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Each year at the end of July, the colors red, white, and green fill downtown Southington in celebration of the town’s Italian-American Festival. Southington’s 18th annual Italian-American Festival will be held from Friday, July 28 to Sunday, July 30 on lower Center Street. Organized by the Sons of Italy, UNICO Club of Southington, and Sorelle d’Ita...

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Vito Montelli, a Connecticut coaching titan who guided generations of boys basketball players for more than a half century, becoming the state’s all-time winningest coach in victories and state championships, died Friday morning at his home in Stratford surrounded by his family, his son, Tommy, said. He was 92.A Bristol native and the only survivin...

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Mercato Italian Kitchen and Bar opened in Canton on June 20. At 110 Albany Turnpike, this is the second location for the restaurant owned by Market Hospitality Group; its original spot is in Southbury. This is the latest opening from the growing hospitality group, which owns Market Place Kitchen and Bar in Avon, Danbury, Newtown, Shelton and Woodbu...

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A staple for Italian pastries and breads in the Fair Haven section, Rocco's Bakery on Ferry Street, is going to be another city memory people talk about, especially when longtime customers go looking for their Easter pies, anginettes, ciccioli bread, chocolate lemon pie or cannoli. Rocco's, owned and run across from St. Francis Church at 432 Ferry...

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Within the span of 50 years, beginning in1900, the Italian-American community in Wooster Square as able to utilize the free public schools to fully integrate into American society. Even though many of the first-generation children were unable to take full advantage of the opportunity to get a diploma, by mid-century almost everyone graduated from h...

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Dressed in a blue tee shirt with “Amalfi” printed across the chest, Fran Calabrese remembered walking hand in hand with her grandfather to a Wooster Square-hosted celebration of St. Andrew when she was just three years old. Now 70, Calabrese returned on Thursday to that very same neighborhood Italian festa — which for her is about carrying on the t...

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If the CIAC ever decided to expand its Scholar/Athlete concept to organizations, it might well consider the Torrington chapter of UNICO. “We’re not a sports organization,” UNICO President Brian Mattiello emphasized in a Saturday morning get-together, along with scholarship co-chairmen Paul Denza and Pat Finn. Neither is any CIAC Scholar/Athlete str...

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The buzz started when people noticed workmen replacing the familiar Adirondack green trim outside Le Petit Café with a sleek modern black. Then the windows were covered with brown paper hiding the interior for weeks.  The package was unveiled last month as Mi Bella Restaurante, fulfilling a lifetime dream of head chef Fernando Chiliquinga and his w...

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The Italian American Defense League, and a Wooster Square neighbor, have filed a lawsuit against the City of New Haven and Mayor Justin Elicker over the removal of a Christopher Columbus Statue. The lawsuit claims that the removal of the statue on Wooster Square was unlawful and the League, along with resident Ralph Macarelli, suffered damages t...

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On Sunday, June 25, car enthusiasts and supporters of Connecticut Children's are in for a treat as the official Concorso Ferrari and Friends show takes place. From the early hours of the morning, Italian supercars and special invitees will roll into the event, culminating in a grand display of nearly 300 magnificent vehicles. Spectators eager to wi...

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