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There’s a banner stretched across the outdoor deck of a Franklin Township home that announces, “Welcome Uncle Tommy and Family.” If not for the courage and cunning of a World War II Army Ranger from Indianapolis, there would be no family to welcome him home. Former Private Tommy Mascari who turns 95 Monday, and celebrates Independence Day the day a...

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Most states have communities named Florence. Not all are cities. There are towns and villages and unincorporated communities in several states that still are important enough to get attention from Wikipedia. It seemed likely that some would have been named for Florence Nightingale but I found none. Several were named after Florence, Italy, the I...

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Carol Faenzi is a board member of the Italian Heritage Society of Indiana and also the author of "The Stonecutter's Aria", a book that tells stories about Italian emigration to the US. She's the perfect person, a kind and proud Italian American who lives in Indiana, to talk about Italy in the "Hoosier State". We thank her and welcome her on We the...

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The smell of homemade pizza, cannolis and cheesecake will waft through the southeast side of downtown Friday and Saturday. Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 520 Stevens St., is hosting its annual Italian Street Festival. It’s billed as Indianapolis’ most-attended church festival. This year’s event runs from 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and including mu...

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The Italian American Social Club is easy to spot on Facebook if you do a quick search. It's the page with the banner picture of ziti with tomato and peppers and the profile picture of a plate of roasted eggplant with sauce, lightly sauced spaghetti, salad and a crusty roll. At any given club meeting, you might run into Alfred Savia, maestro of the...

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Festa Italiana will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. Aug 25 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 26  at Villa Cesare, 900 Eagle Ridge Dr. A variety of Italian favorites will be available including pizza, Italian sausage, Italian beef, arancini (rice ball), meatball sandwiches and specialty desserts. A beer garden, featuring Italian beer Peroni, will be open both...

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Vinnie Bilancio is quite the tour guide. He's been coming to the Di Loreto Club, an Italian-American social club at 914 Division St. in Mishawaka, since boyhood. Bilancio's parents were members. Their wedding reception happened on site. After spending 19 years living in California, Bilancio returned to Mishawaka five years ago to help care for his...

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A new restaurant will open in downtown Warrenton next month.  Denim and Pearls, featuring Italian and American food, whiskey and wine, will replace The New Bridge at 29 Main St. “The food will still be upscale, but the atmosphere will be more relaxed,” co-owner Thomas “T.C.” Robinson said in an interview Thursday. Mr. Robinson and Rick Marrero, bot...

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After growing up in Rome, then living in Sydney, Australia, and New York City, moving to Kokomo was a bit of a culture shock for Flavio Zampilli. “I’m still looking for skyscrapers,” he said, laughing, but said that he found the right place to enhance his professional skills, earning a bachelor’s degree in Medical Imaging Technology from Indiana Un...

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Maria Manca was born in Ozieri (Sassari) in 1982 and graduated from the "Università per Stranieri di Perugia" in 2008 with a degree in International Relations. In 2010 she entered the Diplomatic career of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her first assignment was to the office of the Directorate General for Development and Cooperation of the...

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