino and Ionta
Three Midwestern luminaries were knighted by Italian Consul General Giuseppe Finocchiaro at a special ceremony on Dec. 12. Chicago-area activist Lissa Druss and Milwaukee stalwart Pietro Tarantino earned the rank of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia and longtime Loyola University language instructor Anna Clara Ionta ascended to the higher...
She was a Navy nurse overseas, dining with an 'Italian Mom.' Now she runs a cooking school
Her 24 years as a Navy nurse taught Pam Dennis many things. Leadership. Organization. Attention to detail. The value of nurturing. And oh, yes — skills in the kitchen. The Navy itself had nothing to do with that. But while stationed in the port city of Pozzuoli in southern Italy, a 20-something Dennis made fast friends with a fellow apartment dwell...
Bill Caprio, an animal-rescue ‘hero’ who would ‘never even fish,’ dead at 68
In more than 40 years as an animal rescuer, Bill Caprio helped countless dogs, a duck, a pig, even a rooster. Oh, and also a baboon, some foxes, the occasional hedgehog and a boa constrictor. But one of his most memorable cases involved Sinbad the cat. A meter-reader had called in the report. “The cat looked like it was dragging a carpet,” said Ell...
John Vinci: Life and Landmarks
When: Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 6pm - Where: Italian Cultural Institute, 500 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1450 Please join us as we celebrate the publication of John Vinci: Life and Landmarks, a new illustrated biography from Northwestern University Press by architectural writer Robert Sharoff and architectural photographer William Zbaren. Acclaimed...
Lost Forefathers of Pizza in America Discovered
A forgotten generation of late 19th century Italian pizza makers in America has been discovered, changing our understanding of how pizza arrived in the United States. After 10 years of searching through archival records for an upcoming book, Peter Regas is going public with his findings by launching pizzahistorybook.com and announcing a presentatio...
“La traviata” at Lyric Opera, Chicago
Sung in Italian with projected English translations, “La traviata” will be on stage at Chicago’s Lyric Opera from February 16-March 22, 2019. Verdi’s ambitious “La traviata” completes Verdi’s popular trilogy, the two preceding works being “Rigoletto” and “Il trovatore.” The opera also remains one of the most successful classical works in the repert...
Covering Columbus murals disregards Notre Dame’s Italian-Americans
Dear Fr. Jenkins, We are writing to express our deepest and most sincere concerns regarding the recent decision to cover up the Luigi Gregori murals in the Main Building. We firmly believe that the murals possess a cultural and historical value that transcends the concerns articulated in your recent e-mail detailing the decision to cover them up. I...
Di Carmine talks about recent book
Roberta Di Carmine gave a talk about her recent book “Cultural Metamorphoses in Contemporary Italian Cinema” at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery on Friday. Di Carmine, a WIU professor of English who specializes in film studies, looked into four social areas that influenced contemporary Italian cinema: migrants struggling to adjust to a n...
City of Sandusky makes Election Day paid holiday, eliminates Columbus Day
The city of Sandusky will no longer recognize Columbus Day as an official holiday. Instead of having the day as a paid holiday, city workers will have off on Election Day. City officials said they decided to make the switch for two reasons. It prioritizes voting. The move also recognizes Columbus Day’s controversial origins. “What better way to cel...
Take a sneak peek at new Andiamo restaurant opening in Fenton
Workers and ownership scurried around the new Andiamo Restaurant Monday afternoon putting the finishing touches on a multi-million dollar project that has been in the works for months. Located in the three-story Horizon Building at 102 West Silver Lake Road, Suite 1, the Italian eatery is set to open Wednesday, Feb. 6. Dominic Vicari, an operating...