The Milano Inn

The Milano Inn opened in 1934, with Mary and Joe Modaffari taking over a late 19th–Century, brick building in the 200 block of South College Avenue for well–received renditions of spaghetti and meatballs, spaghetti with clam sauce, ravioli, manicotti, and pizza with assorted toppings. A conversation piece at the Milano Inn has been the dazzling mural that courses around all four walls of the main dining room, telling the story of the Allied liberation of Italy during World War II. It was created by Sergeant Donald Peters in 1947 at the behest of the Modaffari family.

Upon mustering out of the military, Sgt. Peters had become a student at the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis. The Modaffaris were admirers of Peters's art, and they commissioned him to paint a mural capturing a moment in their homeland that was near and dear to their hearts and legacy. In exchange, Peters received free room and board for the summer in one of the apartments above the restaurant. In vivid colors, images, and detail, Peters saw to it that each scene in the mural had a riveting story to tell.