Dear friends,
As always, We the Italians never goes on vacation, so here is our editorial for August 2026, with plenty of news about both the present and the future.
The cover of this editorial is mysterious... I still can’t announce anything about the project we have been working on for quite some time with a couple of extraordinary friends, even though it is now at a very advanced stage. For now, I’ll leave you with a question: what could the image opening this editorial possibly mean? You’ll find out soon. We’ll tell you next month, and then, I hope, many of you will discover it in person in November 2026. I can tell you that nobody has ever done this before. Nobody. Surprise...
Another project that means a great deal to me is also launching in September. It is called “Relocals,” and it is being developed by We the Italians together with Matteo Cerri, our Ambassador for Relocation to Italy. We will officially launch it on September 24 in Rome at the Centro Studi Americani. In the meantime, this month’s magazine includes an initial description of the project, written by Matteo himself for his “My Life in Italy” column. I am very happy about this collaboration.
Some of you may know that my family has roots in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, in a small town called Pievepelago, where I spend a couple of weeks every August. I keep working from this wonderful place, which is cooler, greener and quieter than Rome. This is an area from which many Italians left for the United States, particularly for Highwood and Highland Park in Illinois. I recently had the pleasure of visiting a beautiful exhibition about this history, and I have to confess that I am working on the idea of bringing it to Chicago. Stay tuned!
This coming September 11 marks an anniversary that is particularly important and sensitive for me. September 11 is never a day like any other, and this year marks 25 years since the day that changed everything. I obviously have a particularly strong connection to New York, and on my arm I have a tattoo of the Nine Eleven banner, symbolizing “Never forget.” This year, my friends Maria Teresa Cometto and Glauco Maggi have written a wonderful book about how New York has changed over these 25 years. You can find our review here, and they will present the book at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York on September 10, the day before the anniversary.
At the end of August, we will also publish the fourth insert of “Two Anniversaries, One Heart.” It will feature 3 new “Happy Birthday Italy” articles focusing on 3 sectors of our country in which we have reason to be grateful to the United States for these 80 years of friendship and cooperation. The insert will also include 3 new articles from “Happy Birthday USA: Italy’s Role in America’s Greatness,” highlighting 3 remarkable Italians who played important roles in the 250-year history of the United States. Finally, “Happy Birthday USA: Unsung Italian Heroes” will introduce 20 lesser-known local figures whose contributions may not have made them famous, but were no less important. This time, our journey through Italian American history will take us across the Midwest.
Recently, some of you told me that I do not promote the 12 different We the ItaliaNews podcasts enough. You can find them here. Maybe you’re right. So here is a quick overview.
We started podcasting during Covid in March 2020, explaining what was happening in Italy, the first Western country to go into lockdown. In 2025, we transformed We the ItaliaNews into 2 new weekly audio podcasts: “Italy in English,” dedicated to what is happening in Italy and produced in English, and “L’Italia in America,” the first and only Italian-language podcast about what is happening in Italian and Italian American communities across the United States.
In 2026, we launched 8 additional thematic podcasts, released twice a month: Economy and Laws; Education, Art and Culture; Energy and Sustainability; Healthcare; Made in Italy; Science and Innovation; Tourism and Nature; Traditions, Lifestyle and Sport. Finally, every month we also publish a podcast dedicated to our interviews and another dedicated to the magazine.
They are all available in audio, lasting 20 minutes, and visual format, lasting 10 minutes. They are generated with artificial intelligence and available exclusively behind the paywall for our subscribers. For $3 a month, subscribers receive 50 exclusive articles, 15 audio episodes and 15 visual episodes. Every month. For the price of an espresso. Will you subscribe? I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Another communication tool that we probably do not promote enough is our WhatsApp channel. By subscribing for free, you can stay updated on our interviews, magazine, podcasts and other content. You can find it here.
This month, our Ambassador family is also growing, with 3 new friends joining our team – 2 Ambassadors in the United States and 1 thematic Ambassador.
Robert Serra is the new We the Italians Ambassador in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1970, Robert L. Serra was appointed Honorary Vice Consul in Kansas City, becoming, at 31, the youngest person ever appointed to the position. He served for 40 years, until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 2010. In 1978, he was bestowed the honor of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, becoming the second person in Kansas City to receive the distinction. During his career, Serra practiced law and served as a judge, most recently as a Kansas District Judge. He also served as Dean of the Consular Corps of Greater Kansas City.
Michael J. Cross is the new We the Italians Ambassador in St. Louis, Missouri. Michael is a St. Louis community leader dedicated to strengthening ties between Italy and his city. In 2017, he founded the Italian Community of St. Louis and became president of the St. Louis–Bologna Sister Cities organization. He teaches Italian at St. Louis Community College and leads Italian immersion programs. Cross is also the owner and CEO of Vacanze Italiane – Italian Holidays, LLC and Cross the World Adventures, organizing tours to Italy and beyond. His work brings together the Italian language and culture, travel, community building and St. Louis–Italy relations.
Marco Permunian is the new We the Italians Ambassador for Dual Citizenship. Marco is an expert in Italian citizenship law and lives between Los Angeles, California, and Rovigo, Italy. He earned his law degree from the University of Ferrara and is the founder and CEO of Italian Citizenship Assistance, a leading firm specializing in dual citizenship services for American citizens. Marco is a frequent speaker at events and conferences focusing on U.S. and Italian dual citizenship, and he also hosts a series of video podcasts.
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 the Appennines.
