We The Italians | What's up with WTI: Editorial # 92

What's up with WTI: Editorial # 92

Ciao from Rome! Here we are with another month, another editorial, another wonderful magazine about Italy, from your friends at We the Italians!

In May I had the privilege to attend my first Sons of Italy Gala in Washington DC. I was very impressed by the commitment of the great people I met, first of all the Master of Ceremony Mr. Joe Mantegna. At my table I had the pleasure to meet Charlie Sbarra, a young Italian American who serves in the Hammonton Police Department, New Jersey, where there's 27 officers and 26 of them are Italians! Charlie is also the Historian of the New Jersey Grand Lodge of the Sons of Italy. A great guy!!

Back to Italy, I had the honor to present the Italian version of my book twice, again. The first time I was at the seat of the Società Letteraria, right in front of the beautiful Arena di Verona. The presentation was organized by the Associazione Italia - Stati Uniti d’America di Verona, and as you can understand … I felt at home!

A few days after, I presented the book in Rome, at the finissage of the art exhibition of an Italian American artist from New York, Frank Denota. The art exhibition is called "The American Dream is over", but I definitely stated that I wasn't sure about that, but for sure the Italian American Dream was not over at all!

In that occasion, right under one of Denota's paintings portraying Dean Martin, we all remembered the great artist in the 100th anniversary of his birthday, and I told about the interview his beautiful daughter Deana gave me for We the Italians, which you will find in this 92nd issue of our Magazine.

Last but not least, here in Rome the John Cabot University hosted a lecture from the great Tony Lo Bianco, who I am honored and blessed to call a friend. Tony is a great Italian American, but above all he is a great man. He and his beautiful and kind wife Alyse have spent a few days in Italy, and the students  of John Cabot University were amazed by the words and the life of this great actor, director and icon. Tony gave all of us goosebumps by showing us his video "Just a common soldier": please take a few minutes and watch it and share it, it's here. It is not the first time I see it, but each time I can't stop the tears from my eyes, remembering that few of those soldiers that Tony honors with such great words, saved my father's life during World War 2 and I owe my existence to them. In the picture you can see Tony together with two other good friends of We the Italians, two pillars of the American community here in Italy, I had the privilege to interview: the President of John Cabot University Franco Pavoncello, and Portia Prebys, the President of  the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy. The three of them are in my book "We the Italians. Two flags, One heart. One hundred interviews".

And talking about books, our new book is out. At the beginning of every year we will publish a yearbook about the year before, and so this is the We the Italians 2016 yearbook: with all the interviews done, both in English and Italian. It is a useful tool to know more about Italy and the US and also to learn or refresh the knowledge of our wonderful Italian language. It can be bought and/or donated here.

We encourage you to join us in our social media presence: Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!

That’s all for now. So stay tuned, fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride. The future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades!