Dear friends,
September is turning out to be one of the busiest months in the history of We the Italians, and I could not be happier about it. We have many new projects, many ideas becoming reality, and - most importantly - many wonderful people helping us strengthen the bridge between Italy and the United States.
I want to begin with our Ambassadors. Our network is becoming increasingly structured and active across the United States. We now have six Coordinators, one for each of the six areas into which We the Italians divides the country: Chris Vaccaro for New York, Tom Damigella for New England, Robert DiBiase for the East, Ron Onesti for the Midwest, Nicola Vidali for the South, and Anna Manunza for the West. Their role will be to coordinate and support our Ambassadors, help us understand what is happening locally, create introductions and opportunities, and make our extraordinary network even more useful to the Italian American community and to relations between Italy and the United States. Our strategy now organizes the U.S. network around six regional coordinators, alongside our territorial and thematic Ambassadors. Six coordinators. Six regions. One network.
Speaking of the future of our community, We the Italians is launching a new survey around a question we believe deserves to be measured rather than simply discussed: how strong is the Italian American community’s connection with Italy today? Italian heritage lives through history, traditions, memories and identity. But connection with Italy can also be contemporary – following what happens in Italy, speaking the language, visiting the country, enjoying its culture and products, maintaining relationships with Italians, and feeling part of a bond that crosses the Atlantic. Through ten questions, we want to explore how Italian Americans relate to Italy culturally, emotionally and practically. There are no wrong answers, and this is certainly not about determining who is “more Italian.” Responses are anonymous, and the findings will be shared with the community and institutions in Italy and the United States and will help us create the Italian American Connection Index 2026. Please take a few minutes and participate! Take the Italian American Connection survey Ten questions. A few minutes. One relationship across the Atlantic. Two Flags, One Heart. Our website now has a dedicated survey section featuring this survey and the three previous ones. You can find it here.
Another project that we first told you about last month is now ready to officially begin. Relocals is a research project by We the Italians, ITS Italy and NOMAG focused on people born abroad who have chosen to live in Italy – international residents who have become partly “local” while retaining the perspective of someone who arrived from elsewhere. The first phase surveyed 103 relocals through 50 questions, exploring their experiences, expectations and relationship with Italy. This is only the beginning. In 2027, the project will continue with a roadshow of at least 12 stops across Italy, turning their perspectives into new data and practical insights for communities, institutions and businesses. And if you are in Rome on September 24, come and meet us! We will present the project at the Centro Studi Americani, from 5:00 to 7:30 PM. Register for Relocals in Rome
There is another project I am particularly proud of, because it is based on one of the most beautiful words in any language: thank you. “GRAZIE, AMERICA – THANK YOU, AMERICA. Firenze ricorda – Florence Remembers. 1966–2026” is a bilingual project by We the Italians and Associazione Toscana-USA marking the 60th anniversary of the terrible Florence flood of November 4, 1966. We are not interested in retelling the tragedy itself. We want to remember what happened immediately afterward: the extraordinary wave of solidarity that came from the United States and Italian America. Volunteers, students, conservators, institutions, Italian American organizations, expertise, donations and fundraising helped Florence recover and save an irreplaceable part of the world's cultural heritage. A bilingual book, which we will present in Florence in November 2026, will tell this wonderful story of friendship and gratitude and will then travel across the Atlantic to 500 carefully selected recipients in the United States. Sixty years later, Florence remembers. And says: Thank you, America.
Meanwhile, our Two Anniversaries, One Heart journey continues. The fourth insert is now online in both Italian and English, once again filled with fascinating and prestigious content. In Happy Birthday Italy, we express Italy's gratitude to the United States for its contributions over the past 80 years in three areas: Security and Defense, Entertainment, and Made in Italy. Happy Birthday USA, as always, has two parts. In the first, we celebrate three extraordinary Italians who helped make America great: Maria Montessori, Enrico Caruso and Luigi Del Bianco. Then comes another chapter of our Unsung Italian Heroes project. This time we travel through the Midwest, with 18 articles celebrating 21 remarkable Italians connected to Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. There are so many stories still waiting to be told – and we intend to tell them.
Last month, we gave you the first clue about something truly big that We the Italians has been working on – something that, as far as we know, has never been done before. It is still too early to reveal it, but this month we are giving you another clue with two new photos. Look carefully. We won't say anything else for now. Stay tuned. We are going to surprise you. And since this story speaks of Italy and America, Naples and New York, faith and identity, there is only one way I want to end this little clue: Ddoje bbanneire, nu santo.
And now my favorite kind of news: the We the Italians family is growing again! Three wonderful new members are joining us.
Dr. Rosy Nigro is our new We the Italians Ambassador in Mississippi. A native of Catania, Rosy is Italian Instructor II at Mississippi State University, where she founded the Italian Program in 2008 and has directed it ever since. She holds a Laurea in Political Sciences from the Università di Catania, a Master's in Italian from the Università di Pisa, and a Master's and Ph.D. in Sociology from Mississippi State University. She first arrived in the United States in 1999 as an exchange student and has since built MSU's complete Italian minor. Today, she is also committed to expanding Italian language education into Mississippi high schools. Welcome Rosy!
Paolo Mangia is our new We the Italians Ambassador in Miami. Born in Galatina, Puglia, in 1971, Paolo moved to Miami when he was 24 and built his professional career in international freight and logistics, founding MP Freight Logistics in 2002. A U.S. citizen based in Florida, Paolo is President of Casa Italia Miami, Miami Coordinator of MAIE, and President of the Development Committee and a Board member of the ITALIC-US Foundation. For years, he has worked to promote Italian culture, business relationships, community initiatives and stronger connections between Italy and Florida. Welcome Paolo!
Last but certainly not least, Marlo DiCrasto joins We the Italians in a new role: Chief Visual Storyteller. Marlo is an American singer, actress and dancer with dual U.S.–Italian citizenship who divides her time between New York and Rome. Fluent in English and Italian, she has worked internationally in theatre, film, television, musical theatre and live performance since beginning her professional career at the age of twelve. Her Italian credits include Francesca Archibugi's Il Colibrì, alongside Pierfrancesco Favino and Nanni Moretti, as well as productions for Rai Cinema and SKY Italy. She also leads the Rome-based band Lady Luck and curates custom Italian travel experiences for American visitors. Welcome Marlo – there are many visual stories ahead for us to tell together, and now we have a Chief Visual Storyteller to help us tell them! In the meantime, there’s a brand new section on our website for our videos: it’s here.
Ten different pieces of news in a single editorial – and believe me, there is much more happening behind the scenes. We keep growing, researching, connecting people, creating projects and telling stories because we remain convinced that the relationship between Italy and the United States, and the extraordinary Italian American community at its heart, still has enormous unexplored potential.
And it doesn’t stop here! That’s why we ask you to subscribe to We the Italians, here.
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.
