Italian Americans and Catholics came together in a common cause on March 19: Good food in honor of St. Joseph. The Italian Catholic Federation No. 220 held its annual St. Joseph's Day table at St. Celestine Catholic Church from noon to 2 p.m., and it was as popular as ever. "We have this event at St. Celestine since this is my parish," said event o...

If you order a pizza from Martino’s Italian Villa, you are literally eating a Martino’s pizza. That’s because only a Martino family member makes the restaurant’s iconic pizza pie. Every morning, Angela Martino and her son, Mike, whip up the crust and sauce from scratch, season the sausage and grate the cheese before it’s put into the oven. That’s t...

Fiora Corradetti Contino, who founded her first opera company when she was only 27 and became an accomplished maestra who conducted for 50 years, until she was 81, died on March 5 in Carmel, Ind. She was 91. The cause was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, her daughter Lisa Contino said. Dr. Contino, who made her New York conducting debut whe...

Fazoli's, America's largest fast casual Italian chain, announced today the opening of its newest franchised restaurant in Zionsville, Indiana, marking the company's 35th location in the state. Located at 6378 Crane Drive, the restaurant will celebrate its grand opening with a first ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on March 6th, to be attended b...

A fire that ravaged the Italian restaurant PASTAriffic in the early morning hours Thursday caused damages estimated at $1.25 million, according to a Kokomo Fire Department report, and the building is being considered a total loss. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is undetermined, said Fire Chief Nick Glover, adding that the KFD is i...

When Italian soldiers wanted to be caught by American forces during World War II, they would play cards. The loser of the card game had to crawl out of the bunker and surrender — in case they were fired upon. His fellow soldiers would often willingly follow. "They didn't want to be soldiers. They were farmers, craftsmen and artists," said Master Sg...

On March 4, 2017 an 18-month long exhibit will open at the Indiana Historical Society entitled: “You are There 1943: Italian POWs at Atterbury”. Approximately 3,000 Italian prisoners of war were detained at an internment camp during World War II at Camp Atterbury in southern Indiana. As most of the prisoners were Roman Catholic, they received permi...

The bright blue stucco building stands out in a clearing in the southern Johnson County wilderness. A small white cross adorns the peak of its roof. Paintings of Jesus, Mary and angels bring vivid color to the interior. The place is still on a winter afternoon. Using your imagination, it’s easy to imagine Italian prisoners assembling scrap wood int...

Sons of Italy, Merrillville Lodge 1220, presented its annual scholarships to three outstanding high school seniors recently at a banquet at The Patio Restaurant. This year's recipients are Elisa Meyer, Jasmine Wissinger and Austin Qualizza.   Scholarship donors are the Rendina brothers of Rendina Funeral Home. In the past 32 years, the Merr...

Fifty years ago this month, the Italian-American Society in Indianapolis decided to restore the Chapel in the Meadow in the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area. The chapel had been built 20 years earlier by Italian prisoners of war and dedicated in the autumn of 1943. So this fall also marks the 70th anniversary of the chapel itself.   In 1943...