Dear friends,
The first of six special inserts dedicated to Two Anniversaries, One Heart is now online. Two Anniversaries, One Heart is We the Italians’ celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic. These milestones will take center stage at our Gala Dinner this year. Even the date of our event reflects this dual celebration: June 4 blends Italy’s June 2 with America’s July 4 – combining the month of the former with the day of the latter. Here you can find all the content from insert 1/6 of Two Anniversaries, One Heart: Happy Birthday USA and Happy Birthday Italy.
Here, instead, you can find all the details about our gala, which will be truly special this year. This video describes it – it’s in Italian because, starting this year, the We the Italians Gala will be held in Italian, but simultaneous English translation will be available for those who need it.
As you may have noticed from this magazine’s cover, we at We the Italians are thrilled about the Italian national baseball team, which amazed the world by reaching the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic held in the United States – even defeating the host nation. No one better than my friend Chris Vaccaro, Vice President of the Italian American Baseball Foundation and our Ambassador in Long Island (New York), has captured what this achievement meant. The Italian national team is made up largely of Italian American players. You can find Chris’s article here, while here is the interview published in January with Marco Mazzieri, President of the Italian Baseball and Softball Federation – of which, we proudly note, We the Italians is a media partner.
And it’s remarkable that, at the very same time Italy – powered by Italian Americans – was defeating the United States in baseball, in women’s basketball it was Italian American Caitlin Clark, playing for Team USA, who defeated Italy. In short, in sports, when Italy and the United States face each other, the team with the Italian Americans wins. They are the real winners: both Italy and the United States should be competing to have them on their side – not discriminating against them!
Speaking of partnerships, we’re pleased to highlight two new collaborations involving We the Italians. The first is with Spirit Cultural Exchange, a U.S. State Department–designated sponsor of the J-1 visa, which allows American businesses to host international interns and trainees for 1 to 18 months. Interns may be university students or recent graduates, while trainees already have early-career experience. Spirit handles all compliance, visa sponsorship paperwork, ongoing program support, and required health insurance, allowing both the intern and the host organization to focus on the training program and cultural exchange. More information is available here or by contacting Spirit’s Rome-based staff at [email protected].
The second partnership is with the Italian Parliamentary Intergroup on Health and Recovery, which will carry out an institutional mission in April between New York and Washington, DC – an initiative we will support and promote.
I am also pleased to share that I had the honor of participating in the MemoGen project, where I recounted memories related to my father’s experience in World War II – including the moment when the U.S. Fifth Army saved him from certain death – and his friendship with the three Italian American soldiers in the battalion that rescued him: Sal Di Marco, Anthony Tiso, and Eddie Gastaldo. My personal heroes. MemoGen is a research project founded by Gianluca Cinelli and Patrizia Piredda, aimed at understanding how the legacy of World War II has evolved in Italian culture over the past fifty years. The project is building a digital archive of approximately 200 video interviews recorded in Italy and abroad.
Our family of Ambassadors continues to grow is growing, and this month we are lucky and grateful to welcome four new members, three territorial and one thematic: this time we move west and we stop in Texas, Oregon and California. I’m very happy to welcome them, and I’m blessed for this big, wonderful family of amazing friends!
Isabella Carrino is our new Ambassador in Houston (Texas). Isabella is an Italian professional based in Houston, Texas, actively engaged in initiatives that support and connect the Italian community abroad. Over the years she has contributed to several projects aimed at promoting Italian culture and strengthening ties between Italy and Italians living overseas. She currently serves as an elected member of Com.It.Es. Houston, where she leads communication and social media activities for the Italian community across Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Passionate about food, culture and storytelling, she is also involved in entrepreneurial and community projects that highlight Italian traditions abroad.
Vytas Babusis is our new Ambassador in Oregon. Vytas serves as the Honorary Consul of Italy in Portland, Oregon, supporting Italian citizens and promoting cultural, educational, and economic ties between Italy and the Pacific Northwest. An attorney, farmer, and community leader, he manages a farm using regenerative and permaculture-inspired practices. Vytas often refers to his story as the “American Dream in reverse”: instead of an Italian immigrating to America to pursue opportunity, he went to Italy, where he discovered his professional and personal path, and today works to give back to the country that has given him so much.
Vicky Carabini is our new Ambassador in Orange County (California). Since 2007, Vicky has served as Ambassador to San Juan Capistrano’s Sister City, Capestrano, Italy. She is actively involved in promoting Italian culture in Orange County through many kind of events. Vicky is Chair of the Italian Studies Council and a Board Member of the Ferrucci Institute at Chapman University. She also serves as Regional Vice President for the National Italian American Foundation. She is the former President of the Italian Arts Council. In 2020 Vicky was knighted Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy).
Andrea Giuricin is our new thematic Ambassador: he is one of the most prestigious Italian experts about mobility. Andrea is CEO of TRA consulting. He is consultant for international companies, Governments and Transport Authorities, the EU, the World Bank and the UN. He is also a global recognized economist focused on the infrastructure and railway industry in the US. Andrea is adj. professor in Transport Economics and Logistic at University Milano Bicocca, where he also is responsible for the development of transport studies. He also teaches Made in Italy for the Annenberg - School for communication at University Southern California. He published several books and is analyst at several Italian and international newspapers.
And it doesn’t stop here! That’s why we ask you to subscribe to We the Italians.
It’s all for now. Please stay safe and take care, and enjoy our magazine and our contents on our website. Stay safe and take care: the future’s so bright, we gotta wear tricolor shades! A big Italian hug from Rome.
