Italian art, culture and roots in Jersey City
New Jersey is a State that has always been of great interest to me. Ill-treated by the media, considered more provincial by Manhattan, it is instead not coincidentally called the Garden State, is home to one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Princeton, and has beautiful nature, especially in fall. New Jersey is also the third large...
Tom Cesarini (Italian Honorary Consul in San Diego, CA)
We resume our trip to the United States: today we are in San Diego, in the southern part of California. One of the most important Italian American personalities in the city is Tom Cesarini. Tom perfectly embodies the Italian American spirit proud of Italian roots, and the commitment to celebrating these roots and our country. We thank him for joini...
Lawrence Baldassaro (Author of the book “Beyond DiMaggio: Italian Americans in Baseball”)
I have always thought, perhaps driven by my love for the Italian American community and the history of its achievements, that the greatest American athlete of all time is Joe DiMaggio, who belonged to that community. There is obviously no official ranking, everybody has their own, mine sees there at the top a very great Italian American. Someone wh...
Elena Dellapiana (Author of the book “Il design e l'invenzione del Made in Italy”)
There is an extraordinary description of Made in Italy as seen from the perspective of design in the book “Il design e l'invenzione del Made in Italy” (Design and the Invention of Made in Italy) by Professor Elena Dellapiana. It is a theme that intersects with the United States several times, even in the introduction of the "Made in Italy" brand, w...
Alexis N. Carra-Tracey (Founder of the Italian Mass Project of New York)
One of the great things about doing We the Italians is the opportunity to meet wonderful people, especially in the Italian American community. The vitality, the commitment, the passion that many people I have been fortunate enough to know and call friends is contagious, an inspiration. It is one of the reasons why Italy needs more America: these pe...
Angela Ianiro Spitalieri (Executive Director of NOIA - Northern Ohio Italian American Foundation)
Cleveland and Ohio have a great history of Italian emigration, perhaps not celebrated as much as it should be, as is often the case with Italian American communities that do not reside on one coast or the other. In Cleveland there is a beautiful Little Italy, still vibrant and buzzing, and our today's guest has her office right there. Angela Spital...
Gianni Profita (Rector of UniCamillus)
One of the problems in the United States is the enormous debt that weighs on the shoulders of those who choose to study medicine and related disciplines. It is a wonderful and lucrative career, but one that starts with a very large sacrifice that is repaid with years of expenses while one is not yet at the top of the profession. Our guest for this...
Antonio Marzo (Commander of the Carabinieri's Command of Forestry, Environmental and Agrifood Units)
For me, the Carabinieri Corps has always been a symbol of the respect owed to the Italian institutions: and I am not the only one in Italy to believe so. It is always a pleasure, therefore, to be able to host a Carabiniere on We the Italians. This very welcome occasion is thanks to an exhibition that will be hosted by the UN Secretariate building i...
Michael Wright and Alana Sacriponte (Duquesne University Study Abroad program in Rome)
This new interview is particularly dear to me for three reasons. The first is that it tells how even young Italians can be guided to learn about the sacrifice that thousands of American heroes made to liberate Italy. The second is that very often I get suggested interviews that are not exactly in the flow of this column, which explores new and spec...
Tom Damigella (President of the North End Historical Society)
Boston and the State of Massachusetts have always been fundamental in American history but also in the narrative of Italian emigration and presence in the United States. Our guest today is one of the most important figures in the Italian American community in the Bay State, where he has also been our new Ambassador for a few weeks. Tom Damigella we...
Gioia Rau (Astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)
I am always fascinated by young - in the meaning we give it in Italy, that is, under 40, more or less - Italian scientists or innovators, often men and even more often women, of whom the United States recognizes talent, passion and vision, rewarding them with well-deserved prestigious roles. I consider them to be one of the best parts of my country...
Pierangelo Campodonico and Giorgia Barzetti (National Museum of Italian Emigration)
The National Museum of Italian Emigration (MEI) is a magnificent institution that finally pays tribute to the stories of millions of Italians who have left our country: in the distant past or even recently, from every place in Italy, heading for every place in the world. It is a diaspora that Italy has not yet fully come to terms with, a trauma tha...