The Italian Program (Department of World Languages & Cultures) and the Coccia Institute were thrilled to collaborate with the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) in welcoming Professor Amedeo Arena (from the University of Naples “Federico II”) to campus!

Americans may know of Benjamin Franklin’s friendship with Filippo Mazzei and the impact it had on Franklin’s contributions to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. However, few know of Benjamin Franklin’s correspondence with the greatest representative of Neapolitan Enlightenment, Gaetano Filangeri, and the impact that it had on our nation’s founding documents.