On the occasion of “2024: Year of Italian Roots in the World,” a rich program of events dedicated to the celebration of Italian traditions, culture and roots will take place in New York. From October 10 to 14, Italea - the program to promote Tourism of Roots, launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation within the PNRR project and funded by NextGenerationEU - will be at the center of a series of initiatives - concerts, exhibitions, conferences, masterclasses - aimed at introducing the project to Italians abroad and Italian-descendants intent on discovering the places and traditions of their origins.

Roots Tourism was created with the intention of making people discover culture, rituals and traditions and enhance the value of places that are not mass tourism destinations. The project involves more than 800 small Italian municipalities, winners of the call for cultural activities in favor of Italian-descendants.

Italea's mission to New York, which also aims to enhance Italian cultural heritage and strengthen the link between Italy and the United States, kicked off on Oct. 8 with a concert by the Teatro Carlo Felice Orchestra in tribute to Lorenzo Da Ponte and Niccolò Paganini at the historic St. Patrick Old Cathedral, which will be repeated on Oct. 9.

On Oct. 10, the program will begin with a lecture on the link between cuisine and roots as part of an event curated by Italea Campania at New York University. This will be followed by the presentation of the exhibition curated by Franco Arminio at the initiative of the Regional Council of the Apulia Region, “Apulia and its museums, a sentimental journey,” and lectures exploring Italy's cultural, environmental and food and wine heritage. Short videos on the theme of Roots Journeys and the Puglia Region short film “Cussiah! The most beautiful tree.”

On Friday, October 11, however, the opening of the exhibition “A Different Tale - Postcards from Calabria” will be held at Piazza Italia, 346 Madison Avenue. In conjunction with the inauguration, there will also be a presentation of the Italea project, aimed at Tour Operators and specialized press, to promote Roots Tourism and highlight the unique experiences offered by the local Italee: from handicrafts - with a demonstration of handmade broom and wickerwork - to the presentation of typical dishes and culinary traditions.

Noteworthy on the same day is the presentation of the book “The Italian Entertainment Community in New York and the Birth of Italian American Cinema,” with author Giuliana Muscio, accompanied by a screening of the film “Santa Lucia Lontana.” The event will be held at the City University of New York.

On Saturday, October 12, the Culinary Institute of America, the celebrated school where America's best chefs are trained, will host an exclusive event celebrating Italy's extraordinary culinary traditions: a masterclass given by internationally renowned Italian chefs. In the afternoon, the Columbus Citizens Foundation Gala Reception will take place at Cipriani (110 E 42nd St), where the Italea project will be presented. Making the atmosphere even more magical will be musical forays by La Tosca Opera (Lazio Region) and Antonio Castrignanò and his Taranta Sounds (Puglia Region).
On Sunday, October 13, the Italea project will be presented to the local press, tour operators, travel influencers and travel bloggers. There will be no shortage of influencers, famous Italian descendants, and entrepreneurs.

Italea's mission will culminate on October 14 with participation in the Columbus Day Parade on 5th Avenue. Parading with representatives of the Regions, Italea and regional Italees will be the Associazione Nazionale delle Maschere - National Association of Italian Masks (80 components representing 16 Regions) and the Band representing Italian music (31 components).

“We are pleased to announce a very rich program of events we have organized in New York on the occasion of Columbus Day,” said Luigi Maria Vignali, Director General for Italians Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. “We want to celebrate together with the Italian American Community our common identity in this year dedicated to Italian roots around the world. We invite all Americans with Italian origins to come and discover thanks to Italea the places from which their ancestors left to discover the extraordinary beauty of our traditions of which we are all proud. We are proud,” he added, ”of the constant and outstanding contribution that Italian Americans have made to the development of American society by keeping alive our culinary, musical and artistic traditions. I would like to thank ENIT and the Regions that accepted our invitation to celebrate all together the Year of Italian Roots in the World. An example of how teamwork and institutional collaboration can lead to great results.”