L'Italo-Americano

NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 3 Continued from page 2 with the Mayor of San Francisco Ed Lee, for the launch of the "Year of Italian Culture in the United States 2013". For an entire year, the city was flooded with Italian events, spanning from policy to busi- ness, from Opera and ballet to literature and cinema. The peak was the joint performance of Verdi's Requiem by 325 musi- c i a n s o f t h e S a n F r a n c i s c o Opera and Naples' San Carlo Theater conducted by Nicola L u i s o t t i . " I t w a s a u n i q u e , world-class event," Battocchi says, "and it happened because of the mobilization of the Italian c o m m u n i t y h e r e t o r a i s e t h e funds. It was touching." It was abundantly clear at the June 9, 2016 dinner for Mauro that he will be sorely missed. It p r o v e d t o b e a s p e c t a c u l a r evening honoring the end of his term at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club in North Beach, San Francisco. Organized by Alessandro Baccari and hosted by 20 Italian organizations, the event paid tribute gathered sev- e r a l h u n d r e d p e o p l e f r o m throughout the Bay Area. One by one, representatives stepped up to the microphone and spoke of Battocchi's tireless efforts to b r i n g t h e I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y together with pride of culture and mutual respect. An often repeated phrase was "We are losing someone that has touched our hearts". The event began with a wel- c o m e b y J o s e p h M a r o t t o , President of the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club, followed b y M a s t e r o f C e r e m o n i e s A l e s s a n d r o B a c c a r i . T h e Invocation was given by Father John Itzaina from Saints Peter & P a u l C h u r c h . O n e o f t h e evening's highlights was when singer, Maria Fassio Pignati and Consul General Battocchi led an enthusiastic crowd in a sing- along of four, classic Italian songs. It certainly was a night to remember. In his remarks at the event, Battocchi laid out his message for the Italian Americans of the Bay Area in the coming years. "The critical issue," he noted, "is how to engage the younger generations. Think of how your organizations can be attractive to your children and grand-chil- dren. I believe that the more you bring into your activities mod- ern Italy, the more you can get t h e y o u n g e r g e n e r a t i o n s o n board. More specifically," he also said, "it makes sense to invest money and resources to send your children and grand- children to have a real life expe- r i e n c e i n I t a l y , b e i t w o r k , adventure, tourism or study. Once they are back, they will b e c o m e t h e n a t u r a l Ambassadors of Italian lifestyle here: authentic food, glamorous fashion, Italian language. They will be the future leaders of your organizations." Battocchi also urged Italian A m e r i c a n s t o w o r k t o g e t h e r w i t h I t a l i a n s a n d w i t h Italophiles. He encouraged them to select a limited number of flagship initiatives, reach out to fellow Italians and test new syn- ergies. He praised, for instance, t h e o r g a n i z e r s o f t h e I t a l i a n Heritage Parade and encouraged all Italian American organiza- tions to work together to make sure that the October parade can still be, also in the future, a cor- nerstone of civic life in San Francisco. An organization that gives B a t t o c c h i c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e future, he believes, is Comites, t h e C o m m i t t e e o f I t a l i a n s abroad, elected democratically in 2015. "The newly elected Comites members have an aver- age age of 35", Battocchi notes. " T h e r e a r e r e s e a r c h e r s a n d entrepreneurs from Berkeley and Silicon Valley. They are eager to engage in new projects with the Italian American asso- c i a t i o n s h e r e . T h e y a r e a n i n v a l u a b l e r e s o u r c e f o r t h e Italian community in the Bay Area and beyond." Battocchi's final words in San Francisco are of gratitude. "What a great ride it has been. I have to thank my great staff at the Italian Consulate for work- ing so hard to implement all our project; and I have to thank all the Italians that have brought here the inventiveness, industri- ousness and charm of our coun- try. When I landed in California in 2012, I had heard great things about the Italians of the Bay Area, but I would have never imagined receiving such a warm e m b r a c e , f r o m t h e m a n d a l e g i o n o f I t a l o p h i l e s . W e worked together to promote il Bel Paese, the beautiful country. We had great fun together. We have seen the prestige of our country rise: Grazie mille!" L ' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o t h a n k s him for representing us with b r i l l i a n c e , u n m o d e l l o d i dinamismo ed eleganza, a model of dynamism and elegance, we will never forget. Consul Mauro Battocchi with the leaders of the Italian community at City Hall with Mayor Ed Lee & California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano. Photograph by Nickolas Marinelli

• Cover