Articles by: I. I.

  • Facts & Stories

    At Cipriani 42nd St. with Friends and Supporters of the National Italian American Foundation


    New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, business executives, Italian American community leaders, friends and supporters of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) gathered in Manhattan for the Foundation’s annual New York Spring Gala on April 8, 2015.  

     
    During the cocktail reception, guests were served the famous Bellini cocktail under the towering marble columns at the Italian Renaissance-inspired Cipriani 42nd Street.  They also viewed the sports memorabilia, fine jewelry and designer women’s purses that were part of the silent auction.
     
    NIAF’s Chairman Joseph V. Del Raso welcomed everyone to the Foundation’s dinner. “Tonight we celebrate NIAF’s 40th Anniversary to begin on April 26. It is my honor to unveil the Italian American Leadership Council (IALC) for members to commit themselves to being leaders and stakeholders in NIAF, the Italian American community and our future. Join us in this endeavor,” Del Raso said.  Besides welcoming honorees and guests, Del Raso introduced Bishop Frank Joseph Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport who gave the invocation.

     
    Governor Cuomo joined the more than 500 guests to present the inaugural Mario M. Cuomo Award in Public Service to Janet DiFiore, the Westchester County, N.Y., district attorney.  The award recognizes Italian American public servants who are known for their passion, conviction and dedication to serving the Italian American community.

     
    At the podium, Cuomo spoke about his father’s legacy. “My father was dedicated to represent the best of the Italian American people and he wanted to model the best of the Italian American culture,” Cuomo said.  “He led a life of principle, dignity and honor.  He was about honor and commitment and living up to his word.”  
     

     
    DiFiore thanked Governor Cuomo for taking the time to be at the NIAF Gala.  “This evening is about scholarship and education. Thank you for the fight for quality education and educational opportunities for every child in the State of New York,” DiFiore said. “Mario Cuomo is a model, the most cherished Italian American to call our own.”
     
    New York Gala dinner chairman Gerard S. LaRocca, a member of NIAF’s Board of Directors and the Italian American Leadership Council, and chief administrative officer, Americas, Barclays Capital, thanked the Foundation’s New York committee for rebuilding the NIAF New York Gala into the institution it is today.

     
    LaRocca was joined by this year’s master of ceremonies, Chazz Palminteri, Academy-Award nominated actor and writer, who was warmly welcomed by the guests. “As you may recall, I, too was a NIAF New York Gala honoree in the recent past. This is a great organization that does a great deal for the Italian American community.  I am proud to be a supporter,” Palminteri said. 
     
    Before the guests dined on Italian specialties, including thinly sliced prosciutto with fresh mozzarella and roasted pear and frisee salad, Christina Carlucci, a New York City based performer, recently in the national tour of “Annie,” sang the United States national anthem and “Inno di Mameli,” Italy’s national anthem.

    After dinner was served, Palminteri opened the awards ceremony with a posthumous honor for WABC 7’s Lisa Colagrossi, Emmy Award-winning reporter, whose sudden passing in mid-March has greatly affected the Italian American community in New York. Her colleague at WABC-TV Ken Rosato accepted the award on behalf of her family.  “I accept this award on behalf of our beloved colleague and will present it to her husband Todd and the boys upon their return from Florida visiting family,” Rosato said.

    Rosato, Channel 7’s anchor at Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon, was also honored with the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Media. Rosato, a veteran news reporter, received the New York Emmy Award five times and is a recipient of a New York State-Associated Press Award. He joined WABC’s Eyewitness Team as a freelance reporter 12 years ago and has worked in media markets, including Elmira-Binghamton, N.Y. and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale.  A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a Master of Arts in languages, Rosato speaks five languages fluently, including Spanish and Italian.

    A dual father-and-son award in real estate was presented to Edward A. Riguardi and Peter G. Riguardi. NIAF recognized Edward Riguardi’s more than 50-year career in commercial real estate.  Edward retired in 2010 as managing director in the New York Transaction Group of Jones Lang LaSalle. His son Peter is president of the New York region of Jones Lang LaSalle and leads all operations for the company in the New York, New Jersey and the Connecticut area, overseeing a team of approximately 1,700 professionals.
     
    NIAF recognized their careers in the industry with the Foundation’s Special Achievement Award in Real Estate. “They represent the family success that all Italian Americans aspire to,” said Palminteri.
     
    “These five honorees and their stories are a testament to why we gathered here tonight and telling their stories is the core of NIAF’s mission,” Palminteri added.
     
    NIAF’s President and Chief Operating Officer John M. Viola introduced special guest Piero Corsini, director of RAI World, who travelled from Rome, Italy, to present a video about the new channels and initiatives the media company has launched to showcase Italians and Italian Americans in Italy and abroad.
     
    Joining the honorees and guests were Italy’s Consul General in New York Natalia Quintavalle; actor Ralph George Macchio Jr., best known for his roles in the “Karate Kid,” and “My Cousin Vinny”; Miss New York Jillian Tapper; television news host Tom Murro; athletic director at Sacred Heart University and former manager of the New York Mets Bobby Valentine; the Region of Lombardia’s Education Training and  Employment Assessor Valentina Aprea, with representatives from Italy’s Lombardy region, NIAF 2015 Region of Honor; as well as NIAF’s vice presidents in the Greater New York region Susan Paolercio and Nicholas R. Caiazzo.
     
    To close the evening’s festivities, Alfio, Italian-Australian vocalist, came to the stage and performed the melodramatic Italian ballad “Il Mondo.” Several guests danced in the aisles as he continued to sing Italian melodies.
     
    The NIAF New York Spring Gala proceeds support the Foundation’s philanthropic and educational programs. NIAF thanks this year’s Presenting Sponsors Jones Lang LaSalle and the Viola Foundation Inc.
     
    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of Italian Americans. Visit www.niaf.org
     

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  • Facts & Stories

    NIAF. Four New Members to Board of Directors




    NIAF’s newly elected members of the Board of Directors are Nicholas R. Caiazzo, a partner in the New York office of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP; George Simeone, senior group partner-in-charge of the Greater Tri-State audit practice of Deloitte; Charles Turano,executive vice president of the National Hockey League franchise Florida Panthers and director of Heritage Werks;and Michael J. Zarrelli,managing counsel and federal affairs manager for Alticor Inc. in Washington, D.C.


    “We at NIAF are proud to add these four outstanding Italian Americans to our Board of Directors.  Leadership like these men exhibit in their respective fields serves to further strengthen the expertise of our distinguished board. We welcome their character, business acumen and dedication to the Italian American community,” said NIAF President and COO John M. Viola.
    Current members re-elected to NIAF’s board are Maria Bartiromo, global markets editor at FOX Business Network; Joseph DePinto, president and CEO of 7-Eleven Inc.; Dr. Antonio Giordano, president and founder of the Sbarro Health Research Organization at Temple University; and Frank Giordano, president and CEO of The Philly POPS and Atlantic Trailer Leasing Corporation.
     
    The NIAF Board of Directors and its Board Officers includes some of the most prominent business executives in the United States, including Hon. Anita Bevacqua McBride, executive in residence at American University School of Public Affairs and former chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush; John F. Calvelli, executive vice president for the Public Affairs Division of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Linda R. Carlozzi, a partner in the New York Office of Jackson Lewis LLP; Joseph V. Del Raso, Esq., partner with Pepper Hamilton LLP; Hon. Louis J. Freeh, former FBI director; Marie L. Garibaldi, a former Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court; Hon. Patricia de Stacy Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting; Gerard S. LaRocca,  chief administrative officer of the Americas at Barclays Capital; Gen. Peter Pace, U.S. Marine Corps General (Ret.); and John F. Scarpa, co-founder of American Cellular Network Corporation.
     
     ----
    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Americans of Italian descent. Visit www.niaf.org.

                                   

  • Events: Reports

    Bambini, Ragazzi, Giovani: Children and Youth in Italy and the Italian Diaspora



    The Italian family has been a quintessential subject for scholarly research and creative work in Italy and among various diasporic communities, with matters relating to children and youth receiving significant exploration. In the United States, notable inquiries concerning youth issues include sociologist William Foote Whyte's urban ethnography Street Corner Society (1943) and educator Leonard Covello's The Social Background of the Italo-American School Child (1967). The twenty-first century brings new lines of inquiry as well as previously unexplored issues, such as changing family structures, Internet culture, and increased migratory movement.
     



    Novels like Edmondo De Amicis's Sull'oceano (1889) and Melania Mazzucco's Vita (2003) examine the lives of children immigrating to the Americas, while the memoirs Nero di Puglia (1980) by Antonio Campobasso, and The Skin Between Us (2006) by Kym Ragusa, movingly discuss the childhoods of their biracial authors. Although scholars have discussed youth culture and its media depictions, e.g., Guidos and Jersey Shore, little work has been done on topics like consumer culture that targets children-from picture books to Disney films to video games-that use Italian-American and Italian ethnic characters.
     
    Working from interdisciplinary and transnational and perspectives, this conference seeks to expand and update knowledge concerning historical and contemporary childhood and youth in Italy and among the diaspora and former colonial sites.


     

    The conference will be streamed online at:
    http://new.livestream.com/ItalicsTV/BambiniRagazziGiovani


    PROGRAM
     
    Friday, April 24, 2015
    ______________________________________________
    9:30-10:45 am
    Psychological and Sociological Approaches   Conference Room
    Chair: ANGELYN BALODIMAS-BARTOLOMEI, North Park University
    Career Counseling with Italian-American College Students Using a Cultural Formulation Approach, DOMINICK CARIELLI, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College, CUNY
    Italian-American Fathers and Daughters: A Psychological Narrative of Childhood and Adolescence, LORRAINE MANGIONE, Antioch University New England and DONNA DICELLO, Yale Medical School
    Italian-American Identity: Results from a Study of New York's Italian-American Youth Population, ROSEMARY SERRA, University of Trieste
     
    11am-12:15 pm
    Little Gendered Bodies   Conference Room
    Chair: TERESA FIORE, Montclair State University
    Conflicting Portrayals of Growing Up Female in Nineteenth-Century Italy: The Case of Anna Zuccari, in arte Neera, LISA DOWNWARD, Marist College
    From Wise Children to Wise Italian/American Men: Children in the Narratives of Tony Ardizzone, Fred Gardaphé, and Mary Caponegro, CARLA FRANCELLINI, University of Siena 
    Bodies in Trans(l/n)ation: Mapping Children's Desire and Pain in Melania Mazzucco's Vita, EVA P. SAÑUDO, University of Oviedo
     
    1:30-2:45 pm
    Keynote   Conference Room
    Imagining and Designing the Future in Italy, 1977-2014: Children's Participation in Urban Planning, RAYMOND LORENZO, The Umbra Institute Perugia
     
    3-4:15 pm 
    Literary Representations   Conference Room
    Chair: FRED GARDAPHÈ, Queens College, CUNY
    Escape from Modernity: Frances Hodgson Burnett's Italian Children, LEONARDO BUONOMO, University of Trieste
    La Merica for Children: Luigi Capuana and Gli Americani di Rabbato, CHIARA MAZZUCCHELLI, University of Central Florida
    Searching for the Culturally Conscious in Children's Fiction with Italian-American Characters, LISA PAOLUCCI, Columbia University 
     
    4:30-5:45 pm
    Film and Literature in Italy   Conference Room
    Chair: PETER VELLON, Queens College, CUNY
    The Children Are Watching Us: Youngsters and Parents in Italian Neorealist Cinema, FRANK P. TOMASULO, Pace University
    Internal Journeys from Childhood to Adulthood in Elena Ferrante's Novels, FRED MISURELLA, East Stroudsburgh University
    Chinese Youth in Contemporary Italian Cinema, MARY ANN MCDONALD CAROLAN, Fairfield University
     
     
    Saturday, April 25, 2015
    ______________________________________________
    9:30-10:45 am
    Children in Italy and Beyond   Conference Room
    Chair: ROBERT OPPEDISANO, Editor
    Suffer the Children: The Mafia's "Code of Honor" and the Murder of Italian Youth, LION CALANDRA, Journalist
    Fitting In and Acceptance: Challenges Faced and Strategies Adopted with Peers from Childhood through Early Adulthood in Italy, the United States, and Abroad, JANE MCCALL POLITI, Independent Scholar
    The Dilemmas of Second-Generation Immigrants in Italy, ROBERT GAROT, John Jay College, CUNY
     
    11 am-12:15 pm
    Colonial Pursuits and Racial Paradigms   Conference Room
    Chair: NANCY CARNEVALE, Montclair State University
    Youth, Racism, and Violence Onscreen in Fascist Italy, ANNEMARIE TAMIS-NASELLO, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY
    Testimonial Literature: Grazia Arnese Grimaldi and 13,000 Italian-Libyan Children and Youth Forgotten by History, ROSARIO POLLICINO, University of Western Ontario
    Antonio Campobasso and His "Brothers" and "Sisters": The Plight of Black Soldiers' Biracial Children in Postwar Italy, STEFANO LUCONI, University of Padua
     
    Italian-American Memoirs   La Galleria
    Chair: FRED GARDAPHÈ, Queens College, CUNY
    Running from Ozone: How the Mafia Drove Me to Grad School, CAROLINE PARI-PFISTERER, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
    It's a Free Country, but the Freedom Wasn't Free, JOSEPH COSCO, Old Dominion University
    The Iron Shoes, PHYLLIS CAPELLO, Author
     
    1:30-2:45 pm
    Italian Lessons: Three Cases of Assimilation Efforts   Conference Room
    Chair:  ERICA MORETTI, Mount Holyoke College
    Molding Italy's Newest Children: Language Education in Alto Adige, 1919-1929, EDEN K. MCLEAN, Auburn University
    Students of Empire: Naturalization and Education of Italian Youth in Tunisia, SARAH DEMOTT, New York University
    Growing Up "Fascist," MARISA GIORGI, The Ohio State University
     
    3-4:15 pm
    History's Children: Exploited, Abandoned, Saved   Conference Room
    Chair: CHIARA MAZZUCCHELLI, University of Central Florida
    Little Aliens of a Beaten Race: Immigrant Newsboys and Newsgirls in the United States, 1880s-1920s, VINCENT DIGIROLAMO, Baruch College, CUNY
    Talking with Spartaco "Bob" Schirru in Milan, Illinois, LUC NEMETH, Independent Scholar
    A Haven in East Harlem: Home Garden Settlement/Haarlem House/LaGuardia Memorial House, LULU LOLO PASCALE, Playwright
     
    Pedagogical Case Studies   La Galleria
    Chair: TBD 
    Rev. Pasquale Codella and La Scuola Dante in Waterbury, Connecticut, MICHAEL S. GENOVESE, Italian Genealogical Group
    The Italianization of John Cabot as a Paradoxical Source of Pride for Italian-Canadian Youth, KRYSTA PANDOLFI, York University
    The Depiction of Italian Youth and Culture in Foreign-Language Textbooks, ANGELYN BALODIMAS-BARTOLOMEI, North Park University
     
    4:30-5:45 pm
    The Influence of Grandparenting on Personal Development   Conference Room
    Chair: DONNA CHIRICO, York College, CUNY
    Family Memory and Its Thrust toward the Future, ROSSANA DEL ZIO, Journalist
    Caring for the Caregiver, CARMEN MORANO, Hunter College, CUNY
    The Role of Grandparents in Developing and Maintaining an Ethnic Identity in Post-Immigrant Generations, KATHRYN ALESSANDRIA, West Chester University
     
    Free, open to the public, and held at the Calandra Institute.
     
    RSVP by calling (212) 642-2094.

    John D. Calandra Italian American Institute
    Queens College, CUNY

    25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor
    New York, NY 10036




     
  • Events: Reports

    In Conversation with Carlo Petrini at la Birreria


    Born in 1949 in the small town of Bra, northern Italy, Carlo Petrini is a journalist, author and advocate for a sustainable food system and has been working since the 1980’s to promote eco-gastronomy. On December 9, 1989 in Paris, the Slow Food Manifesto was signed by over twenty delegations from around the world, and Petrini was elected president, an office he still holds today.


    Thanks to his far-sighted vision, Petrini has played a decisive role in the development of Slow Food, inventing and promoting its projects, which have now acquired great international visibility. Among his many achievements is the creation of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (near Bra), the first academic institution to offer an interdisciplinary approach to food studies. He was also behind the creation of Terra Madre, a network of over 2,000 food communities that brings together small-scale farmers, fishers, artisans, chefs, young people, academics and experts from more than 150 countries. Carlo Petrini travels around the world taking part in conferences, meeting communities of the Terra Madre network, holding lectures in renowned universities including Ivy League institutions, and has been invited to take part in discussions on food sustainability and agriculture within EU institutions and the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).


    As a journalist he regularly contributes to La Repubblica, one of Italy’s largest daily newspapers, discussing themes such as sustainable development, culture, gastronomy, and the relationship between food and the environment. Prior to La Repubblica, Petrini wrote for the national newspapers Il Manifesto and La Stampa. All revenue from journalistic activities is reinvested in Slow Food.


    Carlo Petrini is also the author of various books: The Case for Taste (2001); Slow Food Revolution (2005); Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should be Good, Clean and Fair (2007, translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Polish, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean from the Italian original); Terra Madre (2011, translated into English, French and German). In his latest book, “Cibo e libertà. Slow Food: storie di gastronomia per la liberazione” (2013), currently available only in Italian, Petrini recounts a series of gastronomic stories collected during his long experience as a traveler, which demonstrate how food can become an instrument for liberation from hunger, malnutrition and the nowadays omnipresent phenomenon of the “homogenization of thought”.


    Petrini's contribution to the discussion on the sustainability of food and agriculture in relationship to gastronomy has been acknowledged by the academic world. In 2003, the Istituto Universitario Suor Orsola Benincasa of Naples conferred on him an honorary degree in Cultural Anthropology, and in May 2006 he received an honorary degree in Human Letters from the University of New Hampshire (USA) for his achievements as a ‘revolutionary precursor [and] founder of the University of Gastronomic Sciences’. Petrini’s work was further recognized by the University of Palermo in 2008, when he was awarded an honorary degree in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies.


    Carlo Petrini’s outstanding contributions in the field of the environment and sustainable development have also been recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme, which named him Co-Winner of the 2013 Champion of the Earth Award for “Inspiration and Action”.


    His skills as a communicator and the originality and importance of his message, implemented through Slow Food projects around the world, have aroused the interest of international opinion leaders and media. In 2004 he was named a 'European Hero' by Time magazine, and in January 2008 he was the only Italian to appear in the list of ‘50 People Who Could Save the World’ drawn up by the prestigious British newspaper The Guardian.


    At EatalyNY Birreria
    Wed, Apr 22, 8:45AM - 10:15AM

    More info >>>
  • Facts & Stories

    IACC Elects New President. Alberto Milani, Current Buccellati Inc. CEO

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce announces its new President, Alberto Milani.

    Mr. Milani, currently Buccellati Inc. CEO, brings knowledge and experience of international organizations, both in Italy and the United States. His experience in all aspects of the luxury business cycle will be crucial to the IACC’s vision of creating solid strategic direction and increasingly more partnerships with both institutions and individuals.
     

    Mr. Milani enthusiastically accepted his election and the challenge to provide, in his own words, “guidance and training for future generations of managers and entrepreneurs”.

    Before becoming CEO of Buccelati Americas, recently rated by the Luxury Institute of New York as “the most exclusive jewelry company in the US”, Mr. Milani held executive positions with Procter & Gamble, Sector Sport Watches and Bulgari, leading with passion and fostering innovation.
     

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce, a private, no profit US Corporation, provides its members with the right business contacts and global reach, stimulating trade, tourism and investments between Italy and the United States.
     

    i-Italy would like to congratulate Mr. Milani and extend our best wishes to him in his new role as IACC President.
  • Facts & Stories

    Mario Cuomo Award in Public Service Presented at Niaf New York Gala



    The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception by dinner at 7:30 p.m.  



    NIAF President John M. Viola and the Foundation’s leadership created the Mario M. Cuomo Award in Public Service to recognize Italian American public servants who are known for their passion, their conviction, and their dedication to serving the Italian American community.
    “Former Governor Mario M. Cuomo was a man who held his culture, his history, and our Italian American values close to his heart and wore them with an almost stoic pride,” Viola said. “His achievements were a testament to our community.”

    NIAF will honor Janet DiFiore, the Westchester County, N.Y., district attorney with the prestigious award at the Gala.

    Before more than 500 guests, NIAF also will honor New York television journalist WABC Channel 7’s Ken Rosato, anchor at Eyewitness News This Morning and Eyewitness News at Noon.  He will receive the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Media.

    The evening will also include a posthumous honor for ABC 7’s Lisa Colagrossi, Emmy Award-winning reporter, whose sudden passing in mid-March has greatly affected the Italian American community in New York.

    To open the evening’s festivities, Chazz Palminteri, Academy-Award nominated actor and playwright, will emcee this year’s Gala. He will be joined by actor Ralph George Macchio Jr., best known for his roles in the Karate Kid, My Cousin Vinny and The Outsiders; Italy’s Consul General in New York Natalia Quintavalle; and dignitaries from the Italian region of Lombardia. Bishop Frank Joseph Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport, a Brooklyn native, will give the evening’s invocation.

    Industry leaders Peter G. Riguardi, president of New York operations for Jones Lang LaSalle, and his father Edward A. Riguardi, a former commercial real estate executive at Jones Lang LaSalle, will receive the NIAF Special Achievement Award in Real Estate.
    Special to the evening’s events, Christina Carlucci, a New York City based performer, recently in the national tour of “Annie,” will sing the U.S. and Italian national anthems.  The Gala also includes a musical performance by Italian-Australian vocalist Alfio.
     
    NIAF’s New York Gala is chaired by Gerard S. LaRocca, a member of NIAF’s Board of Directors, the Italian American Leadership Council, and chief administrative officer, Americas, Barclays Capital.
     
    Proceeds from NIAF’s New York Gala will benefit the Foundation’s philanthropic and educational programs. Tickets begin at $750 (member); $1,000 (non-member). Attire: Cocktail.  For more information or sponsorship opportunities, visit: www.niaf.org/nyc
     

    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of Italian Americans. www.niaf.org. 

  • Life & People

    Save The Beauty Save the Saint



    The fifth largest church in the world and the largest in Italy, Milan’s Duomo is a special, magisterial site. Built in several phases over six centuries, beginning at the end of the 1300s, the church has long fascinated believers and non-believers of all denominations. Its 3,400 statues and 135 spires make it the largest outdoor sculpture gallery in the world. No visitor could ever forget the profile of the Duomo in the distance, soaring over Milan, thanks in large part to its original spires. No other church has so many. But the spires, typical components of Gothic architecture, are also very fragile. They require constant care and complex maintenance work to ensure their safety. The mobilization to find sufficient funds for the job has led to a new crowdfunding initiative in New York by International Patrons of Duomo di Milano (www. duomopatrons.org) on the crowdfunding platform For Italy (www.foritaly.org).
     
    Save the Saint
    People have always helped financing the construction and maintenance of the Duomo with donations of goods and money over the centuries, thus participating to a great challenge towards the future that now has evolved internationally. A call to responsibility expanding rapidly all around the world and which has recorded significant adhesion not only by Milan citizens, but also by entrepreneurs and patrons from United States of America and China. Thanks to International Patrons of Duomo di Milano and the crowdfunding platform “For Italy,” which is dedicated to preserving Italian heritage, it’s possible to contribute to the maintenance of the spires and statues by donating just $50. And even small donors can have their names inscribed on a plaque nearby the spire. You don’t even have to be from Milan or Italy. As highlighted by Federica Olivares, Italian art publisher: “the challenge of this platform answers a real need: it creates a virtual place where all the lovers of Italy and its excellences, wherever in the world, can take part in tangible projects to bring into the future of mankind the Italian artistic and cultural heritage”. The Duomo is not only part of our religious heritage, it’s an architectural asset for all mankind. But why would you have to make a contribution from the United States, in particular from New York? What makes i-ItalyNY so interested? Here’s something that only a select few know.
     
     
    Mother Cabrini
     
    The campaign Save the Saint has special resonance in New York, given the city’s history of Italian immigration and the fact that one of the statues towering over the spires of Milan’s Duomo depicts Francesca Xavier Cabrini, known in the United States as Mother Cabrini. Born in 1850 in a small town near Milan, at 27 years old Mother Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, sought to obtain the approval of the papacy to establish a mission in China. The Pope suggested she go “not east but west,” to the United States, to help Italian immigrants then arriving in the US in droves and facing extreme poverty. Cabrini listened, and 126 years ago, in 1889, she herself landed in New York. For almost 30 years, she and her Missionary Sisters tirelessly supported immigrants and the poor, establishing dozens of orphanages, hospitals and schools, from New York to Philadelphia, Chicago to Los Angeles, Denver to New Orleans, and eventually in South America. New York’s Cabrini Boulevard is named in her honor, as is Cabrini Street in Chicago, where Mother Cabrini died in 1917. Cabrini was beatified in 1938, and in 1946 she became the first naturalized citizen of the United States to be made a saint. Her popularity extends beyond the Italian-American community, and her method is recognized as being extraordinarily prescient in today’s world; her initiatives are still a point of reference for social service workers. But how did Mother Cabrini wind up on the Duomo? During World War II, one of the cathedral’s statues was irrecoverably damaged. Its subject’s identity was unknown. In the ensuing years, while people were trying to figure out how to replace it, Cabrini was made a saint. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made to dedicate the statue to her—and by association to all the world’s emigrants. Its realization was entrusted to sculptor Michele Boninsegna and the new statue was installed in 1956. Since then, Cabrini has looked down upon the city of Milan from up high, bridging the gap between past and future, Italy and America, and Milan and New York.
     
     
     
    Save the Cabrini Spire

    Cabrini seems to be saying from on high: “Miracles do happen, but we need your help.” Today the spire and the statue need continuous restorations to shine for the future generations—and that means funding. The nonprofit organization International Patrons of the Duomo di Milano, established on October 2014 has begun collecting funds in New York to restore the statue. “This crowdfunding campaign,” says Chief Development Officer of International Patrons Alessandra Pellegrini, “was started to promote and develop fund-collecting operations for the Duomo di Milano in the U.S:. Those who make donations will receive a little something in return. In the case of Mother Cabrini, perhaps the most exciting deal is that with 50 dollars people can have their name inscribed on a large plaque right underneath the spire.” The sum for restoring the spire has been set at $150,000, and contributors can make donations on the “For Italy” website. We at i-ItalyNY have joined the call. “Miracles do happen, but we need your help.”.
     
     
    How To donate
     
    If you love Italian art, culture and lifestyle, now you can be part of it all: “For Italy” is the community where people from all over the world can show their love towards Italy, interact with each other and – mainly – contribute to the protection of Italian art and culture, heritage of the whole world. Take an active art in crowdfunding campaigns, do not miss the chance to carve your name into the history of Italian art. Help the Duomo di Milano shine for generations to come! Your generosity will be compensated! Make a gift to International Patrons of Duomo di Milano Inc., and ensure that the spire dedicated to St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini) is safeguarded and restored. All donations to International patrons of Duomo di Milano are tax deductible. For Italy is comprised of two passionate Italian entities dedicated to preserving culture: ARPANet and Arts Council. ARPANet studies and promotes the adoption of technological and communicative instruments. Arts Council is a leader in relations between cultural institutions and enterprises, working to enhance synergies and give economic support to the immeasurable artistic and monumental landscape of Italian heritage.
  • Art & Culture

    AP Party at the Consulate. Italian is Getting Cooler

    ARTICOLO IN ITALIANO >>>

    NEW YORK - "Italian is getting cooler in the schools in which we offer our programs" - explains Bernardo Paradiso, the president of IACE, the Italian American Committee on Education, a non-profit that, with the support of the Italian Consulate, promotes the study of the Italian language and culture. 

    Confirming this statement is the fact that an important goal was reached one year ahead of

    time: the number of American students engaged in taking the Italian AP (Advanced Placement) exam in the coming Spring has surpassed 2.500, the minimum that had to be reached within 2016 to keep the test alive. And 60% out of the 2.993 students who signed up to take the exam come from the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where IACE operates.  

    This achievement was celebrated last Thursday at the Italian Consulate, by the vice-consul, Roberto Frangione, during IACE's annual assembly. It included an award ceremony, rewarding the professors who brought the most students to take the exam.

    The mission of “marketing” Italian that IACE has been carrying out with special initiatives, like the series of cooking lessons "Mangia sano e parla italiano" organized with Eataly and Barilla; the visits to the Ferrari showroom to discuss "made in Italy" technology; the adaptations of the best Italian operas catered to younger audiences; and other special events featuring public figures in support of the Italian language, like the master chef Lidia Bastianich. 

    "The entrepreneurial direction taken by IACE, under the directive of president Paradiso, is so effective that the ministry of foreign affairs is proposing it as a model of 'best practice' to the other similar entities all over the world", underlined professor Carlo Davoli, director of the consular didactic office.

    "We are deeply satisfied - added Paradiso -, because the children who participate in our activities with enthusiasm will become the ambassadors for our culture within their communities, and they will be the ones to lead the exchanges, even the business exchanges, between Italy and the US. In fact, those who love a language, also love the products associated with that language".

    Davoli, alongside IACE and the Osservatorio Locale della Lingua Italiana (local observatory of the italian language), whose president is Sal Salibello and whose members include Roberto Dolci, Silvana Mangione, Joe Sciame, and Anthony Tamburri, are the ones who came up with the award for the faculty members most involved in the AP courses. This award gets assigned to the faculty member with the greatest amount of students taking the exam in the form of $1,200. The same sum also goes to another teacher randomly selected amongst all those who brought at least five students to take the exam. 

    This year's winner was Giuseppina della Pietra from Scotch Plains Fanwood HS in New Jersey, who got 34 of her students to take the exam in Spring 2014. And Giovanna Mangiola from James Caldwell HS, also in New Jersey, was selected.
  • Arte e Cultura

    Festa per l'AP in Consolato. L'Italiano è sempre più cool

    NEW YORK –  “L’italiano è sempre più cool nelle scuole dove offriamo i nostri programmi – spiega Berardo Paradiso, il presidente dello IACE, l’Italian American Committee on Education, l’organizzazione non profit che, sotto la tutela del Consolato italiano, promuove lo studio della lingua e cultura italiana.

    Una conferma viene dal raggiungimento di un importante obbiettivo con un anno di anticipo: gli studenti delle scuole superiori americane impegnati a sostenere l’esame AP (Advance placement) di italiano questa primavera sono già oltre 2.500, la soglia minima che doveva essere raggiunta entro il 2016 per mantenere vivo questo test. E ben il 60% dei 2.993 iscritti viene dagli stati di New York, New Jersey e Connecticut dove opera lo IACE.  

        Il traguardo è stato celebrato giovedì scorso presso il Consolato italiano a New York, alla presenza del viceconsole generale Roberto Frangione, in occasione dell’assemblea annuale dello IACE, con una cerimonia di premiazione dei professori che hanno portato il maggior numero di studenti a sostenere l’esame.
       A raggiungerlo ha contribuito in modo decisivo il “marketing” dell’italiano che da cinque anni fa lo IACE con iniziative speciali, come i corsi di cucina “Mangia sano e parla italiano” in collaborazione con Eataly e Barilla; le visite allo showroom di Ferrari per parlare della tecnologia “made in Italy”; le performance a teatro delle più belle opere italiane adattate per i ragazzi; ed eventi speciali con testimonial della lingua italiana come la master chef Lidia Bastianich.
      
    “Questa impostazione ‘imprenditoriale’ dello IACE, sotto la guida del presidente Paradiso, è così efficace che il ministero degli Affari esteri la sta proponendo come modello e come ‘best practice’ a tutti gli altri enti simili nel mondo”, ha sottolineato il professor Carlo Davoli, Direttore dell’Ufficio didattico consolare.
        “Siamo molto soddisfatti – ha aggiunto Paradiso -, perché i bambini che partecipano con entusiasmo alle nostre attività diventano gli ambasciatori della nostra cultura nelle comunità e saranno loro, da grandi, ad incrementare anche gli scambi di business tra l'Italia e gli USA. Infatti chi ama una lingua ama anche i prodotti associati a quella lingua”.
       Il premio ai docenti più attivi nei corsi AP è stato ideato da Davoli, in collaborazione con lo IACE e l’Osservatorio locale della lingua italiana, di cui è presidente l’avvocato Sal Salibello e sono membri Roberto Dolci, Silvana Mangione, Joe Sciame, Anthony Tamburri. Consiste in $1,200 per il docente che porta più studenti all’AP e altri $1,200 al fortunato sorteggiato fra chi ne ha portati almeno cinque. Quest’anno la vincitrice è stata Giuseppina Della Pietra della scuola Scotch Plains Fanwood HS, nel New Jersey, con 34 suoi studenti che hanno sostenuto l’esame nella primavera 2014; e la sorteggiata è Giovanna Mangiola della James Caldwell HS, sempre nel New Jersey.                                                                                           

     
  • Events: Reports

    Yes. A Mediterranean Diet Roundtable in New York!


     What is the Mediterranean Diet Roundtable?
    The Mediterranean Diet Roundtable is a revolutionary conference and networking event dedicated to the national and international Food Industry. Attendees will meet with U.S. Food Industry Professionals (buyers, importers, distributors), International Manufacturers, International Trade Missions and Agencies as well as Doctors, Nutritionists, local, regional and federal professionals in the Purchasing and Procurement Departments of Schools, Hospitals, Cafeteria, Food Service, Chains and other mass feeding programs. Our goal is to inspire and inform about Mediterranean products and Mediterranean-inspired menus in stores and cafeterias, promoting the Mediterranean Diet’s health benefits as an added value for doing business.  Our first national event will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at the CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue, NYC) from 8 am to 5 pm.


    The Mediterranean Diet is widely known and appreciated in the United States for quite some time now. Why did you feel there was a need for this kind of event?
    Although the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet have been stated over and over, little has been done to actually implement this dietary pattern in places like schools, hospitals, seniors’ centers, etc. There are scientific conferences out there about this topic, but it appears that this is the first time that something applicable to the entire food industry sector has been planned. Our program is vertically integrated and encompasses Retail and Food Service. We lined up a superb set of speakers including, but not limited to: Sara Baer Sinnott (Oldways, a nonprofit organization pioneering the introduction of the Mediterranean Diet in America), Artemis Simopoulos M.D. (Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health and author of The Omega Diet),  Ken Toong, MBA (University of Massachusetts-Amherst Dining), Rafi Taherian (Executive Director of Yale University Dining), Johnny Curet, CEC (Director of Campus Dining at Rice University) and Craig J. Mombert, MCFE, CPFM (Executive Chef at Davidson College), Tara Narula, M.D. (CBS contributor and Lenox Hills Hospital Cardiologist), and representatives of major operations such as Premier, Inc., Sodexo, Restaurant Associates (part of the Compass Group)  and Memorial Sloan Cancer Center, and many others.

     Why should the Mediterranean Diet enter in systems like schools, workplaces and cafeteria? Wasn’t this similar to the Michelle Obama’s initiative?
    Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean Diet reduces the risk of certain illnesses. A study conducted on more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet reduces risk of  heart disease and cancer, as well as a reduced incidences of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases (source: Mayo Clinic, ranked #1 Hospital in the nation). Therefore, it is of long term valueto implement genuine foods distinctive of the Mediterranean Dieton American tables and cafeterias. Our goal is to facilitate this process again, providing information and inspiration.
    I was personally inspired by the Let’s Move Campaign that was launched by the First Lady. I am not sure why it didn’t click though; perhaps strict regulations don’t always translate into positive action/response. That program had a high risk of boomeranging results in the opposite direction . Our Roundtable is composed  of Food Industry professionals for Food Industry professionals. It’s a hands-on approach from peer-to-peer. We are highlighting the industry’s best practice and attempting to stimulate discussion among decision makers. It is not an easy task to move them out of their current comfort zone to something new. In fact, the response from the procurement offices of the public school system was really bad! But we are counting on a long term operation and we are sure that, once the values of our proposition will be clear, more and more facilities will join the discussion.


     Wouldn’t the American companies feel threated by this kind of initiative?
    We strongly believe that certain foods are distinctive of certain countries: of course fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, and several other ingredients should be sources as locally as possible (although I was surprised to find out that my blueberries from a major local store were from Chile and not from New Jersey….). We strongly believe in what in Italy has been defined as “Kilometro Zero” approach:  the minimum possible distance to source certain foods. However, ingredients such as olive oil, spices, nuts and some other products, recipes, flavors are distinctive of the Mediterranean Countries: Italy of course, but also Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia just to name the most obvious ones. So,  American manufacturers shouldn’t feel afraid but use this as an opportunity to serve their customers healthy and sustainable food, either manufactured in loco or with some products sourced directly from those countries. And a not-so-obvious consequence of all this, is a substantial reduction in food waste, with big ethical implications: eat less and more tasty!

    Q.: What good reasons are there to attend the Roundtable?

    There are several good reasons to attend: Learn from Industry rock stars about Menu Engineering, Food Display Strategies, Business Best Practices, hear about latest Scientific Findings, FDA Regulations & Food Safety Issues, become aware of current Market Trends and, best of all, network with a room of your peers.

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    For more information about the program and registration, please visit www.mdrproject.com




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