Category Archives: Italy

Lady Gaga wows Milan crowd with Joanne tour 

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Gaga gave a monologue on equality and then launched into “Edge of Glory”, dedicating it to her family and in particular to her cousins Antonino, Giuseppe and Maria Germanotta.    “Today I’m here with my whole family,” she said, seated at the piano.    “I met my Italian cousins for the first time; they came up from Sicily. I think about how my grandparents left such a beautiful place, of the sacrifices they made. Being here makes me feel like I’ve made them proud,” she said.

Source: Lady Gaga wows Milan crowd with Joanne tour – English – ANSA.it

50 years since Sicily’s earthquake, an urban disaster of a different kind

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“The truth is that we were victims of an urban experiment imposed on us from the top,” says the current mayor, Lorenzo Pagliaroli. “But cities cannot be rebuilt in a few years. The old Poggioreale was founded in 1642 and it took 300 years to model it, according to the habits of its people.

Source: 50 years since Sicily’s earthquake, an urban disaster of a different kind | Cities | The Guardian

Message of the Ambassador of Italy in Washington Armando Varricchio on the occasion of the Christmas Holidays

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As the Holiday Season approaches, I wish to extend to you and your families my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

During this time we ponder the events of the past months, reflect upon the outcomes, and start planning future projects.

In 2017 Italy has been on the forefront of the International scene, as Chair of the G7 and a Member of the United Nations Security Council. In 2018 Italy carries on its commitment towards peace and shared security by holding the Chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The Embassy of Italy in the United States, the Italian Consular network and the Italian Cultural Institutes have been steadfast in their promotional activities in all sectors of political and trade relations, cultural events, scientific cooperation and teaching of our beautiful language.

Just like in the past, we were able to count on the priceless support of Italians who live in the United States, whom I have had the pleasure to meet in person on many occasions as I travelled throughout this country. I was able to appreciate the excellent and prestigious contributions that Italians bring to the various fields where they happen to operate. Grazie to all our citizens and to our American friends of Italian descent for their extraordinary passion, professional achievements and above all profound love for Italy.

The year that is about to begin will find us engaged in further strengthening the ties of deep friendship and unceasing cooperation with the United States.

Our fellow citizens residing in the United States will be called to participate in the elections of a new Italian Parliament. The Embassy and the Consular Network will ensure they will be able to exercise their right to vote.

With enthusiasm and, I am confident, with your support, we shall meet the goals that lie ahead of us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

POTUS Proclaims October 9, 2017, as Columbus Day

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COLUMBUS DAY, 2017

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 

Five hundred and twenty-five years ago, Christopher Columbus completed an ambitious and daring voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The voyage was a remarkable and then-unparalleled feat that helped launch the age of exploration and discovery. The permanent arrival of Europeans to the Americas was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation. Therefore, on Columbus Day, we honor the skilled navigator and man of faith, whose courageous feat brought together continents and has inspired countless others to pursue their dreams and convictions — even in the face of extreme doubt and tremendous adversity.

More than five centuries after his initial voyage, we remember the “Admiral of the Ocean Sea” for building the critical first link in the strong and enduring bond between the United States and Europe. While Isabella I and Ferdinand II of Spain sponsored his historic voyage, Columbus was a native of the City of Genoa, in present day Italy, and represents the rich history of important Italian American contributions to our great Nation. There can be no doubt that American culture, business, and civic life would all be much less vibrant in the absence of the Italian American community. We also take this opportunity to reaffirm our close ties to Columbus’s country of birth, Italy. Italy is a strong ally and a valued partner in promoting peace and promoting prosperity around the world.

In commemoration of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October of each year as “Columbus Day.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2017, as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand seventeen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.

DONALD J. TRUMP

Italy launches a new online portal from which to obtain an entry visa for Italy and the Schengen Area

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The Foreign Ministry launches a new online portal from which to obtain an entry visa for Italy and the Schengen Area. The project, called “VISA e-@pplication”, was entirely developed with European funds and is part of the European Union’s plan to completely dematerialise entry visas through e-visa application forms common to all the EU member Countries.

The new procedure, which makes it possible to fill out an online visa application form, combines technological innovation, cost optimization and time reduction, thus maximizing the overall efficiency of the services provided by Italy’s diplomatic and consular network. The advantages of the new system, both for users as for Italy’s whole economic system, are numerous: reducing the time needed to feed the data into the online visa system; more complete data entered; reducing typos; enhancing the accuracy and security of the data collected.

The online form is available in Italian and in English at the following link: http://e-applicationvisa.esteri.it . It can also be accessed through the user information portal http://vistoperitalia.esteri.it.

Italy’s Importance During Early History of Photography to be Focus of Exhibition at The Met

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Opening March 13 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paradise of Exiles: Early Photography in Italy will focus on Italy’s importance as a center of exchange and experimentation during the first three decades of photography’s history—from 1839, the year of its invention, to 1871, the year Italy became a unified nation. The exhibition will highlight the little-known contribution of Italian photographers to the development of the new medium through some 35 photographs and albums drawn from The Met collection, along with 11 loans, including rare daguerreotypes and photographs related to the Risorgimento, the period of modern Italian unification.

Deemed a “Paradise of Exiles” by the British poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, Italy attracted not only 19th-century Romantics, but also many of photography’s earliest practitioners who traveled to the peninsula in order to capture its monuments and distinctive topography. At the same time, Italians adopted daguerreotypes and paper negatives as a means to represent their own cultural patrimony during a period of political upheaval.
The exhibition will explore key moments from this period—the simultaneous introduction of daguerreotypes and paper negatives into Italy; the international circle of photographers known as the Roman School; and the emergence of commercial studios—demonstrating how both foreign and local photographers working in close proximity re-imagined Italy’s architecture, landscapes, and people through the camera’s lens. An early daguerreotype of the Roman Forum, Giacomo Caneva’s study of a Roman peasant girl, and a studio portrait of Italy’s first king, Victor Emanuel II, invite a fresh perspective on Italy’s position within the early history of photography.

Paradise of Exiles: Early Photography in Italy is organized by Beth Saunders, Curatorial Assistant in the Department of Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

Exhibition Dates: March 13–August 13, 2017 
Exhibition Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, Gallery 852, The Howard Gilman Gallery

Messaggio dell’Ambasciatore ai connazionali per le Festività Natalizie

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Care amiche e cari amici,

con l’approssimarsi delle Festività Natalizie desidero inviare a tutti voi e alle vostre famiglie un augurio di cuore.

Questo periodo è tradizionalmente momento di bilanci: si chiude un anno che ha portato grandissimi cambiamenti, che segnano percorsi nuovi per il mondo intero. Anche a livello personale quest’anno che volge al termine lascerà qualcosa di importante da ricordare a ciascuno di noi. Per quello che mi riguarda è stato l’anno in cui ho iniziato la mia missione di Ambasciatore d’Italia negli Stati Uniti d’America: una responsabilità che mi onora e mi entusiasma e che mi ha permesso di venire a contatto con la straordinaria collettività italiana che vive e lavora in questo paese. Una comunità fatta di professionalità eccellenti, di innumerevoli storie di successo, di persone piene di passione e amore per la nostra Italia.

Questo momento dell’anno è anche il tempo per elaborare progetti futuri: l’Ambasciata, insieme alla rete consolare e degli Istituti di Cultura negli Stati Uniti, sta già lavorando in vista della realizzazione di tante nuove iniziative di promozione del nostro Paese. Una menzione particolare vorrei dedicare alla nostra bellissima lingua, che rappresenta un formidabile veicolo di arte e cultura così come di moda, design, alta tecnologia. Abbiamo messo a segno importanti risultati e nel nuovo anno metteremo tutto il nostro impegno per consolidarli ancora di più per servire sempre al meglio la nostra comunità.

Cari Amici, il 2017 vedrà l’Italia protagonista sullo scenario internazionale: presiederemo il G7; saremo nel Consiglio di Sicurezza delle Nazioni Unite e ospiteremo le celebrazioni del sessantesimo anniversario dei Trattati di Roma, che hanno marcato la nascita di quella che è oggi l’Unione Europea.

Insomma, ci aspetta un anno intenso. Siamo pronti a fare, insieme a tutti voi, del nostro meglio.

Buone Feste!

Armando Varricchio

How to help the survivors of the destructive earthquake in Central Italy

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Donate to National Italian American Organizations

Order Sons of Italy in America – Earthquake Relief fund

https://www.osia.org/secure/donate-sif

National Italian American Foundation – Italian American Relief Fund

http://italianamericanrelief.org/

 

Italian Regional Administrations and Institutions

(Information provided by the Italian Embassy in Washington DC)

italian-earthquake-fundraising-farnesina

A) Regions

– LAZIO REGION:

Bank Account Name: Regione Lazio per Amatrice e Accumoli

IBAN: IT 60 P 02008 05255 000104428939

BIC/SWIFT: UNCRITMM

 

Bank Account Name: COMUNE DI AMATRICE

IBAN IT 28 M 08327 73470 000000006000

BIC/SWIFT: ROMAITRR

 

 

– MARCHE REGION:

Bank Account Name: Regione Marche, Donaz. Favore Territori Marche Colpiti Sisma 24 agosto 2016

Bank Account Number: 1034116044

IBAN: IT-17-Y-07601-02600-001034116044.

BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX

 

More information is available on the Marche Region web page:

http://www.regione.marche.it/In-Primo-Piano/ComunicatiStampa?id=25778

 

– UMBRIA REGION:

Bank Account Name: Regione Umbria sisma Agosto 2016

IBAN: IT 32 R 0200803033000104429137

BIC/SWIFT: UNCRITM1J03

Reason for payment: Regione Umbria sisma agosto 2016

 

More information is available on the Umbria Region web page:

http://www.regione.umbria.it/home

 

B) Donations to Organizations

 

– Italian Red Cross in cooperation with the Italian Post Service:

Post Office Account Name: Associazione italiana della Croce Rossa

IBAN: IT38R0760103000000000900050

BIC/SWIFT: BPPIITRRXXX

Description: “Poste Italiane con Croce Rossa Italiana – Terremoto Centro Italia”

Other option:

 

– Italian Red Cross

Bank Account Name: Associazione italiana della Croce Rossa

IBAN: IT40F0623003204000030631681
BIC/SWIFT: CRPPIT2P086
Description: “Terremoto Centro Italia”

For more information on how/what to donate to the Red Cross, please visit the web site:

https://www.cri.it/terremoto-centro-italia

 

– National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI):

Bank Account Name: ANCI

IBAN: IT27A 06230 03202 000056748129

PLEASE NOTE: Bank account information for money transfers originating from abroad will be posted as soon as possible.

Description: Emergenza Terremoto Centro Italia

For more information on activities sponsored by ANCI please visit the web site:

http://www.anci.it/

 

earthquake-responders

Mark Mazzetti del New York Times è il vincitore dell’Urbino Press Award 2016

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Il giornalista del New York Times Mark Mazzetti è il vincitore, per il 2016, dell’Urbino Press Award, il premio italiano che ogni anno viene assegnato a un reporter o editorialista americano. L’annuncio ufficiale della vittoria verrà dato il 17 maggio dall’Ambasciatore d’Italia negli Stati Uniti Armando Varricchio nel corso di una cerimonia presso l’Ambasciata d’Italia a Washington. Come da tradizione, dopo l’annuncio a Washington il premio gli verrà consegnato nel corso di una cerimonia che si terrà nel corso dell’estate al Palazzo Ducale di Urbino.

mark-mazetti-2“La scelta di Mark Mazzetti come vincitore dell’Urbino Press Award 2016 testimonia il riconoscimento del valore dell’intraprendenza e del dinamismo giornalistico” ha commentato l’Ambasciatore d’Italia a Washington Armando Varricchio. “La partnership dell’Ambasciata con l’Urbino Press Award è il frutto di un’importante collaborazione che guarda al futuro del giornalismo e a come la politica estera viene raccontata al pubblico dei lettori, e Mazzetti si aggiunge quindi a una lista di importanti giornalisti americani che si sono anch’essi distinti nel campo dell’inchiesta giornalistica.”

Mark Mazzetti è corrispondente da Washington del The New York Times per il quale si occupa di sicurezza nazionale dal 2006. Prima di approdare al New York Times Mazzetti ha collaborato con il Los Angeles Times come staff writer, con U.S. News & World Report come corrispondente dal Pentagono e con The Economist come corrispondente da Washington DC. Un’indagine svolta nel 2009 con altri colleghi sull’intensificarsi delle violenze in Pakistan e Afghanistan e su come la politica americana ha reagito a tali violenze gli ha valso il Pulitzer Prize. Mark Mazzetti è autore del libro “The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth” pubblicato nel 2013.

“Quando oltre dieci anni fa, con Giovanni Lani, abbiamo ideato l’Urbino Press Award -dice Giacomo Guidi, fashion designer e co-fondatore del premio- abbiamo pensato, con il massimo sentimento filantropico, a un evento culturale che potesse creare qualcosa di utile per la città e il territorio. Credo che con il nostro impegno, e il contributo dei vari enti, si sia riusciti a costruire un vero ponte con gli Stati Uniti d’America. In questi anni i giornalisti premiati, firme d’eccellenza delle più prestigiose testate statunitensi, ci hanno portato una testimonianza straordinaria, raccontandoci i fatti di questo complicato decennio. Tutti ci hanno fatto capire che alla base del loro lavoro quotidiano, spesso in luoghi ad alto rischio, c’è l’imprescindibile impegno etico a informare il pubblico, con il massimo rispetto della verità. Questa è la grande lezione che i vincitori dell’Urbino Press Award, di edizione in edizione, hanno regalato alla città di Urbino.”

“Con grande convinzione -dice il sindaco di Urbino Maurizio Gambini- le istituzioni della città, con Urbino International Centre e il supporto della Regione Marche, hanno rinnovato il loro sostegno al premio destinato alla stampa statunitense, giunto all’undicesima edizione. Il fatto che il nome di Urbino sia abbinato a un’iniziativa culturale internazionale di così alto livello ci rende orgogliosi. L’Urbino Press Award è una grande occasione per tutto il territorio regionale. L’evento di Washington è una preziosissima opportunità per stringere contatti con i mezzi di informazione USA e i vari settori dell’economia nordamericana. L’appuntamento che poi segue, con la cerimonia di conferimento del premio nel Palazzo Ducale di Urbino, è sempre un passaggio emozionante, che ci consente di aprire lo sguardo sugli scenari internazionali della nostra epoca.”

L’Urbino Press Award, di cui è Presidente Giovanni Lani, annovera fra suoi precedenti vincitori Diane Rehm, Michael Weisskopf, Martha Raddatz, Thomas Friedman, David Ignatius, Helene Cooper, Sebastian Rotella, Wolf Blitzer, Maria Bartiromo e Gwenn Ifill. Il premio è reso possibile grazie al sostegno dell’Ambasciata d’Italia e dell’Istituto Italiano di Cultura Washington DC, dell’Istituto per il Commercio Estero (ICE), della casa di moda Piero Guidi, della Regione Marche, della Città di Urbino, dell’Urbino International Centre, e del Caseificio Val D’Apsa.

Sara’ l’Ambasciatore italiano negli Stati Uniti Armando Varricchio a dare l’annuncio ufficiale il 17 maggio presso l’Ambasciata d’Italia a Washington

Washington DC, 11 maggio 2016
Source: Italian Embassy, Washington
English version

Message from Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio to the Italian Community

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On March 2, 2016, Armando Varricchio, the new Italian Ambassador to the United States, presented his credentials to the President of the United States, Barack Obama.  He replaces Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, who is now Italy’s Permanent Representative to NATO.
Following the presentation of his credentials, Ambassador Varricchio issued the following message:  

armando-varricchio-01Upon taking the helm of the Italian Embassy in the United States, I wish to extend my most cordial greetings to my fellow Italians, to the elected representatives of Italy in the United States, to the community of Italian origin, and to those who recognize themselves – ideally and culturally – in Italy. It is thanks to you that today the long-standing bond between our Peoples is stronger than ever.

Italy and the US are friends – and allies. We are committed to promoting a future based on freedom, prosperity and peace. We work very closely on matters of international security, protecting human rights and gender equality, promoting economic growth, opening markets, safeguarding the environment and supporting the work of the United Nations. We stand side-by-side in areas of crisis, and are in constant touch both on a bilateral level and in multilateral fora, starting with the Atlantic Alliance.

This enduring alliance is enriched daily with culture, innovation, and high-tech. Our language is a powerful tool which promotes Italy’s unparalleled cultural heritage and also enhances our forward-looking Country’s natural propensity to creativity and inventiveness – in short, to the future.

I am honored to serve my country in the United States. Together with my colleagues and the entire consular network, I will spare no efforts to further strengthen our close ties. Above all, I know that my mission will be made all the easier with your invaluable support.armando-varricchio-02

Protecting our Heritage – a program by EUNIC Washington DC, proposed by the Italian rotating presidency of the network

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I am a human, and nothing of that which is human is alien to me.”

This famous quotation by the Latin playwright Terence (2nd century BC) is often cited as the motto of Humanitas, an ideal based on the fulfillment of the best human potential and values, the pursuit of beauty, education, kindness and tolerance.

This concept, in its various forms, with the multiple challenges of history, crossed centuries and shaped civilizations everywhere on our planet.

Humanitas reminds us why cultural heritage, intended as the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes inherited from past generations, is never alien to us, and why protecting it is an imperative for all. This heritage is the testimony of the common path followed by human society to

achieve its self-fulfillment and it continues to be a source of identity, learning, and inspiration for present and future generations.

Nowadays, our common heritage is facing growing threats posed by wars, international terrorism, criminal organizations, climate challenges – or more simply, oblivion.

In order to increase awareness and build networks of institutions and experts working on this subject, the Washington cluster of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC), following a proposal by the Italian rotating presidency, has agreed to focus on the topic Protecting our Heritage as one of the main themes for its 2016 activities.

The program is implemented in partnership with a number of prominent institutions – including international organizations, universities, museums, foundations. The UNESCO and Delegation of the European Union to the United States of America support this important project.

We follow a positive and pragmatic approach, focusing not only on what the international community already does to protect human heritage, but also on what more is within our reach to do.

The program focuses on the following topics:

  • Archaeology as a practice of cultural identity: How can we work together to protect and re-discover cultural heritage of the past and to make it relevant for our present cultural identity?
  • Diplomacy in the service of art: How can we establish a set of rules and practices to improve the safeguard of cultural heritage and raise public awareness?
  • New instruments to protect cultural heritage: How can we use new technologies and new tools to track and protect cultural heritage?
  • National and International organizations devoted to the preservation of heritage: What are the roles and the missions of different actors?
  • Protecting cultural heritage during conflicts: What can be done in areas of conflict to save cultural heritage? How do we deal with destruction and how can we restore what has been damaged?
  • Commemorative initiatives: To honor the memory of the heroes who served cultural heritage, and of heritage that has been lost.
  • Protection of Intangible Heritage: Why is it important to protect heritage that we cannot touch? How do we achieve that? If you feel that your organization can join our program – if you feel that protecting our heritage is of great value – you are welcome to propose ideas for joint initiatives.

If you feel that your organization can join our program – if you feel that protecting our heritage is of great value – you are welcome to propose ideas for joint initiatives.

Learn more at: http://washington-dc.eunic-online.eu/

 

EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for

Culture‘s mission is to promote European values and to

contribute to cultural diversity inside and outside of the

EU through collaboration between European cultural

institutes. EUNIC’s aim is to expand the role of culture

and to strengthen cultural dialogue, exchange and

sustainable cooperation worldwide.

 

Contacts: