When past Naples Italian American Foundation president Marilyn Romeo thinks of her organization, a smile creeps into her voice. “The best friends I have made in Naples in the last 20 years have been in the Italian American club,” she said. The Naples Italian American Foundation, which started as a social club before transitioning to a non-profit, is celebrating 50 years this year. With those 50 years, noted several members, came much progress and many changes.

Nancy Gruppuso joined the foundation when it was still a social club back in 1983. At the time, it was a requirement for members to be Italian. “Before we were a social club, we were a lot of Italians,” she said. More: Tony Bennett checks out the Naples (Florida) Italian food scene before performing at Artis—Naples