by John Mancini | Apr 13, 2026 | Uncategorized
The two oldest man-made objects standing outdoors in our country are from Italy. Balbo Column, Chicago One is the Balbo Column in Chicago, a gift from Mussolini to commemorate the mass flight across the Atlantic by 24 Italian seaplanes in 1933. The other,...
by Bill Dal Cerro | Apr 7, 2026 | Uncategorized
It’s been nearly a year since a papal conclave elected a new pope: Cardinal Robert Prevost—from Chicago, no less. Both of his grandfathers were Italian. Frank and Bill for their morning brew The Italic Institute of America had its own informal conclave...
by John Mancini | Apr 6, 2026 | Uncategorized
Today is celebrated as Little Easter in Italy, a recovery from yesterday’s religious blow-out. For those of you who think that Catholicism saved the ancient Italic people from their pagan ways, think again. It’s a question of theory vs practice. Peter and Paul...
by John Mancini | Mar 29, 2026 | Uncategorized
Now that a statue of Columbus adorns the White House grounds, thanks to a non-Italic president, our community leaders should take the hint and redouble their efforts to restore the Great Navigator’s place in history. However, I fear that many who speak for our...
by Bill Dal Cerro | Mar 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
Institute members may recall that in 2007 we initiated, co-produced, and supervised the first-ever, full-length (60 minute) documentary on the history of Italians in Chicago called, appropriately, And They Came to Chicago: The Italian American Legacy. It was shown on...
by John Mancini | Mar 22, 2026 | Uncategorized
Why Italians like old things has fascinated me since I learned that the oldest bank in the world is in Italy. Banca Monte dei Paschi was founded in 1472 in Siena. Today, it’s not only still in business but is Italy’s 3rd largest bank. Banca Monte dei...
John Mancini
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