L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 4 F ifty years in the m a k i n g , t h e National Italian A m e r i c a n F o u n d a t i o n (NIAF) rolled out the red carpet for a golden Anniver- sary Gala that felt less like an annual event and more like a m e m o r a b l e h o m e c o m i n g . T h e N I A F ' s h a l f - c e n t u r y milestone was marked by a special celebration of her- itage, leadership, and the enduring connection of the Italian American community with Italy. From the cuisine o f t h e R e g i o n o f H o n o r , Lazio, to the inspiring words of the evening's honorees, the n i g h t w a s a p o w e r f u l reminder of the impact NIAF has had since its founding half a century ago. It was 1975 when a small, yet visionary group of Italian American leaders, driven to form a unified national voice for a community that had his- torically struggled for recog- nition, founded the organiza- t i o n n o w k n o w n a s t h e National Italian American Foundation. Their mission was clear: to preserve a rich c u l t u r a l h e r i t a g e a n d strengthen the political and economic ties between the United States and Italy. Fast forward fifty years, that pio- neering vision culminated in the NIAF 50th Anniversary Gala: the Washington Hilton was the epicenter of a cele- bration, drawing over 2,500 guests, dignitaries, and Ital- ian American luminaries to reaffirm NIAF's role as the premier cultural and diplo- matic bridge. Not only did the black-tie event pay trib- ute to its landmark past, but it also spotlighted a powerful promise to uphold the legacy of the more than 20 million Americans of Italian descent for future generations. The morning leading to the Gala event opened with the NIAF Forum, a half- day of engaging seminars and high-level dialogue that reflected NIAF's breadth of influence. Firstly, the NIAF a n d L e g a S e r i e A c a m e together once again to re- introduce the partnership announced back in April dur- ing the New York City Gala; the event hosted Ezio Maria Simonelli, President of Lega S e r i e A ; L u i g i D e S i e r v o , CEO of Lega Serie A; and soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero. Robert Allegrini, P r e s i d e n t a n d C E O o f NIAF, explained how this partnership arrives at a piv- otal moment. By aligning with Lega Serie A, NIAF is tapping directly into a mas- sive, passionate fanbase: there are approximately 18 million Italian Americans in the US and a reported 41 million Serie A fans nation- wide. This collaboration is designed to leverage the uni- versal appeal of calcio to amplify cultural identity and connect the community to its roots, through a digital con- t e n t s e r i e s c a l l e d C u r v a Americana, presented by NIAF; exclusive access for NIAF members to match tickets and official team mer- chandise; and in-stadium visibility, including LED and advertising during the North American broadcast feed of k e y m a t c h e s , s u c h a s t h e Coppa Italia Final and the Supercoppa Italiana. O n a d i f f e r e n t n o t e , B R I D G E 2 0 2 5 : G l o b a l Health Innovation was a c o r n e r s t o n e e v e n t i n t h e medical industry, themed Biomedical Research Inno- v a t i o n D e l i v e r i n g G l o b a l H e a l t h c a r e E x c e l l e n c e . Experts from both nations convened to discuss break- throughs in areas like repro- ductive immunology, robotic surgery, and sport genomics, proving that cross-cultural collaboration remains vital to global health progress. Celebrations began in the morning, where a packed G e o r g e t o w n W e s t r o o m hosted the Third Annual Italpress Awards, present- e d b y t h e n e w s a g e n c y ' s director and founder, Gas- p a r e B o r s e l l i n o . T h i s y e a r ' s a w a r d s c e l e b r a t e d prominent Italian and Italian A m e r i c a n f i g u r e s w h o s e work and leadership signifi- cantly elevate the excellence and influence of "Made in Italy" across the globe. By r e c o g n i z i n g t e n d i s t i n - guished winners, the awards highlighted the deep and essential link between Italian heritage and global achieve- ment across politics, busi- ness, and culture. With a spotlight on Sicily and some beautiful videos of Palermo, this year's winners included t h e V i c e P r e s i d e n t o f t h e Chamber of Deputies Giorgio Mulè; the President of the L a z i o R e g i o n F r a n c e s c o Rocca; the President of Enav Pasqualino Monti; the Presi- dent of ICE Matteo Zoppas; the President of ITA Airways S a n d r o P a p p a l a r d o ; t h e President of Federturismo, Marina Lalli; the Director of the Italian Institute of Cul- ture in New York and former journalist, Claudio Pagliara; the CEO of ADR – Aeroporti di Roma; Marco Troncone; the Aleotti family of Menari- ni Group; and President of the Fiera del Levante, Gae- tano Frulli. NIAF's Golden 50th: the US-Italy bridge is stronger than ever SERENA PERFETTO NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 NIAF's President and CEO, Robert Allegrini during the event (Photo courtesy of NIAF)

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