Dear friends,
All of us at We the Italians are deeply involved in organizing our gala, which carries even greater meaning this year for two reasons. The first is that we are celebrating two major anniversaries – the 250th anniversary of the United States and the 80th anniversary of the Italian Republic. The second is that, regardless of political views, we can see how the new phase in relations between Italy and the United States is creating some turbulence. We notice it on our Facebook page, and we also see it reflected in the organization of the gala itself.
As an organization dedicated to promoting friendship between Italy and the United States, we are even more determined than in previous years, because this year the gala has an even stronger symbolic value.
Once again, on the morning of the same day and at the same venue as the gala, the prestigious Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi, we will also host a conference that will allow us to explore the relationship between the two countries from three different perspectives. The first will focus on the economy and trade, the second on sports (with the Italian Federations of the main four “American” sports: Baseball, Basketball, Football and Hockey), and the third on relocation to Italy – a trend that is seeing a growing number of Americans changing their lives and moving to Italy. The conference is called “Two Flags One Heart. Italia e Stati Uniti 2026” and has begun an important annual appointment for those who are interested in the Italy-USA relations.
So, on June 4, there will be time and space for discussion, analysis, and dialogue during the morning conference; and in the evening, an opportunity to celebrate, network, enjoy an outstanding dinner, and attend a show dedicated to the friendship between our two countries. The gala will feature six extraordinary honorees and a guest state of honor, which this year is Georgia. During the evening, we will recognize the Italian community in the Peach State, represented by our Ambassador Nicola Vidali, organizer of the outstanding Made in Italy Expo.
At the Gala we will announce the result of our first survey of 2026, where we are asking all of you to choose the Italian who has contributed most to the greatness of the United States over these 250 years, whose anniversary we are celebrating this year. There is still time, please vote here!
The survey naturally connects to the section “Happy Birthday USA: Italy’s role in America’s greatness” within our project “Two Anniversaries, One Heart,” as the 18 names you are voting on are the same individuals featured in the project’s articles. As you know, every even month (February, April, June, August, October, and December) we publish three articles for this section, along with three articles for the “Happy Birthday Italy” section and a full set of articles dedicated to one U.S. region for the “Happy Birthday USA: Unsung Heroes” section. In April we published the second insert of this wonderful project: it is available here.
Talking about engagement with you, our readers… We didn’t need another channel. Then Substack proved us wrong. And We the Italians won another award! Just four months after launching its Substack newsletter, We the Italians achieved unexpected success. The project began as an experiment to complement the organization’s website, social media, and traditional newsletter, which already reached more than 100,000 Italian Americans daily. Instead of duplicating content, the team created a curated editorial approach tailored specifically for Substack readers. Growth accelerated after the publication was selected as “Newsletter of the Week” by Sidestack, adding more than 6,000 subscribers in a single week and bringing the audience to thousands of engaged readers. The experience confirmed that authentic storytelling and carefully curated content can still thrive in today’s crowded digital media landscape. For this we have to thank in particular Matteo Cerri, without him none of this would have been possible.
We the Italians has launched a strategic partnership with the Italian Football League (IFL) to support the league’s international expansion, especially in the United States. The collaboration aims to increase the visibility of Italy’s top American football championship through editorial content, event coverage, and digital storytelling focused on the Italian American community. We the Italians will help position the IFL as more than a sports competition – presenting it as part of Italian culture, talent, and lifestyle. The partnership also strengthens the IFL’s broader strategy of building stronger connections with U.S. audiences and expanding the international profile of Italian American football.
And it doesn’t stop here! That’s why we ask you to subscribe to We the Italians.
It’s all for now. Please stay safe and take care, and enjoy our magazine and our contents on our website. Stay safe and take care: the future’s so bright, we gotta wear tricolor shades! A big Italian hug from Rome.
