L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019 O n June 3rd 2019 the Italian community of LA celebrated the historic day, back in 1946, when a pivotal referendum decided the fate of Italy about being a Monarchy or a Re- public. The actual day of celebra- tion was on Sunday June 2nd but, due to a strategic choice based on local habits, it's been postponed to the day after. The celebration took place in the amazing scenario of the UCLA's Royce Hall and it began with the Jasmine Tommaso jazz band (voice, guitar and drums) per- forming an intriguing version of both the Italian and the American National Anthems, then beloved and renowned actress and model Clarissa Burt – as the official Mas- ter of Ceremony – remembered the critical importance that the day has for Italian history and introduced the new Consul General Silvia Chi- ave, who gave a very moving and passionate speech. During the event many promi- nent Italians and Italian Americans have been awarded and honored, in name of their undeniable and great contribute to the entire com- munity. In particular Gino Gaudio, former President of the Italy-Amer- ica Chamber of Commerce West, has been given the Order of the Star of Italy for his continuous ef- fort to keep alive and active the Italian heritage in California. One of the most touching and relevant speeches was given by James Bianco, Judge of the Supe- rior Court Department 95 LA County, who introduced the audi- ence to a humanitarian project called Heart Forward Los Angeles, an ambitious and extremely impor- tant plan realized together with Tri- este's (Italy) globally-renowned, community-based system of care promoted by the Department of Mental Health. The purpose of the initiative is to focus on the home- less people of LA and help them with psychological and medical as- sistance. During the marvelous event all participants were able to taste some delicious Italian food provided by the famous Obicà Mozzarella Bar Pizza e Cucina, together with tra- ditional gelato provided by Nicholas Schepisi of Gelato Festi- val, the biggest and most authori- tative event in the world dedicated to Italian artisanal gelato. Needless to say, a great part of the huge event's success has to be credited to the amazing work of Consul General Silvia Chiave and her staff, who put together a truly classy, elegant, exclusive event. The Day of the Italian Republic couldn't have been better cele- brated and the long line of people waiting to congratulate the Consul was endless: everybody was thrilled about how her arrival brought a true change and an breath of fresh air in the whole Italian community. How did you feel about host- ing such an important celebra- tion, so close after your arrival, as the New Consul General in Los Angeles? Well I was excited and thrilled: I know how important Republic Day is for the Italian community and I wanted to do my best in order to meet their hopes and expecta- tions. Of course I knew I could count on a dedicated and profes- sional staff that helped me and sup- ported me throughout the entire or- ganization process. How was people's feedback for the event? They loved it and they imme- diately expressed their immense joy to me: I was truly flattered by their extremely positive reaction and I was happy about the out- come. I have to admit that the mag- nificent place we picked helped me create something truly unique. Why did you choose the UCLA's Royce Hall? I know that, during the past years, the Day of the Republic was celebrated in many other locations, such as the Cultural Institute or Pico House in Downtown. But af- ter a thorough search my staff and I ended up picking the place that we thought more attractive in terms of sight and – at the same time – more representative from a cultural point of view. Your opening speech was ex- citing and inspiring: what are your plans and objectives as the new Consul General? Los Angeles is a fascinating place and I believe that part of its charm is given by its wideness. But the absence of a real center, the big distances between all the areas, the Italians all spread around can be a challenging factor when it comes to create moments of gathering and meetings. One of my purposes is to help facilitate the communica- tion between my office and all the members of the Italian community. Now more than ever – due to the increase of the immigration rate from Italy – we have to provide an effective, actual and prompt ser- vice. According to the people's feedback and to your own expe- rience, what do you believe needs to be improved to make the Con- sulate function better? As soon as I arrived in LA I wanted to listen to the community's necessities and I asked everybody to be very honest and critic. The reaction has been positively over- whelming: so I immediately had the guidelines that could lead me in the right direction. What things should become a main focus? The problem is definitely not my staff or even the institution in itself: my colleagues are hard workers who need to address – on a daily basis – a monumental amount of issues: documents, pa- perwork, passports, diplomatic im- passes, bureaucracy at its best and at its worst. We are a limited num- ber of professionals who have to take care of community that be- comes bigger and bigger day after day. We have all the right and func- tional human resources and we are striving to harness all of our poten- tial. Can you tell us what are the first important initiatives you'd love to work on? Improve the Consulate's web- site: it's a great instrument that has been only partially used so far. In- crease our presence on every social network, together and in coopera- tion with the current existing virtual communities. Attract new Italian companies to invest in California and help them ease the process of opening a business here. Create moments and places of aggregation, so that all the old and new Italian Americans can exchange their valu- able experiences. And last but not least, support the most deserving cultural initiatives that could keep alive our precious and priceless her- itage. All the participants were truly happy with Republic Day's cele- bration: it really looks like there's a new and innovative air thanks to your work. I hope so and I'll do my best in order to bring together a commu- nity that gave so much to this Coun- try: in terms of creativity, in terms of working power and in terms of innovation. At the Consulate my staff and I are truly and passionately creating and improving a useful and important service and we do hope that all Italians in LA will help us accomplish that, with their sugges- tions, their participation and their enthusiasm. Consul General in LA Silvia Chiave during her speech on the Day of the Republic From right to left: Consul General Silvia Chiave and her husband, IIC director Valeria Rumori and her husband, ENIT representative Emanuela Boni, President of the IACCW Chamber of Commerce Nicola Serragiotto and his wife LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY Great success for the 2019 Italian National Day and Republic Day with new Consul General Silvia Chiave MAURIZIO RAMI

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