Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! It's a pleasure and a relief to write the December editorial, the last one, of this horrendous unforgettable year. As our cover explains well, we can kick and chase away this 2020, and welcome a 2021 that will still be very difficult, but at least born under the good auspices of the vaccine. We are happy to end this year with the interviews to two great Italian Americans: one man and one woman, one from the West Coast and one from the East Coast, having in common a big big Italian heart, as you can read. Thanks Robert Barbera, thanks Linda Carlozzi.

In Italy many are angry because there is a communication campaign that has as its symbol a primrose, a flower that is reborn in spring. There is fatigue and anger, but the design is a gift of a great Italian architect, awarded all over the world, Stefano Boeri, to whom goes all our gratitude: he donated it to all the Italian people to show that, even in something so dramatic, Italy is the only country in the world to give beauty and to find a beautiful symbol of hope, which also serves to communicate and convince those who are reluctant to get vaccinated, because to get out of this nightmare needs to do so as many citizens as possible. We the Italians chooses to thank and reward this approach, the beauty of Italy even in such a difficult and tragic phase.

It has been a very complicated year, and the perfect photograph is the 54th report of Censis, the most authoritative Italian study center that every December, for more than half a century, has described Italian society and its evolution. You can find the abstract of the report in this issue and only here: we are the only ones outside Italy who share this extraordinary picture of our country in this difficult moment.

In this issue, you will find in two columns the memory of two great Italians who have left us in these days: Gigi Proietti, in the Italian Entertainment column, and Paolo "Pablito" Rossi in the Italian Sport column. They were two enormous losses for Italy, and We the Italians wants to remember through them all the Italians who have left us this year: the number of Italians who have left us this year is greater than that of 1944, in the middle of World War II.  

This year, starting from March 10, we told you about it with We the ItaliaNews, the podcast first only video and then also audio in which you can find the explanation of what happens in Italy at the time of the coronavirus. It has now become a real news program on Italy in English, each episode of which is seen by more than 1,500 of you. We have exceeded 150 videos, we will take a short break from December 24 to January 3 and then we will return to keep you updated on what is happening in Italy, about the virus but not only. It's a big effort, but we care about it and it's part of the service we give to all of you, everything for free.

We have added more gadgets to our new virtual store. Now you can find more than 20 products in different colors: t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies, onesies, mugs, notebooks, pillows, totes, tapestries, pins, laptop and smartphone cases, magnets, stickers, masks. It’s the perfect Italian present for next Christmas, staying safe by ordering them online. We chose the virtual store that allowed us to give you the best quality and respect for the environment in the realization of our products, low prices and ease of shipping in the US. Check this out and buy We the Italians! Two Flags, One Heart, and now finally a virtual store.

We are very happy to announce a wonderful new column that from this month will accompany you in our magazine: we are particularly proud of this one, and we officially welcome Giovanni Corrado. Giovanni is an Italian-born political activist living, studying, and working in New York and Miami. He is a United Nations Foundation Youth Ambassador and currently completing a Master's in Government at Harvard University. Previously, Giovanni worked at the White House, U.S Senate, U.S House of Representatives, and Bloomberg LP. Always passionate about youth politics, he dreams to one day go back to Italy and start the first-ever Italian Youth Party. His column is called “Two Flags, One Youth”: it is an up-beat, vibrant column dedicated to highlighting the educational and professional development differences between young Italians and young Americans. The main goals of the column are to bring to light the systemic differences in (1) valuing the country's youth, (2) promote meritocracy among young individuals, and (3) deal with drastically different educational systems and job markets.   

Last but not least, our We the Italians family is happy to welcome… another family! There are now 12 American States in which we have a representative of We the Italians: from this month we are also in Mississippi and Alabama, thanks respectively to Matteo and Elisabetta Zengaro, brother and sister, young and talented filmmakers. Welcome to Matteo and Elisabetta! 

I want to remind you of the great initiative that sees us as protagonists together with our partner College Life Italia. Together with them we created a scholarship fund that can give young Italian American or American children who love Italy the opportunity to study and play sports in Italy. Both the students who apply for our Master Program and the students interested in the Study Abroad program will be eligible to obtain a scholarship. A dedicated commission will take care of evaluating all the applications. We invite all those interested to write an email to [email protected].

Let me end this editorial and this year by thanking everyone in our team: We the Italians is lucky for everyone of them, and I wanna personally thank all of them. My associates Edoardo and Nicola. Our web editor Alessandra. The man who takes care of every one of our designs and now also of the website, Giovanni. Those who represent us in the US: William (NY), Mariella (CA), Lorenzo CT), Sandra (MI), Francesco (MA), Thomas (HI), Francesco (AZ), Stephanie (PA), Patrick (AR), Charles LA), Matteo (AL) and Elisabetta (MS). Those who write for this magazine: Enrico (art), Giulia (language), Jennifer (wine), Paola (cuisine), Federico (sport), Eleonora (great Italians of the past), Riccardo (innovation), Priscilla (entertainment), Antonella and Mario (design), Giovanni (two flags one youth). The woman who helps me with the interviews, Sofia. I’m blessed to have you in my life: YOU are We the Italians. And thanks to all those who read the magazine, the website and the books; who watch our videos; who listen to our podcasts; who subscribe to our newsletters; who follow us on our social media; who buy our products. Thanks, always.

Well my friends, once again it’s all for now. Please stay safe, please stay healthy. I won’t gonna stop saying this: the future’s so bright, we gotta wear shades! But please, protect yourselves and wear the mask, too. Ciao from Rome