A plaque was delivered on the occasion of June 2, Italy's Republic Day, to commemorate Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor originally from Vittoria, Sicily, who is world famous for the Wall Street Bull. It was delivered into the hands of New York Mayor Eric Adams by Antonino Laspina, director of the Italian Trade Agency.

The plaque certifying the authorship of the Charging Bull, the famous Wall Street bull, reads, "The statue is a creation of Sicilian sculptor Arturo Di Modica. He was born in Vittoria in 1941 and arrived in New York to live and work in 1971. This work is Arturo's gift to the city of New York, brought to Bowling Green on October 20, 1989 as a symbol of the strength of America and its values." 

"This place," said Consul General Fabrizio Di Michele, "perfectly symbolizes the deep and ancient bond between New York and Italy. Italians in the last century physically built this city and contributed to its grandeur. Even today, new generations of Italians in business, academia, medicine, research, science and art contribute to the extraordinary vitality of New York and the entire Tristate area. We are grateful to Mayor Adams for being willing to participate in the Italian flag-raising, thus testifying to the city's love for Italy and Italians."

In fact, it had never happened before that the first citizen took part in the Republic Day celebrations. the mayor had generous words for the Italian-American community. "You are important for many reasons," said Eric Adams, "not only the historical ones mentioned by the Consul General. You are major players in the restaurant industry, in music, in politics. Look also at the role you play in our legal sector: many of our lawyers and judges are Italian or Italian-American. It is a community, yours, that supports the three primary foundations of the city: family, business and public safety." "The Charging Bull is one of the symbols of the city," Adams stressed, "and thanks to this initiative everyone will know that it was an Italian who brought it here.