Author Archives: CiaoAmerica

About CiaoAmerica

Passionate about the ItalianAmerican community

Bill de Blasio 109th Mayor of New York City

Posted on by

From the new Mayor’s official web site:

Bill de Blasio is the 109th Mayor of New York City. From his early days as a young City Hall staffer, to serving on his local school board, to his most recent position as Public Advocate for the City of New York, Bill de Blasio has spent his life fighting to ensure that every New Yorker – in every neighborhood throughout our five boroughs – gets a fair shot.

Bill de Blasio

Bill de Blasio

Together with his wife Chirlane, Bill is the proud parent of Chiara, a college sophomore, and Dante, a high school junior. Having raised their children in Brooklyn and sent them to New York City public schools, Bill and Chirlane understand firsthand the fundamental role parents and teachers share in educating the next generation – and of the importance of providing equal educational opportunities in all neighborhoods.

After graduating from NYU, Bill studied at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He began his career in public service as a junior staffer for New York City’s first African-American mayor, David N. Dinkins, and later became an assistant for community affairs at City Hall.

In 1997, Bill moved to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, working as Regional Director under then-Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo, as New York and New Jersey’s highest-ranking official in the department. At HUD, he crisscrossed the Tri-State region, gaining a critical understanding of the diverse communities that make up the New York metropolitan area. As regional director, Bill fought for increased federal funding for affordable homes and expanded housing services for senior citizens.

In 1999, Bill joined District 15’s School Board in Brooklyn, where he championed early childhood education and parental involvement and expanded pre-K programs, helping his district become the first to cap first grade class sizes.

In 2000, Hillary Clinton asked Bill to manage her historic campaign for the U.S. Senate. Working at the head of a vast grassroots operation, he helped re-introduce Mrs. Clinton to New Yorkers and deliver her message about prioritizing children and families, securing her a decisive victory in a highly competitive campaign.

Two years later, Bill started his service on the New York City Council, representing the diverse Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Sunset Park, Boro Park, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Windsor Terrace, Red Hook, and Kensington.

In his eight years on the City Council, Bill focused his efforts on improving public education, engaging parents, expanding affordable housing, and protecting New York’s middle-class and working poor. He wrote landmark tenants’ rights legislation to protect affordable housing and end landlord discrimination for everyday New Yorkers. Bill also was a vocal advocate for services designed to support fragile families and vulnerable children. After the tragic death of seven-year-old Nixzmary Brown in 2006, he investigated the case as Chair of the Council’s General Welfare Committee, holding four hearings examining the City’s role in fighting child abuse.

In 2010, Bill was sworn in as New York City Public Advocate, the second-highest citywide elected office. As Public Advocate, Bill launched the “NYC Worst Landlords Watchlist” to publicly identify landlords who took advantage of everyday New Yorkers, pressing them to improve building maintenance and upkeep. Bill made his voice heard across our city as a forceful advocate for stronger representation and services for the millions of workers who are the foundation of New York City’s economy.

As mayor, Bill is committed to making sure every child gets a great education, protecting our streets and our communities, and building a city where New Yorkers from all five boroughs can start businesses, raise their families, and afford to live in their own neighborhoods. brings a deep background in working with New York’s nonprofit community.

Sworn-in de Blasio pledges to take on ‘tale of two cities’ in NYC


Piero della Francesca’s Devotional Paintings Featured in New Exhibition Opening at the Metropolitan Museum on January 14

Posted on by

Through a special collaboration with the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, and the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host a focused presentation on the devotional paintings of Piero della Francesca, addressing Piero’s work for private devotion for the first time. The four works on view have never before been brought together; the exhibition, therefore, promises to make an important contribution to the study of this major figure of the Renaissance. Piero della Francesca: Personal Encounters, on view at the Metropolitan Museum beginning January 14, will consist of the following paintings: Saint Jerome and a Donor from the Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice; Madonna and Child with Two Angels (the Senigallia Madonna) from the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino; Saint Jerome in a Landscape from the Gemaldegalerie, Berlin; and Madonna and Child from a

Piero della Francesca – The Senigallia Madonna and Child with Two Angels

private collection in New York.

The exhibition is made possible by the Foundation for Italian Art & Culture (FIAC). It was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with FIAC, in celebration of the opening of the New European Paintings Galleries, 1250-1800.

The loan of the Madonna di Senigallia is by arrangement with the Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo and the Italian Carabinieri Command (CCTPC), working together with la Soprintendenza per i Beni Storici Artistici ed Etnoantropologici delle Marche – Urbino, as part of 2013 – Italian Year of Culture in the United States.

Dates:  January 14 – March 30, 2014

 

More on Piero della Francesca on Wikepedia

Enrico Letta, Italy’s Prime Minister, in Washington Today for Official Visit to White House

Posted on by

The following “Fact Sheet” on U.S.-Italy Cooperation was released by the White House today.

President Barack Obama hosted the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic Enrico Letta at the White House on October 17, 2013. The visit highlighted the vitality of the relationship between the United States and Italy. The bonds between our two countries are among the strongest tying together the United States and Europe. Discussion focused on our ongoing cooperation in the following areas:

Enrico Letta

Enrico Letta

Partners in Global Security: The United States and Italy are working together to promote peace, rule of law, and freedom worldwide. The United States partners with the more than 5,000 Italian security forces deployed in key international missions around the globe. Italians command the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and NATO’s Kosovo Force, and they conduct anti-piracy operations off the east African coast. Our partnership with Italy’s Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units has prepared more than 4,500 police unit leaders for UN peacekeeping operations. Italy has the fourth-largest contingent in ISAF in Afghanistan, and its leadership in Herat Province is enabling a smooth transition in the western region of the country. Together with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, Italy plays a lead role in assisting Libya in its efforts to restore security and build its institutions. Italy hosts more than 30,000 U.S. service members, Department of Defense civilian employees, and their families at bases across Italy. Those bases are instrumental in protecting U.S. personnel and facilities in North Africa, particularly during times of heightened instability.

Strong Economic Ties: Our two countries share a robust trading relationship. The United States is Italy’s third-largest export market, and Italy is the United States’ 15th-largest export market. Italian exports to the United States in 2012 totaled $35.5 billion, a 16.8 percent increase over 2011. Meanwhile, American exports to Italy in 2012 totaled $16.0 billion, a 1.1 percent share of total U.S. exports. Together, the EU and the United States account for nearly half the world’s GDP and 30 percent of world trade, contributing to economic growth and supporting millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Between five and six million U.S. tourists visit Italy each year.

Cultural Exchange and Heritage: Americans and Italians participate in a wide variety of exchange programs. Italy hosts some 30,000 American exchange students each year, many on study abroad programs. Italy is second only to the United Kingdom as a destination for American exchange students. The Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange between Italy and the United States (the Fulbright Commission) is one of the oldest and largest in Europe. Since the Commission was established in 1948, more than 10,000 U.S. and Italian students, teachers, lecturers, and researchers have been awarded Fulbright grants. The Business Exchange and Student Training program brings young managers and entrepreneurs in science and engineering to the United States to pursue academic coursework and training in entrepreneurship. Since 2001, the United States and Italy been have been partners in a bilateral agreement protecting Italy’s cultural property, reducing the incentive for looting of archaeological sites and preventing the illicit trafficking of cultural objects. Our two countries are celebrating 2013 as the “Year of Italian Culture in the United States.” A year-long series of exhibits, conferences, concerts, and symposia is providing the American people with new opportunities to learn about Italian art, culture, and innovation in science, technology, and design.

50 Years of Space Cooperation: In 1962, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Italian Space Commission of the Italian National Council of Research, which led to the launch of one of the earliest satellites ever placed in orbit around the Earth. Today, NASA enjoys robust cooperation through the Italian Space Agency and European Space Agency. In 2013, the United States and Italy celebrated 50 years of cooperation in outer space and signed an agreement to facilitate future U.S.-Italy cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space. NASA considers Italy one of its most important EU partners, and on July 9, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano completed a spacewalk – the first ever for an Italian citizen – at the International Space Station.

Milan Expo 2015: The United States is moving forward with “Friends of the U.S. Pavilion Milano 2015,” our partner in the effort to build the USA Pavilion at the Milan Expo. This group must now raise the necessary private funds to sponsor the USA Pavilion. In partnership with The James Beard Foundation and the International Culinary Center, and in association with the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy, the Friends group will work for a vibrant U.S. presence at the Milan Expo. Its goal is to use state-of-the-art digital media and other novel approaches to showcase American leadership and innovation in global food security, agriculture, and cuisine and lay the seeds for enhanced trade and investment between the United States and Italy in this sector, so important to the cultural heritage of both nations.

Government Shutdown Not Stopping National Columbus Day Celebrations in Washington, DC

Posted on by

The National Columbus Celebration Association has announced that the annual ceremony will be moved from its traditional site at the Columbus Memorial Plaza at Union Station to the Casa Italiana Christopher Columbus courtyard adjacent to Holy Rosary Church, the national Italian parish.  The Columbus Memorial across from Union Station remains closed due to the federal government shutdown.

The Casa Italiana Cultural Center and the Columbus courtyard are located at 595 Third, NW, Washington, DC 2001. The ceremony will begin at 11:00 am on Monday, October 14, 2013.

Columbus Day Ceremony across from Union Station

The program for this year’s ceremony will include :

  Tributes to the Great Explorer delivered by representatives from the Embassies of Spain and Italy
 The Honor America Corps of the Knights of Columbus will present the 27 official flags of the United States
 Reading of the Presidential and Mayoral proclamations
 Presentation of the National Youth Essay Winner, cosponsored by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and National Italian American Foundation
 Wreath presentations by the embassies, partner organizations, patriotic and heraldic organizations, civic organizations, and scouts.

This year’s wreath presentations will be at the beautiful statue of Christopher Columbus in the courtyard of Holy Rosary Church adjacent to Casa Italiana. This unique annual event commemorates the life and accomplishments of Christopher Columbus, the history of the Americas, and is designed to emphasize both the patriotic and educational aspects of this federal holiday.

A religious commemoration of Columbus Day with Mass will be held at Holy Rosary Church, 595 3rd St, NW, Washington, DC, on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at Noon. This event is co-sponsored by the Lido Civic Club of Washington, DC, and the District of Columbia State Council of the Knights of Columbus. A short program will take place after Mass at the Columbus statue in the courtyard of Holy Rosary Church.  This statue of Columbus was donated by the Lido Civic Club, an Italian American organization founded in 1929.

Casa Italiana, 595 Third St., NW
October 14, 2013 – 11:00 am

 

Over 300 Works of “Italian Futurism” Coming to the Guggenheim in 2014

Posted on by
February 21–September 1, 2014

The first comprehensive overview of Italian Futurism to be presented in the United States, this multidisciplinary exhibition examines the historical sweep of the movement from its inception with F. T. Marinetti’s Futurist manifesto in 1909 through its demise at the end of World War II. Presenting over 300 works executed between 1909 and 1944, the chronological exhibition encompasses not only painting and sculpture, but also architecture, design, ceramics, fashion, film, photography, advertising, free-form poetry, publications, music, theater, and performance. To convey the myriad artistic languages employed by the Futurists as they evolved over a 35-year period, the exhibition integrates multiple disciplines in each section. Italian Futurism is organized by Vivien Greene, Curator, 19th- and Early 20th-Century Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. In addition, a distinguished international advisory committee has been assembled to provide expertise and guidance.

Giacomo Balla, Abstract Speed + Sound (Velocità astratta + rumore), 1913–14. Oil on board, 54.5 x 76.5 cm. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. © 2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/SIAE, Rome

Assistant to the President, Lisa Monaco, Speaks About Her Italian Roots at Bonaparte Ceremony

Posted on by

Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, was the keynote speaker at the 53rd Annual Ceremony honoring Charles J. Bonaparte, the 46th Attorney General and founder of the Federal Board of Investigation.

Lisa Monaco

Lisa Monaco

The ceremony was held at the U.S. Department of Justice on August 23, 2013.  Ms. Monaco spoke first about the importance of tradition in growing up in an Italian American family, and then pointed to the significant accomplishment of Charles Bonaparte in setting up an investigative force that evolved into the FBI.

Luca Franchetti Pardo, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Italian Embassy in Washington D.C., delivered special remarks, noting the historic and continued cooperation between U.S. law enforcement agencies and their Italian counterparts.  Also speaking were Judge Francis Allegra and Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis.
Maria Marigliano, a senior official with USAID opened the ceremony with the singing of the national anthems of the Republic of Italy and the United States. Fr. Ezio Marchetto, Pastor of Holy Rosary Church, delivered the invocation.   The program was organized by Francesco Isgrò, Chair of the Friends of Charles Bonaparte, and an attorney at the Department of Justice.

Following are excerpts from presidential assistant Lisa Monaco’s prepared remarks, delivered at the 53rd Annual Ceremony honoring Charles J. Bonaparte.

“. . .why is it important that we keep coming together to honor our 46th Attorney General?

Many answers, but mine is: Tradition. Tradition is important–particularly for those of us from Italian families–and it’s worth preserving. It reminds us where we come from and how we got to be who we are. I’ve come to appreciate that more and more as I’ve gotten older.

Being Italian-American didn’t seem like something that made me special when I was growing up. Growing up in a Boston suburb, sometimes it made me feel different. But over time, my identity as an Italian-American, and my family’s traditions, have become a source of great strength and enduring pride.

My father tells me that my grandfather was just 16 when he came to the United States from Biccari, a little hilltop town in southern Italy. He arrived in Philadelphia and took a room at a boarding house that was run by a family who had emigrated from a neighboring hilltop back in Italy. Eventually he opened up a barbershop at 6th and Pine, married the innkeeper’s daughter, and together they raised four children, including my father, on South Broad Street as independent, first-generation Americans.

Many years later, when my grandfather passed away, my father wanted to make sure that his own children knew about their history. So he packed us up–me, my three brothers, mom, dad, and grandma–and took us all to Italy. It was like the Griswold’s family vacations, only with better food.

I was ten at the time, but I remember visiting Biccari and being welcomed home. The whole town felt like family, literally. The mayor of the town was a Monaco and so was the bishop. And I remember how special it was for my grandmother to reconnect with the heritage and traditions–like the nightly passeggiata (the walk around the town square) that was such a critical part of her story, and mine.

That trip made me appreciate my Italian heritage and importance of history and tradition, so I’m honored to be part of another fine Italian-American tradition, celebrating Charles Bonaparte and remembering this chapter of our history.

And it’s particularly meaningful to me not only because of Bonaparte’s Italian roots but because of his legacy in the Justice Department of founding the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex on the Flight of Birds on display at Smithsonian in Washington, DC

Posted on by

Leonardo da Vinci created masterpieces of art and sculpture. Equally remarkable, his aggregate achievements in engineering, mathematics, anatomy, geology, physics, music, military technology, aeronautics, and a wide range of other fields, not only stood without peer in his own time, but were strikingly prescient for the distant future. He recorded his forward-looking ideas in thousands of notebook pages, known as codices. He produced one codex entirely on flight in 1505-1506, the Codex on the Flight of Birds. Among the many subjects Leonardo studied, the possibility of human mechanical flight held particular fascination. He produced more than 35,000

words and 500 sketches dealing with flying machines, the nature of air, and bird flight. In the Codex on the Flight of Birds Leonardo outlined a number of observations and beginning concepts that would find a place in the development of a successful airplane in the early twentieth century. Hundreds of years before any real progress toward a practical flying machine was achieved, Leonardo expressed the seeds of the ideas that would lead to humans spreading their wings. This extraordinary document, exhibited outside of Italy only a few times, will be displayed in The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age gallery. The Codex exhibit will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to appreciate the genius of da Vinci in the same space as the Wright Flyer, which made the airplane a reality four centuries after the Leonardo produced the Codex on the Flight of Birds.

This exhibit is organized by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Italian Cultural Heritage and Activities, the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC, the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, thanks to the support of Bracco Foundation, Finmeccanica, and Tenaris. It is part of 2013 – Year of Italian Culture in the U.S., an initiative held under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic, organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC with the support of Corporate Ambassadors, Eni, and Intesa Sanpaolo.

Opens September 13, 2013 through October 22, 2013

Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President, Recounts Italian Traditions at 53rd Annual Charles Bonaparte Ceremony at U.S. Department of Justice

Posted on by

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday August 23, 2013, was the site of the 53rd Annual Ceremony honoring Charles J. Bonaparte, the 46th Attorney General and founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in a program organized by Francesco Isgro, Chair of the Friends of Charles Bonaparte. The event’s Keynote Speaker, Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, spoke first about the importance of tradition in growing up in an Italian American family, and then pointed to the significant accomplishment of Charles Bonaparte in setting up an investigative force that evolved into the FBI. Luca Franchetti Pardo, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Italian Embassy delivered special remarks, noting the historic and continued cooperation between U.S. law enforcement agencies and their Italian counterparts. Also speaking were Judge Francis Allegra and Associate Deputy Attorney General David Margolis. Maria Marigliano, a senior official with U.S.A.I.D. opened the ceremony with the singing of the national anthems of the Republic of Italy and of the U.S.A.  Fr. Ezio Marchetto, pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Washington D.C., gave the invocation.   This year’s ceremony was supported by the Sons of Italy, the National Italian American Foundation, and the Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C. Pino Cicala, founder of Antenna Italia in Washington, D.C., was recognized for having attended all 53 Charles Bonaparte ceremonies.

The Annual Charles Bonaparte ceremony was established in 1961 by the late John LaCorte, Sr., who was also the founder of the Italian Historical Society of America in New York. He worked diligently in his lifetime to help promote the accomplishments of Italian Americans, as a counterpoint to the negative perception of the ethnic group during that era.

LaCorte started his efforts in New York. After many years of lobbying and several set-backs, LaCorte finally succeeded in having a then-new bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn named after a little-known Italian explorer of the New York Harbor—Giovanni Verrazzano.

LaCorte then came to Washington to promote the achievements of Charles Bonaparte. Bonaparte is the grand nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose parents were originally from Genoa, Italy. It is largely through LaCorte’s efforts that Charles Bonaparte has received his due credit as founder of the FBI.

When LaCorte first established the Charles Bonaparte ceremony in 1961, the late Judge Edward Re had just been appointed by President John F. Kennedy as Chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, an office established here at the Department.

Judge Re assisted La Corte in establishing that first ceremony, making him the First friend of Charles Bonaparte. Judge Re also gave visibility to the ceremony by ensuring that Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy was present at the ceremony.

On that occasion, a granite monument honoring Charles Bonaparte was presented by the Historical Society to the Department of Justice. The monument is now installed at the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance of the United States Department of Justice.

(Pictured Judge Francis Allegra, Francesco Isgro, Luca Franchetti Pardo, David Margolis, Lisa Monaco – Photo courtesy Elissa Ruffino, NIAF)



Digital Diplomacy at Italian Embassy in Washington

Posted on by

Digital diplomacy was the topic of discussion at the Italian Embassy in Washington this evening.  This was the third event hosted by Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, who has been bringing experts together to discuss and analyze how global interconnectivity and the real-time information cycle are transforming the  way citizens and government interact.

Among the panelists this evening were: Amb. Bisogniero; PJ Crowley (Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, and Professor, The George Washington University); Katie Dowd (Senior Advisor to the Chief Technology Officer, The White House); Zeenat Rahman (Special Advisor to the US Secretary of State for Global Youth Issues); Gianni Riotta (Author, “Has the Web brought us freedom?”). The panel was moderated by Darrell West (Vice President and Director of Governance Studies, Brookings Institution).

The following were some of the tweets that the discussion generated:

“@eDipAtState: Pretty soon use of #digitaldiplomacy will be recognized just as #diplomacy according to @katiewdowd #rtdiplomacy” @DrTedros

There’s no dark side of #internet: it’s a reflection of the dark side of society, says @riotta at #RTDiplomacy

#rtdiplomacy @PJCrowley: use networks as advantage, know your digital environment…engage and listen.

Gianni Riotta ‏@riotta3h

.@PJCrowley Is confidentiality dead in the age of #rtdiplomacy? Yes!

#rtdiplomacy @PJCrowley– traditional #diplomacy has always occurred behind closed doors, but is now seeping out into the open

@riotta at #rtdiplomacy : Machiavelli’s The Prince is perfect to address contemporary politics,except that it lacks social media #italyinUS

RT @andreas212nyc: The great challenge for #digitaldiplomacy is to learn to LISTEN, says @PJCrowley at #RTDiplomacy #SocialMedia