Dear friends,
We the Italians is launching its first survey of 2026, asking all of you to choose the Italian who has contributed most to the greatness of the United States over these 250 years, whose anniversary we are celebrating this year.
We have selected 18 names, without distinguishing between those who were born in Italy and later emigrated to the United States, and those who were born in America with Italian roots. To us, they are all Italians - perhaps two different kinds of Italians, but Italians nonetheless, all of them. You can choose between John Basilone, Ettore Boiardi, Costantino Brumidi, Francesca Cabrini, Enrico Caruso, Luigi Del Bianco, Joe DiMaggio, Enrico Fermi, Gaetano Filangieri, Amadeo Giannini, Fiorello La Guardia, Filippo Mazzei, Antonio Meucci, Maria Montessori, Rocco Petrone, Joe Petrosino, Piccirilli Brothers, Frank Sinatra.
We invite you to vote here; in May, we will share the results of your preferences.
The survey naturally connects to the section “Happy Birthday USA: Italy’s role in America’s greatness” within our project “Two Anniversaries, One Heart,” as the 18 names you are voting on are the same individuals featured in the project’s articles.
As you know, every even month (February, April, June, August, October, and December) we publish three articles for this section, along with three articles for the “Happy Birthday Italy” section and a full set of articles dedicated to one U.S. region for the “Happy Birthday USA: Unsung Heroes” section.
This month, the Unsung Heroes we will highlight are from the state of New York. Stay tuned – all the articles and the insert will be ready by the end of the month. The first one, published in February, is available here.
Our project “Two Anniversaries, One Heart” will also play an important role in this year’s We the Italians Gala Dinner, which will take place on June 4 in Rome. We are working on several new elements to complement the now well-established format.
One of these innovations is the transformation of the morning conference into a recurring annual format, featuring speakers and panelists who will engage in discussions on key topics related to Italy-United States relations.
The content will differ slightly from the Gala itself: the morning sessions will be more in-depth and conversational, allowing time for discussion and analysis, while the evening will be more social in nature - featuring awards and recognitions, music, and an excellent dinner.
We look forward to welcoming you. Here you can find all the details, the honorees (others will be announced soon), our brochure, highlights from past editions, and information on how to purchase tickets or sponsor the Gala.
And speaking of conferences, We the Italians has been a media partner of an exciting event hosted by the Italian Consulate in New York on April 13, focusing on Italy-United States relations in the healthcare sector.
We are always pleased to support prestigious Italian institutional partners as they engage with audiences in the United States.
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.
