Carolyn Ranzini Stelzer Receives Award From Cuggiono

On January 10, 2026, during a video conference among the cities of Cuggiono (Lombardy), Herrin (IL), St. Paul (MN), and St. Louis (MO), the mayor of Cuggiono, Giovanni Cucchetti, along with Oreste Magni, president of the Ecoistituto della Valle del Ticino, a non-profit organization promoting cultural, social, and ecological initiatives in the Ticino River Valley in the northwest of Italy, awarded local resident Carolyn Ranzini Stelzer a Certificate of Merit for devotion to her Cuggiono roots and the friendship connections she has fostered over the years among the several generations of descendants of Cuggiono immigrants here in St. Louis.

NIAF Statement on the Passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) mourns the sudden passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who died on January 6, 2026, at the age of 65. Congressman LaMalfa was a proud member of the Italian American Congressional Delegation and a steadfast champion for Italian American values and heritage.

Click to see more...

Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings + 

Read With Alexandra (RWA)

Submitted by Alexandra Marino Durmišević

I am kicking off 2026 RWA with an audiobook. If you’ve been following my column, you know that this is fairly new to me. I am really into them now and find that it is a great way to relax while I am doing a mindless task. This month’s pick is a good starter audiobook because it incorporates sound bites from Locke’s trip to Sicily. It is an immersive way to listen to her follow-up memoir to “From Scratch”—whether you read the book or watched the series on Netflix.