L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 6 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY T he year 2017 has begun con gus to an d the S an F rancis co Bay A rea's Italian community, and fellow Italophiles, look forward to a year filled with the charm and culture that represents our native Italy. On that note, Italian Consul General, Lorenzo Ortona is in his fifth month as Italy's repre- sentative to the San Francisco Bay Area. In his statement of S eptember 2016, Cons ul General Ortona expressed recog- nition of his important task and appreciation of the Bay Area Italian community by saying, "It has made a decisive contribution to the creation and growth of this marvelous city known and loved around the world." The Consul General empha- sized the importance of the US- Italy relationship during this critical time in European and Italian history, and expressed his "constant Consulate commit- ment under the guidance of the Italian Embassy in Washington to create opportunities for our companies and s tart-ups , to attract investments." Recently, L'Italo-Americano interviewed the Consul General to explore his plans for the first quarter of the new year. From this meeting, it was clear the Consulate is organizing and sup- porting numerous events involv- ing the many various aspects and sectors of Italian life, culture and community, including tex- tiles, food, books film, music automobiles, energy, and tech- nology, as highlighted below. Textiles - From January 19 to F ebruary 24, 2017, S an Francisco's Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Italian Cultural Institute (ICI), hosts "Sardinian Textiles- An Exhibit of Contemporary & Antique Handwoven Art." The exhibit features contemporary weavings from the few remain- ing tes s itor i ar tigianali, S ardinia's traditional hand weavers. Food - J anuary 22 to 24, 2017 the Winter Fancy Food S how came to the M os cone Center with approximately 40 companies participating from Italy. In an impressive display space, these Italian companies offered a successful networking dinner highlighting the impor- tance and popularity of Italian cuisine and food products, sec- tors that are very important to the US-Italy relationship. Books - On February 1, the Consulate and the ICI hosted a presentation and reception with Elisa and Eleonora Tallone, who spoke about their exclusive fine books, typeset by hand and let- ter-press-printed. Tallone Fine Print Books, established by their grandfather, Alberto Tallone, offers Italy's best modern read- ing experience. Elis a and Eleonora are participating in the 2017 CO D EX Biennial International Book F air in Richmond, California, and the Tallone Book Exhibition is also part of the Frank V. de Bellis Collection held at the J. Paul Leonard Lib rary of S an F rancis co S tate U nivers ity. L'Italo-Americano will feature the story of Tallone Fine Print Books in an upcoming article. Film - On February 3, the ICI presented a screening of Luca Vullo's film "Influx," a docu- mentary that reveals the pulse of Italy and Italians through the perspective of both well-estab- lished and newly arrived immi- grants in London. Music - Italy is recognized world-wide as a center for fine music. This aspect of Italian cul- ture will be well represented when music director of the San F r a n c i s c o O p e r a , M a e s t r o Nicola Luisotti, will conduct Rigoletto, opening May 31, and Don Giovanni, opening June 4. Contemporary Italian music comes to the Bay Area on March CATHERINE ACCARDI San Francisco's Italian Consul General Looks Forward to the Year Ahead 29 when Zucchero Fornaciari, an Italian blues/rock singer and songwriter takes to the stage in the Black Cat Live tour at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater. The ICI is supporting the concert facilitating ticket sales. Automobiles - The automo- tive sector is represented by impressive Italian automobiles as they roar into San Francisco April 23 for the opening day of t h e 2 7 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e California Mille Miglia at the Fairmont Hotel. Over 70 cars will be on display prior to the start of the race which takes p l a c e o v e r f o u r d a y s a n d o n 1,000 miles of California's best b a c k r o a d s . C o n s u l G e n e r a l Ortona will be at the opening c e r e m o n i e s a n d L ' I t a l o - Americano will join him. S t a r t - u p s - I n A p r i l , t h e Consulate will receive the visit o f t h e v i c e p r e s i d e n t o f t h e region of Lombardia while he is in the San Francisco Bay Area f o r a t e c h n o l o g y t o u r . I n December 2016, the vice mayor of the City of Torino, responsi- ble for innovation for the city, visited as part of a project with t h e m u n i c i p a l i t y o f S a n Francisco to facilitate an agree- ment promoting the exchange of start-ups between the two cities. Energy - In the energy sector, Enel, the Italian multinational energy provider which provides Italy with most of its energy, is opening an innovation hub in Berkeley, California, in order to work with the City in developing new energy technologies. The official opening of this project occurs in March when Enel's CEO arrives from Italy. Having an Italian energy company pre- sent here, in the San Francisco Bay Area focusing on clean, renewable energy advancements, is an important achievement. C o n s u l G e n e r a l O r t o n a describes the efforts highlighted above in this way. "As we can see, the Consulate and the ICI are working hard to continue to c r e a t e e x c i t i n g p r o g r a m s i n m a n y s e c t o r s r e f l e c t i n g o u r Italian culture, either by hosting the events in the Consulate, host- ing them through the ICI, or sup- porting them in many different ways. " I w a s a p p o i n t e d 4 1 / 2 months ago as Italy's Consul General in San Francisco and I have been really struck by the energy, passion and dedication of the Italian-American commu- nity here in the Bay Area. I've learned a lot from them. I have been able to travel, learning more and more about the vibrant I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y i n S a n Francisco, Silicon Valley, South San Francisco and the East Bay. "I am very touched by the many fundraisers that have been organized all around California, many of which I was able to par- ticipate in for the terrible earth- quake that struck Central Italy. The efforts are ongoing and Italy is very grateful for all that has been done." San Francisco Italian Consul General, Lorenzo Ortona Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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