L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 3 Help your newspaper keep alive the Italian spirit in you and plays a central role in the exposition, with the piazza as a metaphor of the universal com- munity. Its stunning petrified tree-like architecture is made of smog-filtering cement panels and covered by a photovoltaic glass rooftop that makes it most- ly energy independent. It will host fruit and vegetable markets, sensory experiences, classic and c o n t e m p o r a r y a r t w o r k s , a n d much more. T h e e c o l o g y a n d n a t u r e theme continues in the recently u n v e i l e d T r e e o f L i f e , a 3 7 - m e t e r t a l l w o o d a n d s t e e l machine that has soon become the icon of the Italian Pavilion. Installed in the middle of Lake Arena, the largest open space in the Expo area, it will offer water and light shows, concerts, and other special performances on floating platforms. Noteworthy, t h e e n t r a n c e i n t h e T r e e i s allowed only to visitors under 25, who will have the opportuni- ty to leave their messages and suggestions on how Italy should ideally improve. In the other buildings along the northern side of the cardo, Italy and its "powers" will fea- ture the main exhibition entitled Italian Identity, a unique dis- p l a y o f a r t i s t i c a n d m a n u a l skills, landscapes and architec- tural gems, and craftsmanship used to overcome challenging situations and build a future t o g e t h e r , w i t h c o n t r i b u t i o n s from each of the 21 Regions and Autonomous Provinces. T h e s o u t h e r n p a r t o f t h e avenue, instead, will present the excellence of Made in Italy in different fields, from high quali- ty food products to sustainable agricultural systems, such as the O n h i s w a y b a c k f r o m Washington, where he met with U.S. President Barack Obama, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi stopped in the archaeologi- cal site of Pompeii. While visit- ing one of Italy's most unique and priceless artistic treasures, he stated that "Culture is the spirit of a Country, and this makes Italy a s u p e r p o w e r . " A n u n d e n i a b l e t r u t h , c o n s i d e r i n g t h a t I t a l y c o u n t s t h e h i g h e s t n u m b e r o f UNESCO World Heritage Sites within its borders. Since 1972, UNESCO has listed 1001 sites in 161 Countries all over the globe, which represent an invaluable heritage to be preserved for future generations. Italy alone hosts 50 of them, located throughout its territory. To narrate and promote Italy's "great beauty" is the mis- sion of L'Italo-Americano, this time not to win an Academy Award but to make it known and appreciated for its contribution to the human society. Our editorial project needs your support in order to continue to represent Italy here on the U.S. West Coast and, even more impor- tant, to be the voice of the Italian American community that has been relying on it for over a century. This was made possible thanks to the gradual evolution of the newspaper to keep up with the times and the needs of a communi- ty that, being part of a constantly changing society, can't be pleased with an obsolete newspaper in terms of layout and con- tents. The English language was introduced in 1974 and last year it has even earned the front page. In 2013, we launched new plat- forms to increase the newspaper's outreach: the website, the digi- tal edition for tablets and smartphones, Facebook and Twitter and o t h e r s o c i a l m e d i a s i t e s . E v e n t h e b r a n d - n e w g r a p h i c s o f www.italoamericano.org aren't just a restyling but rather a way to reorganize our contents, which allows our readers to access in real time thousands of original articles from our historical archive. We are still evolving, and new projects could take shape if more funds were available. Without them, many ideas and improvements to your newspaper are inevitably delayed. A greater support is vital not only to preserve a historical, cen- tury-old heritage, but also to hold high the Italian flag on the U.S. West Coast as well as within ourselves. Preserving our cultural heritage and language, our family values, and our identity, will make us better Italian Americans and better Americans. Sincerely, short food supply chain typical of the Mediterranean diet. Dedicated spaces, including the Wine Pavilion, will offer the chance to learn more about the production line, as well to taste world-famous flavors that unde- niably underpin our Country's export and tourism business. This is only what the Italian Pavilion has in store for Expo's attendees, but many more inter- esting events await, all against the backdrop of Italy's splen- dor. Palazzo Italia with Lake Arena, the largest open space in the Expo area From the director Continued from page 1 The Tree of Life in the middle of Lake Arena

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