L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 L 'Italo-Americano has been working to promote the image of Italy for years. It does so by presenting her events, her protagonists and her community, by describing her nat- ural, artistic and architectural beauty -- a powerful tourist attractor -- and her history, which built Italy's cultural, linguistic and folkloristic heritage through the millennia. On the pages of this paper, which has been connecting the Belpaese and the West Coast for over a century, Italy's know-how and craftsmanship, with its ateliers where knowledge, techniques and abilities are passed on from a generation to another, finds space. Just like modern competences and old skills, because that's where today's technological and artistic artefacts come from. And there is space also for the continu- ous progress of Italian innovation, engineering and science, all fields that have been contributing to today's develop- ment. This isn't promotion for itself and in itself: we don't want to show off who we are nor what we can do, because we're looking for no medal. Rather, we want to speak about how and what Italy and Italians really are, about a reality often distant from old images that have absolutely nothing to do with truth. It's a matter of honesty and pragmatism. Through products and people, local stories and social dis- cussion, our paper has been trying to refresh what's old and, at the same time, to build the most complete and authentic image of Italy. Brick after brick, we describe contemporary Italy, using Here's why Made in Italy must be safeguarded, and L'Italo-Americano supports it From the Editor her real people, facts and stories. The country of today has nothing to do with the land all those old paesani had left; it has nothing to do with the world our ancestors left behind when they boarded that ship. It's those very migrants, their children and their grandchildren who demonstrate it: the social status they reached, the cultural, economic and social contribution they gave to our societies here, on the West Coast, clearly show results that bear no connection with unskilled labor, useful only in coal mines or to build the rail- way, bridges and skyscrapers. It has little to do with times when Italians were forced to accept the most meager of wages just to survive. Just as migrants here, on the Pacific Coast, have changed, so has the country where they came and come from. There is more. The whole Italian productive system is the result of plan- ning, quality control and certifications. Made in Italy is the result of a supply chain of excellence. Its products bear labels that attest the quality of the raw materials and of the productive methods used, all certified by both national and European controls. Their entry on the market follows precise market strategies and international distribution lines: in other words, nothing is left to chance, nothing is approxi- mated. Actually, everything is controlled by a complex inter- national promotion policy, coordinated by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Economic Development, with the input of a "control room" and a Pact for Export developed with the ICE Agency. This happens because our country changed and Italy her- self has been working to find a position based on her actual qualities. It isn't a case, then, that the most promising global e-commerce platforms show an up-to-date, appropriate image of our products, so that Made in Italy gets the right attention. For these reasons, we give a lot of space on our pages to the wine and food heritage that helped give the right value to the products of a fertile and generous land. Because we want people to know exactly what an Italian product is and what it stands for: that's certainly not a deceitful label that copies our best products, but rather, a product that is safe, whole- some and, first of all, certified. This is why, for years now, a lot of effort has been placed in informing consumers about the way our tricolore and the good name of Made in Italy are often exploited to scam – and it's really the case to use this word – the public. It isn't only an economic fraud – which by the way costs a lot to the Italian economy – but also a "health fraud:" if the product is not adequately labelled, it means it hasn't been made in Italy, where supply chains are rigorous, and that the food that gets to consumers doesn't only taste bad, but it's of poor quality and potentially bad for their health. Italian Sounding, unfortunately, has been growing: there has been a 70% increase in the past decade, with fake Italian food in the world being worth more than 100 billion euro (more than 120 billion USD): this is three times the worth of Italy's food export. A quarter of it is in the US and is worth at least 23 billion euro (28 billion USD). In other words, more than two over three products labelled as "Italian" abroad, actually don't come from Italy at all. For this reason, knowl- edge is important, just like the choices we make every day. When in front of a parmesan, a pomarola or a mozarella cheese, each and every one of us has a duty to stand for Italy's good name. We must pick the original Italian handbag and not the fake t-shirt with the fake logo, that'll look awful after a couple of washes. In the end, who'd buy a wheelbar- row just because it's painted in Ferrari-red? 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, Chiara D'Alessio, 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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