L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 O n the 17th of March 1861, with the procla- m a t i o n o f a u n i f i e d k i n g d o m a n d a f t e r decades of wars, Italy became a nation. On the 12th of April of the same year, on the other side of the ocean, the American Civil War began. A handful of weeks after that first, date and shortly befo- re Italian volunteers sailed across the Atlantic to participate to the Civil War, Italy and the United States esta- b l i s h e d a n o f f i c i a l d i p l o m a t i c bond. It was 160 years ago. "This solemn anniversary offers the occasion to celebrate the ancient and vital bond of friendship between our two countries and our two people. As allies, we work every day side by side to protect peace and safety around the world, to fight climate change and the pandemic, to promo- te human rights, equality and prosperity. Our solid democra- cies are rooted on common values and our societies enjoy a continuous, fruitful exchange in many areas of culture and science, from innovation to technology. And our wonderful Italy and USA: 160 years of Italian American connections From the Editor communities have an essential role in strengthening a rela- tionship made so special by their very existence." These are the words of Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio, in a video message published the past 17th of March, when he announced the initiatives which will be dedicated, through the year, to the celebration of this impor- tant anniversary. They will involve all the areas where Italy and the United States share work and connections: history and politics, arts, music and cinema, literature and langua- ge, innovation and technology, science and space, economy. A new website, www.italyus160.org has launched to cele- brate "the past, the present and the future of the friendship between Italy and the USA." Here, a video-guestbook col- lects the messages of Italian, American and Italian-American personalities, all offering their own testimony about the importance of the relationship between Italy and the US. The institutional meeting between the two countries sees the presence in Washington of Italy's minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio, first among the world's foreign ministers to meet the new Biden Administration. But there is more, as the program includes also an economic-indu- strial forum, concerts, exhibitions and events dedicated to innovation and AI, as well as the valorization of the Italian collectivity in the US and cinema. There'll be events dedica- ted to space collaboration and to leading sectors such as food and agriculture, fashion and mechanics. Attention will also be given to themes like climate, the environment and the development of new energy sources; the protection of the archeological patrimony and the support of young resear- chers in the most advanced technological fields. These 160 years of connections will be "the occasion to celebrate our two countries, their long lasting friendship and the tight connections between our communities, the values we've always shared and the creativity we inspire in one another," Ambassador Varricchio underlined. Because this is the point. Since that spring, in 1861, many connections blossomed, in all fields of life. In particular, it was community connec- tions that flourished, ties made of people, of generations of Italians and Italian-Americans who, for longer than one cen- tury and a half, have been contributing to the social, cultural and economic growth of the US on one side, and of Italy on the other. They created a "contemporary image of a perma- nent flux of intellectual and professional energies, that enri- ch our values," Italy's President Sergio Mattarella said in 2019, in occasion of his most recent trip to the United States. This is a point that L'Italo-Americano is never tired to stress. The relationship between Italy and the US is prima- rily made by people and of people. But it's neither the expats, nor the "turisti di ritorno," going to Italy to find their roots we're talking about. It's neither the historical immi- gration of the mid-19th century, that continued more or less constantly throughout the last century, nor the more recent arrivals from Italy, made of professionals, professors, econo- mists, scientists and researchers. It's not even the Italian- Americans. Not even the 20 million Americans with Italian origins. It's not a matter of categories and "pieces" of society, it's a matter of people and of their communities, of how they interconnect and seek one another, of how they meet and mix, how they say goodbye and then find themselves again. The wealth of these last 160 years lies in the inhomo- geneous flux of people who commutes between two worlds: some are coming back and some are leaving; some travel back and forth and others just leave their place to someone else. It's this interchange that generates and produces. It's our relationship, our shared imaginary and the way we've been building a shared space that keeps on changing in time. Simone Schiavinato, Editor NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italiana all'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Joel Mack, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, GenerosoD'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Alfonso Guerriero Jr., Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 Mail form and check to L'Italo-Americano, P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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