The 31st annual Columbus Day Parade Sunday was the culmination of a long weekend celebrating Italian heritage in the seaside borough, which also hosted a three-day-long Italian festival. Classic cars, marching bands, Italian heritage organizations took part, and two folkloric groups from Italy, Sbandieratori e Musici and Gruppo Folkcloristico Mirom...

I traveled to Rome with my mother, Cav. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, and a special delegation of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), assembled by Judge Basil Russo. We traveled to Italy in May 2022 to foster relationships with leaders of the Republic of Italy and the Vatican. We met with the Ministry of Forei...

The Ocean County Columbus Day Parade is celebrating its 31st. year.  As always, the Parade will be held on the Boulevard in Seaside Heights. This year it will be held on Sunday, October 9th, beginning at 1:00 pm and as the three-day Italian Festival, it has become one of the most popular ethnic events at the Jersey Shore, attracting thousands of vi...

The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) unveiled its bold agenda for the coming year at its annual membership meeting in NYC in late July. President Basil M. Russo presented the delegates of the 58 member organizations with a detailed breakdown of three major initiatives. Developing a comprehensive campaign t...

The Deputy Mayor of the Newark Mayor’s Office of International Relations and Diaspora, Ligia S. De Freitas, invited Cav. Dr. Gilda Rorro to attend and give remarks at the Sister City Signing Ceremony between the City of Newark and the Comune of Spilinga, in Calabria, Italy. The virtual event took place on 6 July in the Newark City Hall’s Press Room...

The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) is working closely with the New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission (NJIHC) on the national rollout of an equitable, diverse and inclusive curriculum model that uses heritage as a guide to better educate U.S. students in both public and private schools. It is titled: The...

It was a historic week in Rome and within Vatican City as a delegation of Italian American leaders met with government officials and Pope Francis to advance cultural and religious initiatives — and to set the stage for new economic opportunities — between the U.S. and Italy. The delegation, assembled by Judge Basil M. Russo — who leads The Conferen...

It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce that our Gilda has been chosen as this year’s Grand Marshal of the Ocean County Columbus Day Parade. The largest New Jersey parade celebrating Columbus! I will send the specifics for the Columbus dinner inaugurating Gilda Rorro as the Grand Marshal, along with the parade details. The dinner will o...

A note from COPOMIAO President Basil M. Russo: Starting with International Women’s Day on March 8th, we’ll honor women of Italian descent to spotlight their contributions, from culture and industry to philanthropy and activism. The inaugural Donna Distinta (Distinguished Woman) Award goes to an outstanding leader and social innovator, Dr. Gilda Ror...

Last year, 50 people attended this wonderful Zoom event. This year the Hunterdon County Chapter invites all the Chapters in Filitalia including those in Italy to join us Sunday February 20 on Zoom at 2 pm EST. RSVP here. Italia) for a musical performance A Valentine Serenade from an extraordinary Italian American woman a member of our Chapter here...