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When battle lines were drawn in Charlottesville, standing among the white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and Ku Klux Klan members ("some very fine people," according to President Donald Trump) were men brandishing shields bearing the image of an ax bundled with wooden rods—a symbol of fascism. That weekend's tragic events, which swirled around a "Unite t...

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A centuries-old Catholic festival set to take place in Niles over Labor Day weekend has roots to the 1600s in Sicily and dates back 117 years to the Chicago area. The 117th annual Feast of Maria SS. Lauretana of Altavilla Milicia in Chicago will take place Friday, Sept. 1 to Monday, Sept. 4 on Church Street between the Golf Mill Shopping Center and...

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For decades, an ancient Roman column given to Chicago by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini has stood in Chicago’s Grant Park, but this week, the discussion of its merits and what to do with it has moved from social media and into the Chicago City Council. This morning, the Chicago Sun-Times published a story which indicates that 14th Ward Alderman...

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Festa Italiana — featuring a meatball-eating contest and lots of other food — returns to Taylor Street this weekend, but with a shorter schedule then in recent years. The fest, in its 13th year, runs 5 to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. The fest, which also features Italian dancing and music, will take over Tay...

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It’s finally here: America’s first, and highly-anticipated, pizza restaurant from acclaimed Italian pizza maker Gabriele Bonci opens in Chicago’s West Loop today. The pizzeria, called Bonci, will serve the same pizza al taglio — baked in rectangular pans and cut into slices with scissors — that has earned Bonci Anthony Bourdain’s approval, not to m...

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When Patricia Galli offered to help her stay-at-home mom start her own business, her mom said “no, grazie.” “I didn’t send my daughter to college to work hard physically,” said Elsa Amidei, who is glad she changed her mind about letting Patricia join Pastificio, the Highwood take-out eatery that specializes in Northern Italian cuisine. “My daughter...

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During the Italian Renaissance, patronage of the musical arts was a point of pride for countless aristocratic families. As Italian Americans in the Windy City, we have a proud legacy to uphold, and there is no worthier recipient of our patronage than Maestro Riccardo Muti. As Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2010, he has burni...

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The Italian-American Society of Peoria will hold its 88th Annual Summer Festa Picnic from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, at Hickory Grove Park in North Peoria. It is a long-standing family event held by the group every year since its founding in 1929. The event is a fundraiser for the society’s four scholarship programs. The menu features chicken...

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Gabriele Bonci arrived a few weeks to oversee the operation Chicago, as the acclaimed-Roman pizza maker aims to introduce Americans to his unique topping combos on his pizza sold by the slice. The first Bonci outside of Italy opens on Tuesday, Aug. 15 and they’ve picked Chicago to debut the brand in the U.S. Bonci has seen long lines of customers i...

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The Sicilian American Cultural Association will present attorney Umberto S. Davi with its Medal of Merit on Sept. 24 at Monastero’s Banquets in Chicago. Tickets for the event are $40 for adults (cash bar) and $18 for children 2 to 12 years of age. Entertainment will be provided by past winners of the Bel Canto Foundation Opera Contest. (773-588-251...

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