“TracingITALIANroots.NY” has arrived in New York. The free web app allows users, with a simple tap, to explore an interactive map made up of stories, traditions, and the legacy of Italians in America, transforming technology into a true time machine capable of connecting past and present.
This compelling and valuable project is taking shape in the Big Apple thanks to Comites New York, with Ornella Fado – Vice President of the Committee and President of its Communications and Events Commission – leading the project’s outreach efforts alongside initiative curator Fabio Castagna.
The goal is to highlight and tell the story of the Italian presence in the United States through an innovative, accessible tool with strong cultural impact.
The project was launched in 2024 from Castagna’s experience as creator of the platform and first took shape in Washington as a pilot initiative thanks to the collaboration of Maby Palmisano, President of COMITES Washington. Presented at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., it was recognized as a Special Project by Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which co-funded it together with technology partner GlobalMedia, owner of the TracingITALIANroots© platform copyright. The initiative quickly established itself as a successful model connecting culture, memory, and innovation.
Today, Comites New York is the first COMITES organization to promote the platform’s expansion across the United States, with the goal of creating a participatory digital map of Italian identity capable of involving institutions, associations of Italians and Italian descendants, museums, theaters, and media organizations, while strengthening the sense of belonging and deepening ties with local American communities.
“Our goal is to create a strong synergy among institutions, associations, museums, theaters, and media organizations in order to build a concrete map of Italian identity that is alive, accessible, and shared,” said Ornella Fado. “This project,” added Fabio Castagna, “does not simply create a map – it gives life to a soul: the living map of Italian heritage, where a shared and inclusive narrative of Italian identity in America can be built, strengthening the bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic.”
The project also assigns an important role to the media, inviting journalists to actively contribute by telling stories, interviewing key figures, and highlighting the individuals and organizations that represent Italian memory and identity in the United States.
At the Consulate General of Italy in New York on May 28, the New York expansion of the platform will be officially presented with an initial selection of 100 profiles, accessible free of charge worldwide. TracingITALIANroots© is not simply a digital archive, but a true “living map” built through contributions from the community, where individual stories become part of a shared collective heritage.
Thanks also to the collaboration with Italea and the “Roots Tourism” project, this initiative not only preserves historical memory but also encourages people to reconnect with their places of origin, promoting a more conscious and identity-driven form of tourism. And for those unable to travel, Italy itself will reach them through technology transformed into a tool of memory.
