For many Italian Americans, Italy continues to be, first and foremost, the place of their origins – an emotional geography made up of family stories, dialects, handed-down recipes, and return journeys.
Yet alongside this identity-driven dimension, there is a contemporary Italy that deserves to be better known, because it is deeply intertwined with the U.S. economy and with the future of transatlantic relations.
It is the Italy that produces, exports, innovates, and competes – often far from the spotlight, but with concrete and measurable results. Looking at this Italy through the numbers helps dismantle many clichés.
Italy today is Europe’s second-largest manufacturing power and one of the world’s top seven. Manufacturing generates more than €320 billion in value added each year, equal to about 16% of national GDP. It is an economic model built on industrial labor, technical skills, and entrepreneurial continuity – elements that speak a very familiar language to much of the Italian American community.
This connection becomes even clearer when trade flows are considered. In 2024, Italian exports exceeded €625 billion, and the United States confirmed itself as one of the top two destination markets. Roughly 10–11% of Italian exports cross the Atlantic. Put simply, a significant share of the products that fuel the American economy originates in Italian supply chains, often in the very territories from which millions of emigrants departed decades ago.
Italy’s strength is particularly evident in industrial machinery and equipment. In this sector, the country holds about 7% of global market share and consistently ranks among the world’s top three exporters. In some highly specialized niches – such as automated packaging machinery or equipment for the food and pharmaceutical industries – Italy’s share even exceeds 30% of the global market. Many American plants operate every day thanks to technologies designed and built in Italy: a deep industrial bond, rarely told but very real.
In aerospace and defense, Leonardo represents one of the clearest examples of this integration. With revenues exceeding €15 billion and more than 75% of its turnover generated abroad, the group now ranks among the world’s top ten players in the sector. The United States is a strategic market, not only for contracts but also for technological and industrial partnerships.
This is an area in which Italy does not present itself as a marginal supplier, but as an industrial ally, contributing directly to Western security and innovation.
The energy sector also tells a story of transformation and global dialogue. ENI posts annual revenues between €90 and €100 billion and has progressively directed more than 60% of its investments toward the energy transition, renewables, bioenergy, and new technologies. This path intersects with many U.S. strategic priorities and opens up areas of collaboration in which the cultural and professional bridge played by Italian Americans can become particularly relevant.
Agri-food, often perceived only as an expression of tradition, is in reality one of the pillars of the Italian economy. The entire sector is worth more than €580 billion, and agri-food exports exceed €65 billion, with steady growth over the past decade. In the United States, Italy is the leading European supplier of high-end food products. For many Italian Americans, these numbers add new depth to brands and flavors that are part of family memory, revealing their industrial and global dimension.
Barilla, with more than €4 billion in revenue, and Ferrero, which exceeds €17 billion in global sales, are examples of companies that do not merely export products, but invest directly in the United States, create jobs, and integrate permanently into the local economic fabric. This form of presence makes the bond between Italy and the Italian American community even more tangible.
In luxury and high-end automotive, Ferrari remains an emblematic case. With revenues exceeding €6 billion and margins among the highest in the global automotive industry, it generates about 25–30% of its global sales in the United States. It is proof that an Italian company can compete at the highest levels of international capitalism, speaking a language made of quality, technology, and long-term vision.
There is also a less visible but essential Italy: that of intermediate goods and industrial components. More than 45% of Italian exports consist of products that enter global supply chains. In many cases, behind a “made in USA” or “made in Germany” label lies a decisive contribution from Italian manufacturing. It is, in effect, a transatlantic co-production that strengthens economic interdependence between the two sides of the ocean.
Even in emerging sectors, the numbers are significant.
Italy’s pharmaceutical industry is worth more than €50 billion and sends about 90% of its output abroad. Investments in Industry 4.0, robotics, and applied artificial intelligence exceed €15 billion per year, with growth rates above the European average. This is where a natural space opens up for new generations of Italian Americans, increasingly present in technology, finance, and innovation.
For Italian Americans, all of this is not just a collection of statistics. It is proof that today’s Italy is a solid, modern, and credible economic partner. Understanding this reality means enriching identity with a forward-looking dimension, capable of turning roots into opportunities.
Contemporary industrial Italy does not ask for nostalgia or indulgence; it asks to be understood for what it has become. And the Italian American community, by history and position, may be the most natural bridge for transforming these areas of excellence into new economic, entrepreneurial, and cultural alliances between Italy and the United States – giving continuity to a bond that, today more than ever, looks to the future.
