Author Archives: CiaoAmerica

About CiaoAmerica

Passionate about the ItalianAmerican community

U.S. Congressman Tom Marino to be Honored by the Order Sons of Italy’s in America

Posted on by

The Order Sons of Italy will honor U.S. Congressman Tom Marino with the Guglielmo Marconi Award on August 17, 2013, during its 53rd Biennial National Convention in Philadelphia. The Guglielmo Marconi Award, the OSIA’s highest honor, is named for the Nobel prize-winning Italian physicist who invented wireless telegraphy. It is presented biennially to an Italian American who has made significant contributions to the United States.

Rep. Tom Marino

Rep. Tom Marino

Rep. Tom Marino (Pa. 10th District) was first elected to U.S. Congress in 2010 and re-elected in 2012. He promptly went to work on behalf of his constituents serving on the Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security and Judiciary committees, along with six subcommittees. The congressman served as a district attorney, a U.S. Attorney and a private-practice attorney prior to being elected to Congress. A second generation Italian-American who grew up in Williamsport, Pa., Mr. Marino celebrates his blue-collar roots; his father was a janitor and fireman, his mother was a homemaker and, before entering law, he worked in manufacturing. Congressman Marino is a three-time cancer survivor. He and his wife Edie have two adopted children and live in Cogan Station, Lycoming County.

For nearly 10 ten years, Mr. Marino has been a member of OSIA’s Celebrando il Nostro Retaggio Lodge 2786 in Williamsport. He has served as lodge Orator and spent two years as State Treasurer for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

OSIA lodges and the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), award nearly $1 million every year to Italian American college-bound students. The SIF also funds cultural programs, medical research and disaster relief – more than $125 million to date. Proceeds from the Marconi Gala support these OSIA and SIF programs.

Festa della Repubblica in Filadelfia – Console Generale Luigi Scotto nominato Ambasciatore d’Italia in Tanzania

Posted on by

Nella prestigiosa cornice del museo storico di Filadelfia si e’ celebrata la tradizionale Festa Nazionale della Republica Italiana. Durante la prima parte della serata, dedicata ai discorsi ufficiali, sia il Console che il vice sindaco Michael Diberardinis hanno sottolineato i rapporti di particolare amicizia tra Stati Uniti e Italia ed in particolare tra lo stato di Pennslvania e il nostro paese.

Luigi Scotto, Gilberto Idonea

Luigi Scotto, Gilberto Idonea

Nella seconda parte della serata la cultura Italiana e stata celebrata con la patecipazione, tra gli altri dell sassofonista Francesco Cafiso e dei cantanti Ragusani Rachele Amenta e Lorenzo Licitra.

Ospite d’onore della serata, invitato dal Console Generale, e’ stao l’attore Gilberto Idonea che dopo la sua esibizione e’ stato insignito di un premio come “Ambasciatore della Coltura Italaina e in Particolare Siciliana nel Mondo”.

Nel consegnarli il premio e riferendosi alla sua recente nomina ad Ambasciatore d’Italia in Tanzania, il Console Generale Luigi Scotto ha voluto enfatizzare come il premio sia passato da un ambasciatore “in pectore” ad un “ambasciatore” che gia’ venti anni fa’, proprio a Filadelfia, debuttava dai confini nationali e cominciava il suo “peregrinare” che lo ha portato asd incontrare le comunita Italiane sparse nel mondo.

 

Statement by Secretary of State John Kerry On the Occasion of Italy’s Republic Day

Posted on by

I congratulate the people of Italy as they celebrate Republic Day this June 2.

Following years of struggle, the Italian people in 1946 made an historic choice that set their country on the path to becoming the vibrant democracy it is today. Commemorations such as this provide an opportunity to reflect upon the fundamental values our two countries share. I have a particular admiration and affection for

Secretary John Kerry

Secretary John Kerry

the Italian experience since my own personal narrative is interwoven with many visits to Italy, and many Italian friends. I witnessed firsthand the effects of the Italian economic miracle of the 1950’s which so clearly exhibited a national strength of character.

The U.S.-Italy alliance is grounded in our shared history and strengthened by the bonds of mutual respect, trust, and affection between our two peoples. These ties have been reaffirmed during my two visits to Italy as Secretary, and by the conversations I have had recently with Prime Minister Enrico Letta and Foreign Minister Emma Bonino.

We are working together to address challenges and attain common goals – promoting peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa, outlining a path for global economic prosperity that will provide greater opportunity for young people, and protecting the environment for future generations. Our cooperation on security issues remains particularly close, and we are grateful for the hospitality extended to our defense personnel.

It is in the spirit of this enduring partnership and friendship that I extend to all Italians my sincere best wishes on this 67th anniversary of Republic Day

Festa della Repubblica Commemorated at Holy Rosary Church

Posted on by

Italy’s Festa della Repubblica was commemorated Sunday in Washington, DC at a mass held at Holy Rosary Church, the Italian National Parish. Members of the Italian Diplomatic Corps joined parishioners at the Italian mass con-celebrated by Fr. Lydio Tomasi and Fr. Claudio Holzer. Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero gave some brief remarks praising the contributions of the Italian American community. Amb. Bisogniero also presented certificates of appreciations to the teachers of Italian in the Washington metropolitan area. Following the mass, a reception was held at the Casa Italiana Cultural Center.

Monumental Statue Boxer at Rest on Special Loan to Metropolitan Museum

Posted on by

The celebrated over-life-size bronze statue Boxer at Rest—an exceptionally realistic ancient Greek sculpture created between the late fourth and the second century B.C., on loan from the Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme—will be shown outside Europe for the first time in The Boxer: An Ancient Masterpiece, a special presentation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, beginning Saturday, June 1 until July 15, 2013. This extraordinary work will be on view for six weeks only.

The exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, and the Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. Support is provided by Eni, the main sponsor of the exhibition.

The event is part of 2013 – Year of Italian Culture in the United States, an initiative held under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., with the support of the Corporate Ambassadors Eni and Intesa Sanpaolo.

“We are proud to host The Boxer at Rest, a special loan made possible by the Republic of Italy,” commented Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum. “More than 2,000 years have passed since this virtuoso work of art was created, yet the powerful realism of its subject continues to captivate viewers today. The privilege to display this marvelous statue in the United States for the first time—and in the context of the Met’s exceptional collection—is a particular honor. We encourage our visitors not to miss this exciting opportunity.”

“Viewing one of the most stunning statues from antiquity is truly a singular opportunity,” said Italy’s Ambassador to the U.S., Claudio Bisogniero. “The Boxer is a masterpiece and its exhibition at the prestigious Met speaks volumes about the success of the Year of Italian Culture in the United States and how the more than 200 programmed events are contributing to expanding and deepening the relations between Italy and the U.S.”

“At Eni, culture means ‘relationships.’ Through culture, in Italy and all over the world, we create links with the territories in which we operate,” stated Paolo Scaroni, Chief Executive Officer, Eni S.p.A. “We are inextricably linked with the U.S.A., both as a country and as a company. This is true historically, due to the role played by America in Europe, and in Italy, in the 20th century. It is also true in terms of our current relationships, with some of the most important organizations in the United States, across the fields of the arts, industry, and research. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is certainly one of the institutions that best reflects the American passion for culture, with its immeasurable artistic endowment spanning every era and every corner of the globe. Through The Boxer: An Ancient Masterpiece, we hope you will feel as if we have brought a piece of Italy within these prestigious walls.”

The statue was excavated in Rome in 1885 on the south slope of the Quirinal Hill near the ancient Baths of Constantine, where it is thought to have been displayed. The sculpture was buried intentionally in late antiquity, possibly to preserve it against the barbarian invasions that ravaged Rome in the fifth century A.D. The broad-shouldered, lanky pugilist is shown seated, resting after a match. His gloves—which are highly detailed—identify him as a boxer.

The athlete’s many head wounds are consistent with ancient boxing techniques, in which the head was the main target. The copper inlays, indicating blood, heighten the effect. The boxer’s right eye is swollen, his nose is broken, and he breathes through his mouth, probably because his nostrils are blocked by blood. His scarred lips are sunken, suggesting missing teeth. The ears, swollen from blows, indicate possible hearing loss. Drops of blood from the wounds on his head have trickled down his right arm and leg. Wear on the foot and hands suggests that they were touched frequently in antiquity, possibly in veneration.

Because the iconography is related to statues of Herakles sculpted by Lysippos in the fourth century B.C., the Boxer at Rest may have been meant to celebrate a mythical—or real—boxer, who was glorified for his endurance and courage. Scholars have long debated the date of the statue, placing it anywhere from the middle of the fourth century B.C. to the middle of the first century B.C. The sculpture is an exceptional work in bronze from the Hellenistic period (323–31 B.C.) and is of outstanding artistry.

Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
The Museo Nazionale Romano was established at the end of the 19th century. It houses countless archaeological finds unearthed in Rome. The need for larger and more fitting locations to host the museum’s collection led to the creation of a group of new museums around the city: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps, and Crypta Balbi.

Built at the end of the 19th century, the Palazzo Massimo was purchased by the Italian State in 1981 to house the Museo Nazionale Romano’s collection of ancient art, coinage, and jewelry. The evolution of Roman artistic culture from the Late Republican Age through Late Antiquity (second century B.C.–fifth century A.D.) is shown through the beauty and magnificence of the collections on display on four floors. The museum houses celebrated masterpieces of statuary, of which the bronze statue Boxer at Rest is a superb example, as well as polychrome mosaics and precious engraved gems; exceptional frescoes from the Villa of Livia and the Villa della Farnesina; and an impressive numismatic collection.

The exhibition will be featured on the Metropolitan Museum’s website (www.metmuseum.org).


 

Source:  Metropolitan Museum

Sergio Marchionne, General Colin Powell, Gary Sinise, Robert Corrao Honored By Sons of Italy

Posted on by

It was a very patriotic evening  the Italian American community! Four leaders in business, government and entertainment received awards during the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) 25th Silver Anniversary National Education & Leadership Awards(NELA) Gala held on May 23, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
.
The honorees were: Chrysler/Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne; General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.); actor Gary Sinise and Sky TV’s Robert Corrao.

Sergio Marchionne, chairman & CEO of Chrysler Group LLC and CEO of Fiat S.p.A., received the 2013 SIF Award for Excellence in Global Business. Mr. Marchionne is credited with turning around two major automobile companies: the Italian auto manufacturer, Fiat and the American manufacturer, Chrysler. In addition to his duties as head of the two auto companies, Mr. Marchionne serves on numerous boards of directors, including Fiat Industrial S.p.A. as chairman and the European Automobile Manufacturers Association as president.

Mr. Marchionne is bilingual in Italian and English having been born in Italy and raised in Canada.

In accepting his award, Marchionne stressed the importance of moving from interdependence to integration. “It’s a philosophy that has played a key role in the Fiat-Chrysler partnership from the very beginning. It is a partnership which is driven by people who are willing to listen to each other, who are willing to share experiences, exchange knowledge and ideas, and expand their horizons. And in bringing together the best of our two groups, we’ve embraced both the Italian heritage of Fiat and the distinctly American identity of Chrysler. In many respects it is an idea that is very familiar to the Sons of Italy, which takes pride in an Italian-American culture that draws strength from both traditions,” Marchionne said.

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) received the 2013 SIF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service for his career in the military and diplomatic fields as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and 65th U.S. Secretary of State. He is also the founding chairman of America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit that aims to make children and youth a national priority by focusing on lowering the high school dropout rate. Under Gen. Powell’s leadership, the organization has become the nation’s largest multi-sector alliance that focuses on the well-being of young Americans.

The SIF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service is presented annually to a person who is not of Italian heritage. The award and the recipient reflect the significance of working together to build a better global community. Past recipients include former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden; and U.S. Senator Jack Reed.

The son of Jamaican immigrants, Gen. Powell referred to the commonality of the immigrant experience, regardless of the origins, and proudly remarked upon receiving his SIF award, “I always say that I’m an honorary Italian, but tonight I can finally say that I’m more.”

Actor and activist Gary Sinise received the 2013 SIF Award for Courage & Patriotism. As founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, Mr. Sinise works to assist the men and women who defend our country. His foundation partners with a range of organizations that support U.S. service personnel and veterans, including the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which builds customized smart homes for severely wounded veterans. A skilled musician and entertainer, Mr. Sinise has also performed for U.S. troops around the globe with his “Lieutenant Dan Band.” Along with NELA Gala emcee Joe Mantegna, Mr. Sinise hosts public television’s annual National Memorial Day Concert.

Accepting his award after a moving introduction by Mantegna, Sinise spoke about what inspires his work. “If by highlighting what I do shines a light on these brave men and women, that’s one way I feel like I can serve.”

Robert F. Corrao is CEO and chairman of the Ski TV Network, a national high definition television network broadcasting via direct satellite and DSL technology to LCD screens at premier ski resorts across the United States, delivering over 60 million impressions through year round TV programming. He received the SIF’s highest honor, its National Education & Leadership Award for 2013. Accepting the award, Corrao proudly spoke of his Italian roots, the importance of education and his long history with the SIF. “All this Italian blood in my heart right now is boiling over.”

During the NELA Gala, the SIF also recognized the men and women who have served or are serving our country. Present at the dinner were U.S. military personnel, active, veteran and wounded warriors. The SIF has long collaborated with and supported the Wounded Warrior Project.

About 1,000 guests attended this year’s NELA black tie gala. Among the special guests were: U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno, Claudio Bisogniero, Italy’s Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, NIH AIDS researcher, Jack Reed, U.S. Senator representing Rhode Island, Doug Flutie, former NFL quarterback, Bob Johnson, BET founder Mack McClarty, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, Franco Nuschese of the premier Italian restaurant in Washington, Café Milano, Judge Francis Allegra of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the recipients of nine SIF national scholarships

Past attendees have included U.S, presidents; members of the Cabinet and the Congress; and foreign diplomats. Previous SIF honorees include President Bill Clinton; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; AIDS researchers Anthony Fauci and Robert Gallo; the late Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro; former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.); and entertainers Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Regis Philbin, Annette Funicello, and Joe Mantegna.

The Sons of Italy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Sons of Italy, the nation’s oldest and largest organization for people of Italian heritage. The SIF has contributed to date $125 million to medical research, disaster relief, scholarships, and cultural preservation, along with other special projects. NELA Gala proceeds help fund these philanthropic programs.

Source:  OSIA as revised

Photos by Max Taylor

Works of Italian Abstract Artist Bice Lazzari At National Museum of Women in the Arts

Posted on by

An exhibition featuring 25 paintings and drawings by Italian abstract artist Bice Lazzari (1900–81), is on view at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) until September 22, 2013.  Discouraged from studying the figure in art school in the 1910s because of her gender, Lazzari became a prominent decorative arts designer, and in the mid-1930s, focused her

Bice Lazzari

Bice Lazzari

attention on abstraction.  She is renowned for her later poetic abstract paintings that resemble graphs, maps, and musical staffs and notes, echoing her lifelong passion for music.

The works on display are drawn from the Archivio Bice Lazzari in Rome, the repository for many of Lazzari’s artworks, writings, designs and other primary resources, as well as from NMWA’s collection. The exibition,  Bice Lazzari: Signature Line,  is presented as part of 2013 – Year of Italian Culture in the United States


Nazionale Italiana Sbandieratori Performs in Washington, D.C.

Posted on by

The Italian national team of flag  throwers was in Washington on Mother’s day weekend where they demonstrated on Saturday at the Italian Embassy on the occasion of  the European Day

celebration: “Shortcut to Europe: European Union Embassies’ Open House”, and on Sunday at Casa Italiana Cultural Center.  The art of flag throwing dates back to medieval guilds  in Italy.  A guild’s banner or flag was considered a symbol of purity, and as such it was not allowed to touch the ground.

Cinema – La Mano Crea: “Star Wigs” Exhibit at Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Posted on by

Quale tributo ad un importante elemento della tradizione cinematografica italiana, DressInDreams, di Elisabetta Cantone e Francesca Silvestri, presenta Star Wigs – La Mano Italiana Crea. L’evento farà parte delle celebrazioni del 2013 – Anno della Cultura Italiana negli Stati Uniti, un’iniziativa promossa dal Ministero degli Affari Esteri italiano, che si svolge sotto l’alto patronato del Presidente della Repubblica, Giorgio Napolitano e che annovera più di duecento eventi culturali in più di cinquanta città americane, con il coinvolgimento e la collaborazione di più di ottanta istituzioni ed organizzazioni americane.

Star Wigs presenterà, presso l’Ambasciata d’Italia dal 30 aprile al 6 maggio, 18 parrucche originariamente create per Sophia Loren, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Leonardo Di Caprio, Robert Duvall, Harvey Keitel, and Gerard Depardieu; 22 costumi teatrali originali; il video documentario Handmade Cinema di Laura Delli Colli, nonché una raccolta digitale creata dal duo Brivido Pop ed ispirata a La Dolce Vita.

La mostra metterà in risalto l’eccellenza di Rocchetti & Rocchetti, una piccola azienda italiana, composta da una squadra di 16 esperti artigiani, guidati da Fernanda Rocchetti. L’azienda disegna e produce parrucche per cinema, teatro, e produzioni televisive, e si è guadagnata, nel corso degli anni, fama mondiale per il suo artigianato. Molte delle parrucche che l’azienda crea dal 1874 si sono rivelate fondamentali per la realizzazione di personaggi e per imprimere loro forza vitale, sia nel cinema che a teatro. Questo è particolarmente ben esemplificato nella Marie Antoinette di Sofia Coppola, nel Casanova di Fellini e nell’Angelica di Visconti, personaggi tutti diventati celebri grazie anche alle loro parrucche. Le parrucche saranno esposte su visi agentati e dorati e coperti di cristalli creati dall’artista italo-persiano Howtan Re.

Tra le creazioni dell’azienda figurano le parrucche di Robert De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America, di Robert Duvall in Hotel Colonial e di Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate. Col passare del tempo, ROCCHETTI & ROCCHETTI è diventato un importante punto di riferimento per Hollywood, creando parrucche per importanti film quali Gangs of New York, The Scarlet Letter, Moulin Rouge! e Tristan and Isolde.

L’esposizione presenterà inoltre il documentario Handmade Cinema, di Laura Delli Colli, che consiste in una raccolta di interviste, condotte dall’autrice e da Guido Torlonia, ad alcuni dei protagonisti dell’industria cinematografica italiana. Laura Delli Colli, giornalista e scrittrice, sarà presente alla mostra.  Il duo Brivido POP presenterà invece una raccolta digitale di momenti emblematici del periodo comunemente chiamato La Dolce Vita. La raccolta include famose scene con grandi attori quali Anita Ekberg, Marcello Mastroianni, Audrey Hepburn e Ingrid Bergman.

Source:  Italian Embassy

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Winner of Urbino Press Awards 2013

Posted on by

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, currently the host of The Situation Room and its lead political anchor,  is the 2013 winner of the Urbino Press Award as announced by the Italian Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, at a reception held at the Italian Embassy on April 18, 2013.  The prize, now at its sixth edition, is awarded in recognition of excellence in journalism to American

Wolf Blitzer

Wolf Blitzer

reporters who, through their commitment and daily work, conscientiously inform millions of people.

The Urbino Press Award “recognizes excellence in journalism, in searching for news, in writing stories, in analyzing facts and turning information in freedom and progress,” as stated by former Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi who also underlined how “media, both traditional and new ones, can influence today’s decision-making in foreign policy”.

In announcing the winner, Ambassador Bisogniero noted that, ”Per tutti noi Wolf Blitzer rappresenta un marchio di qualita’ del giornalismo.  ‘Wolf ha saputo costruire una sua forte immagine professionale nel corso di una straordinaria carriera.”  In accepting the award, Blitzer said that he was accepting it in the name of all his colleagues at CNN.

The City of  Urbino, which during the Renaissance gave life to one of the most enlightened courts of Europe, symbolically reinstates its court, once enriched by geniuses like Baldassarre Castiglione and Torquato Tasso, with the voice and experience of todays’ reporters, the outstanding interpreters of the events that are changing our world.

The award will be officially presented to Blitzer on June 20 in the Ducal Palace of the City of Urbino.  Giovanni Lani, President of the Urbino Press Award, who has managed to bring to Urbino, Italy, the best of the best of American journalism, was  very satisfied by the large crowd who joined in the evening’s ceremony and was already thinking about how he could top this year’s honoree.

Amb. Claudio Bisogniero, Wolf Blitzer

Amb. Claudio Bisogniero, Wolf Blitzer

Prior winners of the Urbino Press Award include, Sebastiano Rotella of Pro Publica,   Helene Cooper of the New York Times, David Ignatius of the Washington Post, Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times, Martha Raddatz of ABC news, and Michael Weisskopf of Time magazine.

 

 

Remembering Italian American Visionary architect Paolo Soleri

Posted on by

Today the world has lost one of its great minds. Paolo Soleri, architect, builder, artist, writer, theorist, husband, father, born on Summer Solstice, June 21, 1919, has died at age 93.

Paolo Soleri

Paolo Soleri

Paolo Soleri spent a lifetime investigating how architecture, specifically the architecture of the city, could support the countless possibilities of human aspiration. The urban project he founded, Arcosanti, 65 miles north of Phoenix, was described by NEWSWEEK magazine as “…the most important urban experiment undertaken in our lifetimes.”

Continue reading this article authored by Karissa Rosenfield at … http://www.archdaily.com/357747/remembering-paolo-soleri-1919-2013/

For more, read Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti : The City in the Image of Man.