Professor Stefaan Missinne, of the Royal Geographic Society, gave a lecture on 14 March 2024 on his new discoveries relating to Verrazzano's journey(1485 – 1528), and his relationship with Leonardo da Vinci, which were completely unknown until now. The conference, organized in hybrid mode, both online and in person, at the Cushwa Center of the Univ...

Monday, April 15, 2024, 7 to 8 pm in The Galleria - Casa Belvedere - 79 Howard Ave, Staten Island, NY. Light refreshments will be served. Get ready for the 500th anniversary of Giovanni da Verrazzano’s exploration of New York Harbor with an immersive journey through time to commemorate the life and enduring legacy of this legendary explorer. Join u...

Dear friends, as mentioned last month, there is great news in the world of We the Italians. After having screened many tour operators who had contacted us, we have established a partnership with Micromegas, which will help us to offer you experience tours in Italy, with several new features and special contents. The first tour we propose contains p...

Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485-1528), one of the greatest explorers of his time, was the first to set foot on the Atlantic coast of North America. The Verrazzano Bridge in New York, inaugurated in 1964, is an imposing tribute to him. Let’s explore the feats of our hero from Greve in Chianti (Florence) that have made his name unforgettable beyond the...

Click here to view video announcement. Verrazzano, the son of a noble family, was born at the Castello Verrazzano in Greve near Florence, Italy. In his early 20s he moved to Dieppe to start a maritime career, and sailed on behalf of the French monarchy. In 1523, with the support of the French king Francois I, as well as Florentine bankers, Verrazza...

On July 8th 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano returned to France after having roughly surveyed the entire east coast of North America from Florida to Newfoundland.  A few months earlier, he had entered New York Harbor – the first European to do so. Thanks to the late Italian American activist John LaCorte of Brooklyn, that arrival was m...

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island was named in honor of Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano. However, its name was spelled incorrectly for more than half a century. Now change is on the way, as on Wednesday crews from MTA Bridges and Tunnels replaced the sign at 92nd Street near Fort Hamilton Parkway in Bay Rid...

“You’re entering God’s country.” So said former New York Mets great John Franco, when talking about driving across the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge his adopted hometown of Staten Island. Or was he talking about taking the bridge from that island to his real hometown, Brooklyn, USA? It doesn’t matter. Both boroughs represent God’s country. And what con...

The monument, a short, white square column with two round medallions, sits next to the Rehoboth boardwalk near the end of Olive Avenue. Sponsored by the Delaware Commission on Italian Heritage and Culture and erected over a decade ago, the monument honors the explorer, Giovanni de Verrazzano, who justly warrants recognition for his exploration of t...

Thursday marks the 55th anniversary of the completion of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which spans the New York Harbor, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn. Construction began on Aug. 13, 1959. The upper deck opened on Nov. 21, 1964, and the lower deck opened on June 28, 1969, with costs totaling $325 million. Seven Staten Island friends were the...