L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 An Italian Cultural Spr ing Ar r ives in the San Francisco Bay Area R ecently, our ow n S an Francisco Italian Consul General, Mauro Battocchi posted an interesting observation in his San Francisco, Italy blog at www.sanfranciscoitaly.com. Mauro has noticed an increased interest in all things Italian in the San Francisco Bay Area. He calls this welcomed phenomenon the "Italian Cultural Spring." A nd, he is not alone in this observation. L'Italo Americano interviewed the Consul General on this very topic. Below w e s hare his observations. Wh at d o you th in k is contributing to the new Italian cultural spring? This is an extraordinary time for this region. The tech boom under way brings with it great cultural dynamism across the board. The Italians here are part of this miracle. At the same time the new Italians are becoming bolder, while second, third and fourth generation Italians are rediscovering their roots, as Italy increasingly projects a highly "aspirational" image. Italian leaders bring up ideas that find allies within an ever widening circle of Italophiles. What are your suggestions o n h o w w e , t h e I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y , c a n p r o m o t e , contribute, and expand the ongoing renaissance? M y s u g g e s t i o n f o r e v e r y Italian or Italophile in the Bay Area is: do not see yourself in isolation, you will find plenty of exciting projects to become part of. For example, this year the network of Italian professionals BAIA has launched a campaign to get the community involved in a new Italian cinema festival. This goes hand in hand with the r e t r o s p e c t i v e s o n c l a s s i c a l I t a l i a n c i n e m a a t t h e C a s t r o Theater that attract people in d r o v e s , a s w e l l a s L i d o C a n t a r u t t i ' s I t a l i a n F i l m F e s t i v a l i n M a r i n C o u n t y . Wherever you turn, you see an Italian cultural project pop up. Next in line is the first Italian Silicon Valley Festival, coming up in January. The sky is the limit. M i g h t t h e g r o w i n g California economy, especially i n t h e t e c h i n d u s t r y , b e drawing young people directly from Italy? It does attract bright minds from all over Europe, Asia and the world. All those who are worried about this should keep in mind that the Italians here are not as many as the Brits or t h e G e r m a n s – a n d t h e i r economies are not doing that b a d . S i l i c o n V a l l e y i s a n invaluable platform to promote g r o w t h a n d e m p l o y m e n t i n I t a l y . F a b r i z i o C a p o b i a n c o , L u c a B o n m a s s a r , D a m i a n Scavo, Armando Biondi, Marco Campanari, Andrea Calcagno a r e S i l i c o n V a l l e y b a s e d s t a r t u p p e r s t h a t a r e h i r i n g engineers in their Italian R&D centers. It seems this new wave of I t a l i a n s i s s i m i l a r t o t h e o r i g i n a l g r e a t w a v e s o f immigration from Italy in the 1 8 0 0 s a n d e a r l y , m i d 1 9 0 0 s . D o y o u s e e t h e s i m i l a r i t y ? I f s o , i n w h a t ways? The new Italians are highly skilled professionals. They feel more and more connected to the previous waves of immigrants. It was great to see the Juventus Silicon Valley Club march last October 11, for example, in the largest Italian Heritage Parade ever recorded. It is nice to see the Comites of San Francisco, the elected assembly of Italians in the region, mainly composed of people in their thirties and forties. It is also heart-warming to ponder the success of the Scuola Internazionale Italiana of San Francisco. As the Consul General, you have the best view of what's happening in San Francisco and the perfect platform to influence Italian culture in the City. In what ways is your w o r k h e r e i n f l u e n c e d b y current trends? Our role at the Consulate is to catalyze different streams of activity. We run into people of i m m e n s e l y d i v e r s e b a c k g r o u n d s . W h e n t h e connection happens, it's often a "Eureka!" result. The Consulate c a n a l s o b e e f f e c t i v e i n s p e a r h e a d i n g f u n d r a i s i n g c a m p a i g n s , l i k e " W e L o v e I t a l i a n i n S a n F r a n c i s c o " . I hope that our readers managed t o b r o w s e o u r s i t e www.weloveitalian.org. So far we raised about $139,000 with the help of the Comites of San F r a n c i s c o , w h i c h h e l p e d s t r e n g t h e n t h e t e a c h i n g o f Italian all over the Bay Area and beyond. On December 17, 2015 the campaign will take another step. I invite you to join us for a great show by Italian actor and director Massimiliano F i n a z z e r a t t h e A C T S t r a n d Theater in San Francisco. T h e I t a l i a n C o n s u l General's role in the Bay Area is quite important. What do y o u l o o k f o r w a r d t o i n t h e future? I l o o k f o r w a r d t o t h e d a y w h e n a n o n s t o p f l i g h t w i l l e n a b l e I t a l i a n s t o r e a c h S a n Francisco in 11 hours instead of 1 8 . T h e I t a l i a n b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y h a s l a u n c h e d a n online petition at www.italy- sfo.com. It hurts me hear my friend ( a n d I t a l i a n c i t i z e n ) J o e D ' A l e s s a n d r o , h e a d o f S a n Francisco Travel, say that Italy i s t h e o n l y m a j o r c o u n t r y without a direct connection. I hope this will happen soon. Mauro Battocchi Consul General of Italy in San Francisco Consul General of Italy in San Francisco 2 5 9 0 W e b s t e r S t r e e t S a n Francisco, CA 94115 Telephone: +1 (415) 292- 9200. Fax: +1 (415) 931-7205 Email: it.sanfrancisco@esteri .it Web: www.conssanfrancisco esteri.it/Consolato_SanFrancisco SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY CATHERINE ACCARDI L to R: Mauro Battocchi, Mauro Aprile Zanetti, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Paolo Barlera. Photo: Catherine Accardi Opening exhibit at the Italian Cultural Institute, October 28, 2015. Photo: Catherine Accardi

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