Articles by: L. a.

  • Life & People

    Abruzzo: A Region Focusing on Agriculture

    What does the region of Abruzzo region bring to the Fancy Food Show this year?
    We are perhaps the second or the third region with a considerable number of Italian companies that produce typical, regional products which are being successfully exported. These are gourmet products such as wine, pasta, cheese, sweets, olives and related products, and some organic products such as honey, for example. Abruzzo has some large companies that are well-established in the U.S. market (such as De Cecco pasta), but it also has small to medium companies that only recently have emerged in the Canadian and American markets.

     

    Abruzzo, during the global economic crisis, has also faced many problems as a result of the earthquake that devastated L’Aquila. How is it going in those areas?
    Sorelle Nurzia, a company which produces nougat, is one of the best examples of how well L’Aquila has rebounded after the 2009 earthquake. The earthquake has inevitably created an obstacle in the region’s economy, a block that L’Aquila still struggles with today. However I can say that, paradoxically, despite the destruction and disaster the earthquake of 2009 seems to have helped Abruzzo to be discovered abroad.

    Describe today’s Abruzzo in a few words. Is it still the land of shepherds?
    The region of Abruzzo has an extraordinary variety of landscapes: the sea and the mountains live together harmoniously and create products that are favored by this contrast. With the end of transhumance Abruzzo has gradually lost a strong culture of sheep farming, however it still continues to produce excellent cheeses.

     
    Abruzzo has reconciled with the past by focusing on new initiatives and agriculture has become the primary sector on which Abruzzo’s current economy is based.
    How do you promote your products?
    The strategy of promoting regional products, above all, is to concentrate on the quality of our products. We organize and participate in events designed to sponsor these products by highlighting their unique characteristics and their long tradition, paying particular attention to niche products.
    European funding has played an important role in Abruzzo’s economic recovery. In this case, however, the notion still persists that these funds were not were not used properly, which must be discredited.
     
    Does the United States still remain an important market for Abruzzo region?
    We are attentive to American consumers and strategic in our growth. In our region, the figures related to exports are among the best in the country, with a positive upward trend that gives us hope. The trend also coincides, obviously, with the increased number of jobs. The evident economic and financial crisis present in our region has caused an increase in unemployment but the agricultural sector has gone against the trend. Focusing our efforts abroad is very important to us.

  • Facts & Stories

    Giorgio Napolitano’s Complete Immersion in New York


    President Giorgio Napolitano’s trip to New York was short but intense. The political atmosphere was (and still is) is heated in Italy as it is all over the world, especially with the situation in Libya, immigration, and the nuclear disaster in Japan. In our own parliament where current events mostly relate to the trials involving Premier Berlusconi and justice reform, the climate is no better.

    Giorgio Napolitano’s visit, as always, was insightful and significant in scope not only for Americans, but also for those Italians who live here as well as those who observe him from Italy.


    ST. REGIS – MEETING THE COMMUNITY: 150 PEOPLE FOR 150 YEARS

    He began his visit on a cold but sunny early spring Sunday in the beautiful dining room at the St. Regis. The occasion was to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification with the Italian community.

     
    One hundred and fifty people from institutions and organizations gathered to celebrate 150 years. Maria Bartiromo of CNBC News acted as emcee for the event. Attendees included former Governor Mario Cuomo and his wife Matilda, Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, the Apostolic Nuncio to the UN Francis Chullikat, Consul General Francesco Talò, Honorable Amato Berardi, Archdiocese of Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas Di Marzio, New York City Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, Congressman William Pascrell and many others. The luncheon was organized and sponsored by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce and MSC, Mediterranean Shipping Company.

     



    Following Ambassador Terzi’s presentation which recalled the important victory of reintroducing the Italian language in American school curricula, President Napolitano addressed the audience.

     

    Napolitano referred to President Obama’s proclamation on March 17 which commemorates the unification of Italy as he began a hard and difficult discussion, but one based on optimism.
    “Today’s world is marked by opportunities, challenges, and contradictions. The coming years will not be easy for anyone, especially for Italy,” said President Napolitano reiterating the spirit of Italy’s unification.

     
    “It gives me great pleasure to tell you that in recent days, the celebration of our 150th anniversary has brought about the emergence of a renewed national spirit through the passionate and enthusiastic participation in events that have taken place in all regions of Italy. This new spirit of pride and confidence that I mentioned, this is the renewed determination to strengthen our unity and national cohesion: these are the conditions to overcome the difficulties that are ahead of us. Yes, ‘we shall overcome.’”

     
    Napolitano also had moving words for Geraldine Ferraro who recently passed away: “As I arrived in New York for a visit that would serve to bring Italians in America together to celebrate the 150th anniversary of national unity, I learned with great sadness about the death of Geraldine Ferraro, a great American and Italian-American. A campaigner for equal rights, in 1984 Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman candidate in history to run for vice president of the United States. Her example has inspired millions of women in America and all over the world. She has left an indelible mark and an enduring political legacy. Geraldine Ferraro will remain in the hearts of Americans and Italian-Americans.”

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    INDUSTRIA: MEETING ITALIAN ART AND CULTURE IN NEW YORK
     
    On the same day President Napolitano met with the Italian artistic and intellectual community in New York at Fabrizio Ferri’s Industria Superstudio. Ferri, along with a radiant Isabella Rossellini, greeted with him sincere enthusiasm and excitement.
     
    On the 20th anniversary of Indusria’s foundation and 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification, Ferri mounted an exhibit with an impressive number of contemporary Italian artists. Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Sandro Chia, Carla Accardi, Lucio Pozzi, and Enrico Castellani were among the artists whose work was on display.
     
    Speaking of art, Napolitano recalled with pride that almost two centuries ago Lorenzo Da Ponte introduced our music and Arturo Toscanini to the world.
     
    He concluded by quoting John F. Kennedy in 1961 on the centennial of Italy’s unification about the contribution that millions of Italians made to the progress of the United States.



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                                                                                            Courtesy Quirinale.it
     
    NAPOLITANO: “MORAL LEADERSHIP” AT THE UN
     
    On Monday, President Napolitano enthralled the UN General Assembly after being welcomed as a great and undisputed statesman amid rounds of applause. Before giving Napolitano the floor, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon presented the head of state as “the embodiment of postwar Italian history,” who has always played “a decisive role in moral leadership.”
     
    The President of the Republic’s speech was firm and clear. “Globalized problems require globalized solutions,” said Napolitano to the General Assembly of the United Nations, defending and supporting the process of global integration to reduce worldwide poverty and suffering.
    He took a strong stance on Libya, condemning Gaddafi’s regime and his repression of the civilian population while defending the right to intervene internationally.
    “We Italians and Europeans,” continued Napolitano, “identify our future with that of the Mediterranean….We could not stand idly by; we intervened even though we do not underestimate the human costs and risks in any way.”
    He also emphasized the legal protection of human rights as central to the UN’s role. “Human rights have gradually become a cornerstone in international relations, to the point where a massive violation renders a regime illegitimate and puts it outside the community of nations,” as demonstrated by the 1973 resolution against Libya.
    In confirming his confidence in and support for the UN, Napolitano also expressed his hope that there would be a consensus at the Glass House for the full abolition of the death penalty and the elimination of all forms violence against women, particularly female genital mutilation.





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    ELLIS ISLAND

    Napolitano’s trip included a visit to a quintessential New York sight – Ellis Island – on another very cold and but very sunny early spring day.

     
    As an Italian-American publication, we would have liked to report more direct statements from Napolitano than those we were able to cull, along with other media outlets, at the museum’s exit. Unfortunately we were not even able to follow, photograph, or film the President of the Republic during his historic visit to the museum that tells so many of our readers’ family stories.

     
    Given the opportunity to follow the President, we are sure that we would have collected images and stories that reflected his powerful emotions and thoughtful impressions.

     
    Moreover, we wish to point out that the President was not accompanied by any Italian-American representatives or scholars, such as those from the Calandra Institute whose absence was apparent.

     
    Several statements in recent days had raised hopes for the President’s greater openness to the press in New York. In fact, Napolitano had repeatedly recalled the four million Italians who passed through Ellis Island and spoke of the current migration crisis by stating that “the situation in Lampedusa is untenable.”

     
    “Over the past 150 years there have been many periods of Italian emigration,” he quickly told the press. “I would say that it has been one of the formative experiences in our nation’s history, and we are a nation that has lived in part outside of our own country, even after Italy’s unification. I believe that this massive planting of Italian talent and work force abroad has given enormous fruit not only to the United States but to Italy itself.”





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    NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

    It was a very enjoyable evening, one in which the President was interviewed by JHH Weiler, Director of the Jean Monnet Center for International and Regional Economic Law and Justice at New York University’s School of Law in Washington Square.

     
    The event was entitled “The State of the (European) Union” but the discussion was not limited to political and economic themes. The President answered questions of a personal nature about his childhood in Naples, the war, music, and his love of poetry and soccer.

     
    On the bombing in Naples during World War II, he said that “fear made everyone equal” and on his relationship with his father, he said that initially his father did not approve of his political choices. Napolitano even revealed some personal preferences. “On a desert island, I would take Beethoven, Mozart, and Bartok,” he said, and his favorite dish: “Spaghetti.”
    Prison Notebooks by Antonio Gramsci is Napolitano’s favorite book. This book represents a link between politics and culture, his life’s work. “Today, politics is increasingly more detached from culture,” said the President. In this response we find the synthesis of Napolitano’s rigorous and attentive contribution over the course of his entire political life to date.

     
    Among the responses Napolitano gave the brilliant yet persistent Weiler in reference to the European Union, we refer to one in which he was asked if he was pessimistic or optimistic about the future of the EU.

     
    “In my position I cannot afford to be pessimistic,” repeated Napolitano. He confessed, however, that he was “impatient” to see a fast-moving Europe, “but then it’s only been 60 years since we changed centuries of history.”

     
    As for the continuous landing of immigrants on Lampedusa, he said the following: “Lampedusa borders Italy but it also borders Europe. We need a common policy among the 27 countries within the EU, not 27 national policies.” And in terms of the intervention in Libya, he defended the choices of the UN’s Security Council and supported President Barack Obama’s speech from the night before.

     
    His response to anti-American sentiment in Italy was sharp. “Italians have never been convincing anti-Americans; it’s not the same as it is for some other European countries, those with a superiority complex,” said Napolitano.

     
    He then recalled the years during the Cold War and the difficulties of that period to close the discussion by saying, “We Italians have so much of our blood in America.”



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    VISIT TO NYU’S CASA ITALIANA ZERILLI-MARIMÒ

    At the end of the interview at the School of Law, Napolitano received New York University’s medal of honor. Beside him was Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò, founder and chair of NYU’s Casa Italiana.
     
    Before arriving at NYU’s historic law school, Giorgio Napolitano briefly visited Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò.
     
    We were among those present, including professors and PhD students as well as several board members who looked forward to Napolitano’s visit with great excitement and interest. It was an important event for this cultural institution that celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
     
    Napolitano was greeted by Casa’s Director Stefano Albertini, and founder and chair Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò. Attendees included the head of the Italian Studies department Professor Virginia Cox, members of Casa Italiana’s advisory board, as well as faculty members and graduate students.
     
    Baronessa Zerilli-Marimò reminded everyone about Casa’s 20-year history filled with hard work and success, while Professor Albertini explained how students are immersed in the study of Italian literature, history, and art history that covers every historical period. Baronessa Zerilli-Marimò bestowed Casa Italiana’s medal of honor on the President to recognize his commitment to supporting the arts, science, and culture.
     
    President Napolitano spoke about the beauty of the history of the Italian unification.  “From the unification we must gather a reason to trust each other so that we may carry on the work that awaits us in further consolidating our national unity to allow Italian democracy and society to move forward.” This was the first time an Italian president visited 24 West 12th Street.


  • Events: Reports

    Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi. A Benefit Gala to Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Italian Unification

    Green white and red ribbons were visible on the evening clothes of the guests of the annual Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi gala in New York at Cipriani 42nd Street, where the tables were set with 'autographed' lamps of heroes and other personalities that contributed to the Italian Unification.

    The La Scuola d'Italia “Guglielmo Marconi”, directed by Dean Anna Fiore,  is the only school in North America that offers its entire academic curriculum in both English and Italian as well as an international education that constantly reflects both Italian and American cultures.

    This year this institution welcomed the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Italian Unification by making it the theme for its traditional gala.

    Many touching moments occurred when everyone present stood up for the Italian, American and European anthems. The room was filled with different voices and intonations that accompanied those of the Marconi students.
     

     

    Many important figures were present together with Consul General Francesco Talò and Ambassador Giulio Terzi, such as UN Ambassador Kim Won-soo, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, and special guest Emma Bonino, Vice-president of the Italian Senate. Numerous representatives of the Italian and Italian-American communities were present, especially those connected to the cultural scene.

    After the appetizer, which included the famous Cipriani Bellini, the dinner began with a rich but elegantly sombre menu. Entertainment was provided by the students, in tune with the national celebrations. Well-known television host Ornella Fado presented several guests, among which the much applauded (especially by the younger people present) Olympic champion, Igor Cassina.

    The Scuola d'Italia is not only an important reference point for the Italian community,  speaking more than one language and sharing different cultures are central point in a difficult moment, when the younger generations are immediately faced with a globalized world. The experience these kids have, from elementary school through high school is unique. Immersed in the New York atmosphere they live in a school that isn't isolated, but that builds upon the suggestions of the city that surrounds them, focusing on the Italian heritage but welcoming other cultures.

    This only Italian-American school in the United States organizes its traditional yearly gala to collect funds to finance the many educational and cultural activities of its students throughout the Academic year.

    The gala is only one of the several events the Scuola organizes throughout the academic year. Both Middle School and High school students are involved in a series of projects, that range from in house laboratories to cultural tours organized within the city of New York and abroad.

    During the evening, NYU professors Raffaella Cribione and Antonio Monda were honored and the latter – also a writer and journalist, as well as professor of Italian Cinema – couldn't resist quoting The Godfather. “My favorite movie of all time is The Godfather and I want to quote the opening line ‘I love America’. However my roots are in my homeland, I am and I will always be an Italian and I feel proud”. Afterwards he quoted Pasolini's La Ricotta where Orson Welles plays a Marxist director.

    Ambassador Terzi's speech (published at the bottom of this article) was a rapid journey through Italy's past up until today. From recollections of the “giants of political thinking” of the 18th century up until today, when, just as then, it is the younger generations in the front lines who can change history...

    Emma Bonino, engaged this week in the second edition of the Women in the World Summit, which collects all those women committed to fighting for gender equality around the world. “My country is in the front line for human rights - she said in her speech - and we have been successful on the moratorium on death penalty, we have been successful for the International Criminal court and we are now in a new effort which is the fight against female genital mutilation and I hope we will succeed… for tonight be generous with The Scuola di’Italia, which is totally worth while”.

    “The school has a great history. I hope you will find the courage to keep going”

    “One hundred and fifty years after the proclamation of the Unity of Italy, we are in a position to fully appreciate the scope and the universal call which freedom exerts upon young people.” said the Ambassador, mentioning the return of AP Italian programs in American schools.

    “On February 21, the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, spoke about ‘The Italian language as the backbone of national identity. He underlined the impulse given by the language of poetry, literature and opera to the growth of our national consciousness.” Important words on the occasion of the celebrations of the Italian unification that confer the Italian language the role it has always had which must continue today.
     

    To make it more clear, at the end of his speech Terzi said, “Since language and cultural identity are so tightly interwoven, I would like to conclude with a heartfelt appeal to support the promotion of the Italian language. By supporting our language in American schools and universities, we are carrying out a duty most meaningful to all those who hold dear both Italy and our National Unity”.

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    Ambassador's speech - 11 March 2011 – Guglielmo Marconi “Scuola d’Italia”


    A warm welcome to you all, especially the Director, Board and teachers of the Scuola Guglielmo Marconi, who have shown such strong dedication and commitment throughout the past year.  

     

    I would like to recognize the Vice President of the Italian Senate, the Hon. Emma Bonino, a true leader in the promotion of human rights, justice and freedom.

     

    My heartfelt congratulations go to Mrs. Raffaella Cribiore for the award she has been given tonight. I am also delighted that the school is honoring a friend whom I hold in high esteem, Dr. Antonio Monda. The presence here of Olympic champion, Igor Cassina, is a great pleasure for us all, and for all Italians, and particularly the young ones, for whom he is an example of tenacity and skill.  

     

    The students and their families have made a truly excellent decision by choosing the Gugliemo Marconi: it is a sign of understanding the enormous cultural wealth provided by Italy to the world, and the modernity of our culture. An education based upon language, history and Italian and European thought is an essential investment for the future of our children. It is an open window on a world where democracy, rule of law and solidarity are increasingly important.  

    On February 21, the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, spoke on “The Italian language as the backbone of national identity”. He underlined the impulse given by the language of poetry, literature and opera to the growth of our national consciousness.

     

    A couple of months ago I found myself having to reply to an opinion exposed during the ACTFL meeting in Boston, according to which young people should no longer study European languages and cultures, as they are supposed to belong to the past; while they should, instead, focus exclusively on Mandarin, Farsi, Arabic and so on.

     

    I strongly believe that paying more attention, in education, to Middle East, and China is necessary. But that should not constitute the only alternative to the molding of our young generations into a well-defined cultural identity. Indeed, how could that be different, when our basic values, and freedoms, come precisely from European cultures?

     

    In these months, the history of humanity has sped up again with irresistible impulses towards freedom. Once again, a spontaneous drive is backed by millions of young people, in Arab countries. Many draw an analogy with the movements which swept through Europe in 1989.

     

    Also today, tens of millions of young people have triggered an equally radical and deep change whose outcome, however uncertain, demonstrates the appeal of freedom and justice in societies where the younger generations have their say.

     

    At this special time, just a few days before the National Day for Italy’s Unification, we could see an ideal thread between what is happening today – history in the making – through what happened twenty years ago with the fall of the Berlin Wall, connecting back to the youth of our Risorgimento.

     

    One hundred and fifty years after the proclamation of the Unity of Italy, we are in a position to fully appreciate the scope and the universal call which freedom exerts upon young people. A principle which is pivotal also to the history of Italian Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century; where giants of political thought, like Filangieri and Beccaria, profoundly marked the history and the institutions of both Italy and America, long before our Countries became States.

     

    The Scuola Guglielmo Marconi carries this DNA and is therefore one of the mainstays of Italy’s projection in the United States.

     

      Since language and cultural identity are so tightly interwoven, I would like to conclude with a heartfelt appeal to support the promotion of Italian language.  By supporting our language in American schools and universities, we are carrying out a duty most meaningful to all those who hold dear both Italy and our National Unity.

     

    Last year, on this very occasion, I assured you of the Italian government’s utmost commitment, in collaboration with the most important Italian-American associations, to bring AP exams back to the US colleges and high schools.  Let me underline the greatest satisfaction in having achieved this goal, and re-emphasize my appreciation to all those who brought this success about, and who now continue to work on it through the “Italian language observatory” which has just recently been created.

     

    Once again - grazie di cuore!

    Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata

  • Facts & Stories

    Milan Furniture Fair Celebrates 50th Anniversary

    For the next six weeks, thanks to the 50th anniversary of “I Saloni di Milano," New York has a new map. It is an all-Italian map of the streets of Manhattan re-designed by “Italian Design Street Walking," the event organized by ITC, along with Federlegno-Arredo and Cosmit.

    It was presented by the Italian Trade Commission at the Scavolini’s showroom, which for the special occasion attracted a large public made up of insiders, press and special guests.  This is an important coordinated campaign, explained ITC’s president Ambassador Umberto Vattani, who, together with the Director if ITC - New York Aniello Musella, president of Cosmit Carlo Guglielmi, and president of Federlegno-Arredo Rosario Messina, presented a series of extremely relevant events for the promotion of the Italian image in New York, which will continue through January 8, 2011.

    “After the Italian Design and Architecture Week held in Shanghai last fall, and after the exhibition ‘The Italy of the Cities’ held in the Italian Pavillion of Shanghai’s Expo and Moscow’s Crocus – said Vattani – we aim at New York. New York’s Italian Trade Commission worked very hard and carefully in choosing the places for this great moment for Italian design and culture”.
     

    And the amount of cultural events presented is unquestioned, with Robert Wilson’s installation “Perchance to Dream” by the artist and director Robert Wilson with Roberto Bollè and Peter Greenaway’s revisiting of Leonardo’s “Last Supper”.

    Artemide, B&B Italia, Boffi, Cesana, Fontana Arte, Flos, Flou, Poltrona Frau, Giorgetti, Glas Italia, Kartell, La Murina, Lualdi, Luce, Plan, Matteograssi, Molteni & C., Dada, Pedini, Poliform Verenna and Tre P & Tre Più, we be presenting their design through special events and will offer various discounts to their clients.

    “Furnishing objects Made in Italy – added the president of IT– will find more and more space, as well as in the projects of architects and interior designers, for precious private residences and restructurings of great hotels that, during these difficult economic times, are aiming at a more personalized offer”.

    According to Aniello Musella the close relationship with art and culture is even more rewarding when it is about design. “The objective is commercial – he said – but we propose an Italian life style, the culture, creativity and also lots of technology and research. It is a package.

    And one mustn’t forget that when we talk about Italian design it’s easy to only think about creativity, but that’s not all there is. One mustn’t forget the technology and research. Not enough is said about this. Foreign designers turn to Italian technicians to create design prototypes. We have the capacity to elaborate new technologies that are the result of a constant research.

    During the event we had a pleasant chat with Ambassador Vattani.

    Following are some interesting points he made.

    “If there is one unifying factor in our country, about which the political system can display a cultural diplomacy and a configured image of togetherness, it is the Made in Italy.

    Everyone recognizes themselves in the Made in Italy, producers, consumers, those who travel abroad; to the point that ICE is publishing map of New York, as it will do in Moscow and the other cities, which will not only include the Red Square, or the Empire State, Chrysler, or Flat Iron Building, but will include all the showrooms that make New York a city whose lifestyle is largely derived from the Italian lifestyle.
     

    But how did this happen? It was the Italians who would go to America in search of something, not the other way around. In 1992, five hundred years after the discovery of America, ICE and Park Avenue Armory presented the Piazza of Italy that read, “five hundred years ago an Italian discovered this country” – “five hundred years later this country discovers Italy”, and Piazza Italia followed a the largest and most beautiful exhibit on design ever organized by a contemporary art museum like MoMA.
     

    And Italy also changed the ways of life of Americans. Even Italian chairs, tables and silverware have become desirable objects that influence the lifestyle that therefore transform the relationship with reality. And if this desire doesn’t transform your way of feeling the relationship with reality it doesn’t influence the lifestyle.

    So if it must be casual wear it means that glasses are casual, where you sit must be different from the serious place, the severe one, and so on. So we began to invent lifestyles that make it vital to have a bottle of Italian wine when at the table, and spread the notion of Parmisan cheese, and the fact that it contributes enormously to your natural well-being.

    Italy made it happen, and among all the European countries, it is the most influential”.

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    “Leonardo’s Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway” opens at the Park Avenue Armory.
    “Perchance to Dream,” with video portrait of the Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle  by the artist and director Robert Wilson, opens at Center 548 in Chelsea

     

  • Life & People

    Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Celebrates

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce celebrated 123 years in great style and class on the 25th floor of the Mandarin Oriental, complete with spectacular views of Columbus Circle.

    The president of the oldest chamber of commerce in the U.S. defined 2010 as the year of friendship. And in his first year as President of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce, Claudio Bozzo has, with great skill on more than one occasion, demonstrated what the word friendship can mean. He has involved the Chamber in new and exciting initiatives, most recently collaborating with ENIT to organize a remarkable event held on “Poetry,” one of 11 ships in the modern MSC Cruises fleet.

    As occurs every year during the gala, long time members of the chamber were recognized and honored. Awards were presented to Fred Berardo of Central Holiday Tours, as well as lawyers Annalisa Liuzzo of Marco Polo International Study and George Pavia of the firm Pavia & Harcourt.

    This year, the prestigious Business and Cultural Award was given to RAI Corporation, which celebrated 50 years of doing business within the U.S. as well as 50 years as a proud member of the Chamber.

    President Massimo Magliaro recalled the glorious past of the RAI both in New York and Italy, and illustrated the next steps that his company will take in order to expand and grow. He explained the critical role that state television has played in Italy’s cultural and linguistic unification. Specifically, Magliaro recalled the first television programs such as those featuring Maestro Manzo.

    A few days before Italy celebrates the 150th anniversary of its unification, we must also acknowledge RAI. RAI Corporation was founded on January 20, 1960 in New York City on Madison Avenue. Today it seeks to reinvent itself to meet the changing needs of its growing viewership and continue its successful and influential 50-year history.

    “We are faced with changing times that call for new, innovative television programs, some even in English.” The initial 50 years of RAI Corporation focused on one objective: to ensure that Italians retained a connection (perhaps their only link) to their homeland. For the next 50 years, RAI Corporation must be something else: it should appeal to the next generation of Italian viewers who are fully integrated into today’s society.”

    And so the president of RAI Corporation outlined how his company intends to address the next 50 years of public service while continuing to be the voice of “Sistema Italia.” “We want to offer television programming in both Italian and English that reflects your interests as well as the larger American society that maintains the intelligence, creativity, tenacity, and genius of the Italian people in its own DNA. We want to create a showcase of Italian excellence.”

    There were nearly 400 guests present to celebrate the chamber of commerce’s anniversary and enjoy impeccable food, wine, and music. The festive atmosphere even inspired several guests to dance.

    Consul General Francesco Talò, Director of ICE Aniello Musella, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Riccardo Viale, and Deputy Director of ENIT Walter Salvitti were all in attendance. Other guests included Vice President of Italy’s Chamber of Commerce Giulio Viola, founder of Ilica Vincenzo Marra, leaders of other European chambers of commerce, managers and directors of diverse Italian companies doing business in the U.S., as well as journalists from major Italian publications.

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala is an opportunity for members to come together, many of whom represent the small and medium business sector in the U.S. Their fascinating histories could fill the pages of a very large and compelling book.

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce is the oldest in the U.S. Founded in 1887, it is a private, non-profit organization that represents the interests of companies that have established commercial trade relations between the U.S. and Italy. It is part of the International Association of Bi-National American Chambers, is affiliated with the United States Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the European-American Business Council. The Chamber’s primarily mission is to establish and support relationships between government agencies and trade associations in the U.S. and Italy.
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    About the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce

    Founded in New York in 1887, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce is a private, not-for-profit, membership organization that represents the interests of companies that have, or that are interested in establishing business and commercial relations between the United States and Italy. The IACC brings together businesses – ranging from individual entrepreneurs to large corporations – advancing the interests of its members through contacts and interaction with government agencies, trade associations and leading international organizations. The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce is a member of Assocamerestero, the world association of Italian bi-national chambers, and is affiliated with the United States Chamber of Commerce. For more information. Visit www.italchamber.org.

  • Art & Culture

    Milan Furniture Fair is Back in NY. Exciting Events Coming Up

    New York will host the Milan Furniture Fair (Il Salone Internazionale del Mobile) beginning on November 29. For six weeks, the best of Italian design will be on display in Manhattan. In 2011 there will be Milan Furniture Fair’s 50th anniversary, and celebrations will include a series of exhibits and special events throughout New York City.

    The events  are co-sponsored by Federlegno Arredo (the Italian federation of wood, cork, furniture, and furnishing manufacturers), COSMIT (organizer of the Milan Furniture Fair since 1961), ITC (Italian Trade Commission), and the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. The fair will bring the best of Italian culture and the most popular Italian designs to New York. High-quality and a sophisticated artistic vision were the criteria used to select participants for this year’s fair.

    The Milan Furniture Fair was founded by COSMIT in 1961 as a way to showcase and promote Italian design. Every April, visitors in Milan can see the latest in interior design, materials, and furniture as well as industry innovations and new technology. Last year’s event drew more than 329,563 visitors and over 5,000 media professionals from around the world. The next International Furniture Fair in Milan will take place April 12-17, 2011.

    We had the opportunity to attend a preview luncheon held at the now famous restaurant Manzo restaurant located at Eataly NYC, where celebrity chef and co-owner Mario Batali made a brief appearance.

    Organizers, managers, artists, and representatives of leading institutions were on hand to discuss and celebrate the high-caliber, exciting program. Speakers included Director of ITC  North America Aniello Musella, Italian Consul General Francesco Maria Talò, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Riccardo Viale, President of Federlegno Arredo Rosario Messina, President of COSMIT Carlo Guglielmi, artist Robert Wilson, the Head of the Commercial Office at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC,  Lorenzo Galanti.

    In addition to twenty Italian showrooms that will be decorated with the theme of an Italian Christmas, several special events are also planned.

    Leonardo’s Last Supper: A Vision by Peter Greenaway
    Presented two years ago at the Milan Furniture Fair, this provocative interpretation of Da Vinci’s masterpiece will be shown in the U.S. for the first time at the Park Avenue Armory. Using advanced digital technology and craftsmanship, Greenaway created a perfect copy of one of the world’s most recognizable and sacred paintings: the Last Supper. The painting will come to life before the viewer’s eyes thanks to projections of images and light that seem to spring from the original painting, and will be accompanied by a soundtrack of voices, music, and other sound. Art, cinema, poetry, music, and state of the art technology combine to transform a 500 year-old two-dimensional surface into a deeply moving multimedia experience.

    Perchance to Dream, Curated by Robert Wilson
    Acclaimed playwright, director, and artist Robert Wilson will present a special installation that blends the beauty of the human body with the immediacy of functional design. A series of video portraits featuring famed Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle interacting with iconic Italian design objects will be screened alongside a display of Italian furniture from the last 50 years.

    New York City Street Scenes, Italian Design
    To celebrate the breadth of Italian design and to usher in the holiday season, twenty Italian furniture showrooms will host an “Italian Christmas” at their retail locations during regular business hours. Prominent store banners will identify the stops on the walking tour that will guide visitors to Italian design “hot spots” located throughout the city.
    An opening night party on November 29 will feature a taste of Italian cuisine prepared by Eataly at Italian furniture showrooms which will be open to the public.

    For President of Federlegno Arredo Rosario Messina, it will be a unique opportunity for Americans to appreciate high-concept Italian design products while experiencing Italian creativity in terms of home décor. “We are proud to come to the United States with such a worthwhile project, allowing businesses to promote the Italian home furnishings industry to the American market – a strategic market which totals 551 million Euro in exported furnishing products. We believe that these events will help to jumpstart economic recovery and growth, which we have seen signs of in recent months.”
    Currently, over 2,400 companies are members of Federlegno Arredo, and of these, eleven small and medium companies from Lombardy were chosen to participate in this project.

    We also talked with Mr. Messina about the 'genetic make-up' of companies that present the best of Italian design. It’s this 'DNA'  that in times like this truly makes a difference in terms of distinguishing Italian products from the rest of the world.

    "In Italy, we have companies. But a company in Italy is not only an organization, an administrative body; it is a close group of individuals within a family. Management is not only financial but personal as well. Money is not the only concern, and products are considered in terms of human value not jut financial value. When a firm creates a product it is as if another child is born into the family, and so the members of the family continue to look after the child with affection. The company is an actual family, and its most important values are human not financial.”
     
    We discussed the presence of young people in the design business with President of COSMIT Carlo Guglielmi. “There are so many young people present. Italian companies operate as families, on a relatively small scale. By nature they function as a patriarchal family with grandparents and parents who are ever-present, but at the same time this industry thrives on novelty and change and so we know that we have to focus on the next generation, on our children. This requires daily contact with young people and their world, and the young people who are involved in Italian companies are proof. Young people are necessary for change and innovation."

    "It has even occurred here at Eataly. It is the next generation of the Farinetti family who is reinterpreting the past and the present. It’s a different energy…you have to have faith even at the expense of being wrong.” And for Mr. Guglielmi, there is no doubt that “New York is the creative capital of the world. We could think of no better place to begin our celebration of Italian design while addressing and engaging young people at the same time.”

    For the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute Riccardo Viale, culture and business go hand-in-hand now more than ever: “This has always been the case over the course of human history and culture – just think of the Renaissance. The important thing is that the connection leads to great art and design.”
     
    Director of ICE Aniello Musella believes that the success of the initiative depends on technical and logistical details, but more importantly, on the impression it makes on the American public not only through organized events but also through a targeted campaign that highlights the industry’s leaders.

    We would like to quote the great Gillo Dorfles, who in a recent interview, while acknowledging the pitfalls, said that Italian design is still one of the best in the world. This comes from a man who has lived nearly a century of life as an art critic, painter, and an Italian philosopher – he knows of what he speaks.

    The International Furniture Fair will take place in New York at the end of November. The program of events begins the week after Thanksgiving on November 29 and lasts six weeks through January 8, 2011.