At the Italian Consulate General in New York, community leaders, cultural figures, and Italian Americans gathered to celebrate the launch of “Tracing Italian Roots NY,” a new digital initiative designed to preserve and strengthen connections between Italian heritage and the Italian American experience.
The project was created by GlobalMedia, led by Fabio Castagna, and is supported by the COMITES of New York under the leadership of Barbara Marciandi.
The initiative aims to document the stories, traditions, and family origins of Italians who settled in New York, creating an innovative digital archive that transforms personal memories into a shared cultural resource. For the first time, Italian roots are being digitally mapped and preserved through a virtual platform that allows future generations to explore their heritage in an accessible and interactive way.
The presentation at the Consulate became an emotional celebration of identity and belonging. Many of the individuals interviewed for the project attended the event, sharing personal stories about their families, their journeys, and their enduring connection to Italy. Organizers described the initiative as an important cultural bridge linking Italy and the Italian diaspora in New York while using technology to safeguard collective memory.
Ornella Fado, Vice President of COMITES New York and head of its Communications Commission, serves as project manager for Tracing Italian Roots NY. Together with Fabio Castagna, she presented the goals and future development of the platform. The event also featured contributions from COMITES members, representatives of Italian institutions abroad, and members of the Italian American community who are helping expand the project.
Tracing Italian Roots is part of a broader effort to reconnect descendants of Italian immigrants with their ancestral towns and regions. By combining genealogy, storytelling, and digital technology, the project creates a living archive of migration, culture, and identity, ensuring that the experiences of Italian Americans remain visible and accessible for generations to come.
