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  • Life & People

    Grandparents & Grandchildren. Matilda and Amanda.


    Our first conversation – aired on TV and partly available online – is between Matilda Cuomo and Amanda Cole. Their extraordinary talk touches upon everything from immigration to religion, from language to cooking and traveling in Italy, and culminates in an emotional and for us unscripted moment when grandmother and granddaughter decide to read a letter written in 1999 by Governor Mario Cuomo (Amanda’s grandfather and father of the current governor, Andrew), a kind of spiritual last will and testament for his thirteen grandchildren.


    Despite the encumbrances of a TV crew, it was a rare treat to hear Matilda and Amanda retrace their history, its ties to Italy and their emotional memories. The place where the conversation was shot – the house where Matilda lived with her husband, Mario – was also special: the two women seated on a sofa, behind them a credenza topped with Italian mementoes, a figurine of Pulcinella peeking out from behind a shelf. In the opposite room was Mario’s study, full of objects, books, photographs. You couldn’t not sense the charismatic presence of the great politician who, in the 1980s, was known as the great communicator of his party, believed by many to be the only real man of “presidential stature” in the Democratic Party back then. At the same time all of his humanity was reflected in the faces of his wife and granddaughter, and in their words. Like a real Italian grandfather. Below are a few brief excerpts to whet your appetite before you visit us online to watch the full video.


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    STORIES OF IMMIGRATION
    Amanda: [I remember you telling me] the story of our two great grandmothers, who both came here very young…
    Matilda: They were into their 20s … they both had a very terrible trip, on the steerage in the bottom of the ship. It was terrible.
    Amanda: That’s what blows me away, thinking about how they physically got here. [And then] in school learning about the conditions in the ships that people did come across in, and the length of that journey and how scary it must have been not knowing where they were going or if you could even get in once you got here.
    Matilda: That’s right. And they both went to Ellis Island and they were completely examined … And my mother would tell me the story of two young girls, two sisters… because they had a rash on their face, they made them go back. That’s how strict the rules were at that time… But you know, they both had their first-born son here and they came to make a new life. They had an uncle. There’s always somebody who’s going to give them a little help in the family. So the family—like the Pope says, “la famiglia”—is very important. The women [of course] … could not get a job at that time. It was unheard of, you know, so they would stay home and take care of the children. But the men [had] to get a job, and to speak English as well as they could—and they couldn't at first but they did, gradually. My father told me that they’d pick up some words to make themselves understood, and they were lucky if they were working with some Italian people so they could [at least] understand each other. It wasn’t easy. It was very difficult, there’s no doubt about it. […] But when my father came to this country … he loved the freedom. … That you could do anything you wanted. “If you work hard, nobody will stop you,” [he said]. “And if you have good ideas, use them, and nobody would stop you.” And you could reach for the stars…
    Amanda: I know that grandpa was quoted as saying “after 100 years, we finally did it” when he became governor. But I remember you both telling me the stories about how much Italians were discriminated against … It’s just not the same today … and there are definitely other marginalized groups. But did you feel it? … Did you personally feel growing up with Italian parents that you were discriminated against?
    Matilda: No. Because I lived in an Italian community, we were insulated. That was a good thing. But then when they say that they didn’t treat the Italian immigrants so well, well, it’s true. Also because of the lack of language.

    THE POPE
    Amanda: You met the Pope…
    Matilda: Yes, Pope Francis. [It was] the very first time I have met a pope. I was in Naples on a conference for Mentoring USA Italia and I heard that there was to be a yearly celebration where the Pope had to come and speak to the people in Naples. And I mean there were 3,000 people, at least, if not more. And the Pope came and spoke. It was something like a miracle to see him. He is the most humanitarian pope I could ever think to meet.
    Amanda: What does the pope mean for Italians? Because I know here—I had some friends who didn’t totally understand why we were making such a big deal, and I think that’s because religion is not as popular among my generation, statistically. But when you were growing up, you know … What did the pope mean to you growing up?
    Matilda: Well, the pope is like the pinnacle of our religion. I mean, he is the speaking voice from God to all of us, to give us lessons and the beliefs that we should continue to emanate… And we happen to have one now who is a great humanitarian and he understands that the basic unit of all societies is la famiglia, the family. If you don’t take care of your family, everybody suffers within that scope of humanity.

    MARIO CUOMO, A GRANDFATHER
    Amanda: I’m sitting in his seat right now.

    And this is the seat he would sit in every time you came into the house and I know that when I’d call him he’d be sitting in this seat — we just have so many memories of sitting right here, the hours going by.
    Matilda: And you could ask him any question and he knew the answer.
    Amanda: Oh yes, of course. Or what I think was so amazing about him is that, when I was younger, grandpa asked me how old I was, and I said “Eight.” And he said, “How do you know?”

    And I: “Because it was just my birthday.”

    And he said, “But how do you know you were turning 8?”

    “Because I was born 8 years ago.”

    “How do you know that?”

    “ Because my parents told me.”

    “How do you know that your parents weren’t lying?”

    “Because the birth certificate says so.”

    “Well, how do you know that they didn’t make a mistake on the birth certificate?”

    And that was it — to really shake an 8 year old to truly understand that you don’t know what you don’t know! The lesson of that story to me is that you have to always be open-minded and never feel as if you know the right answer. For having the right answer isn't the way to win an argument, isn’t the way forward.
    Matilda: All the time. That’s right. And to think about it and come to your own solution.

    Amanda: Right, and he could argue any side of an issue. And we are so unbelievably lucky to actually have a moral compass, a grandpa who has set our sense of what is right and what is wrong. And it’s so simple. He does so in a way that enables any person, from any religion, or from no religion, anyone who’s just a human, to understand… A humanist is what I like to refer to him as.
    Matilda: He would be very happy to hear you say all this if he were here.

    “LETTER TO MY GRANDDAUGHTERS”
    Matilda: Every granddaughter got a copy of this letter, “A Letter to My Granddaughters”, written November 1999.

    I’m writing this letter to you, and all our other granddaughters…

    I think this paragraph right here is very meaningful.

    At some point you will probably find that filling your own basket with goodies, satisfying your own winsome desires for personal comfort will not be enough to make you truly happy.

    Chances are you will discover that to be fulfilled you will have to lean on some fundamental belief some basic purpose in life that gives you a sense of meaningfulness and significance, and that answers the question: “Why were we born in the first place?” Without an answer, all the accumulating of material goods can become nothing more than a frantic attempt to fill the space between birth and eternity.

    This is very deep.
    Amanda: I read it once a week.And then this is the best part, this is where he breaks it down.

    It happens to a lot of people who spend their whole life so involved with the challenge of just staying alive in some decent condition that they don’t get to think much about why they were born in the first place. Others get past the struggle then wander aimlessly as they approach the end, satisfying whatever appetites are left until there are no more appetites or no strength to feed them. They look for answers in the world around them, in the words of wiser people and the leadership of some heroic figure. But the answers prove elusive. No Moses comes to them, and they die without ever having an answer. Don’t let it happen to you. You don’t need another Moses… God knows how grand the world is and how small we are. He’s not going to expect any miracles from you, all he asks is that you do what you can. If you rise to great power and are able to end a war - or be a governor - or find a cure for cancer, wonderful. But if the best you can do is comfort a single soul in need of simple friendship, that’s wonderful too…If one does what one can to make things better, it’s all God will ask. It’s a job that you can work at every minute that you live, and it’s a job that can make your life worth living, no matter what else happens. So live, learn, love. And have a happy new millennium. - Grandpa Mario.

    It’s so simple and makes so much sense. And for a recent college graduate, they are the words of wisdom that you need.

    NEVER FORGET YOUR HERITAGE!
    Amanda: What is your lesson to your granddaughters today, your Italian American granddaughters? What is one of the pieces of wisdom that you want to tell us?

    Matilda: Well, I think you should never forget your heritage. I think that’s what you’ve learned since you were a little girl and I think that stays; as a grandparent I’m thrilled that all of you get that, you understand and you’re faithful to your own heritage but you are open to the heritage of others.

     
  • Art & Culture

    Open Roads: A Quick Look Behind the Scenes

    “I don't understand why here in New York so many buildings have fire escapes out like that... doesn't it make it easier for burglars to get in the apartments?” We are in a cab on our way to the Gansevoort Hotel, the rooftop bar seems to be a great spot to look at the city.

    Italian film director Edoardo Falcone, who is here to present his film God Willing at the 16th edition of Open Roads New Italian Cinema, was in New York about 30 years ago so everything he sees is basically new. “They couldn't have fire escapes like that in Rome,” he adds. 

    Falcone, who was “born in Rome, loves in Rome and will die in Rome seventy years from now,” is a well known screenwriter and God Willing marked his directorial debut. The comedy, starring Alessandro Gassman in the role of a charming priest and Marco Giallini in the role of an atheist heart surgeon, earned Falcone a Davide di Donatello for New Emerging Directors in 2015. He is now ready for his second feature which he will start shooting in September.

    While in New York he had a chance to meet a well known Italian singer-songwriter, Jovanotti, and to listen, while exploring the city's subway, to some of his lesser known music. “I want to ask him if I can use a song (we won't say which) for the final scene of the new movie.” Needless to say, he asked, Jovanotti said yes and we will find out it that really happened once the film comes out.

    Every year, Open Roads, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà, offers a diverse and extensive experience of contemporary Italian cinema, and that's not just a treat for the audience but it's a special opportunity for filmmakers alike that get a chance to meet with US distributors, in case their films have not found distribution yet, with local press and with fellow Italian or international filmmakers and artists of all sorts. Art feeds on art, and new projects are likely to be born.

    “We used to live in the countryside,” Maria Sole Tognazzi said while recalling her childhood, “and my father, renown actor Ugo Tognazzi, would always have friends over for dinner. Some of his friends were Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mario Monicelli, Ettore Scola, Marco Ferreri, Pietro Germi, Marcello Mastroianni and Vittorio Gassman. They would sit around the dining table, eat and talk and that's how projects were created. Just by being together and coming up with ideas. That's the air I breathed since I was a child.”

    Regardless of the family friends that Tognazzi got to know growing up, she didn't really want to be part of the film industry. “I didn't even discuss it with my father, because, differently from my three brothers, I wasn't into it at all. It all happened after his death. I needed a job and everyone I knew and that could help me out was in the film business. It was inevitable, yet still there was no doubt I had to be behind the camera, I am too shy and I have no inclination to do any acting. I never really liked posing for pictures either.”

    Indeed once the photographers ask for a pose, Maria Sole wears her sunglasses, “as a shield to protect myself... also jet leg is killing me, you don't want to see my eyes!”

    Jet leg is a “big enemy” of the delegation that usually come here just for a few days, about 3 or 4, and has a calendar filled with events. Their first morning is filled with interviews, often bilingual, which are followed by a meet and greet lunch, held for representatives of several local Institutions and US film distributors.

    On Opening Night, Lincoln Center always hosts a Cocktail Party in a salon at the Walter Reade Theater. This year The Italian Trade Commission has supported the organization working closely with Istituto Luce Cinecittà and Lincoln Center's Film Society by bringing in an authentic flavor of Italian food and lifestyle (a video titled “Magnificent Italy” was shown in order to promote Italy as a film location).

    Directors, and some actors, are also invited to participate to Q&As following the screenings of their films, and to an exciting roundtable hosted by NYU's Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò where they usually talk about their work and the state of filmmaking in Italy. Everything comes to an end with a special Sunday brunch where the delegation has a chance to meet with other artists and local filmmakers.

    A team of local professionals, headed by Sally Fischer PR, and representatives from Istituto Luce make sure that nobody gets lost and makes the best of each and every event.

    When nothing is going on, some like to sleep in their room, while others find the energy to explore the city and visit museums. Favorite shopping destinations? The Gap, Uniqlo and Century 21, while MoMA and The New Whitney are the biggest cultural stops. Sushi is always a big hit as are burgers and fries. Just walking around, though, is enough for many.

    “New York is incredibly inspiring,” Maria Sole Tognazzi has said about this city, “While I am here I observe everything and take it back home with me. I will come back to it later and will get ideas from what I have seen. It's part of my creative process, I take it in and then, at a later moment, it will inspire me.” 
  • Events: Reports

    THIS SUNDAY ON I-ITALY TY - Festa della Repubblica 2016


     
  • Facts & Stories

    Roger Enrico. ‘Father of the Pepsi Generation’


    On behalf of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Board of Directors, we are deeply saddened by the passing of Roger Enrico, former PepsiCo chief executive officer. We extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the Enrico family. He died on June 8, at the age of 71, while on vacation in the Cayman Islands.


    “Referred by many as the ‘Father of the Pepsi Generation,’ Roger was honored during NIAF’s 26th Anniversary Award Gala in 2001 in the nation’s capital. He received the Foundation’s Special Achievement Award in Business. He was admired and revered by the PepsiCo family and the soft drink industry. Joining him at the NIAF Gala were colleagues at PepsiCo, including Indra K. Nooyi, the present chairwoman and chief executive at PepsiCo. During his acceptance speech, he challenged all to work hard and think big.


    “A son of Italian immigrants, Roger Enrico was born in Chisholm, Minn., and proud of his Italian ancestry. He was an inspirational leader for all Americans and a true legend.


    “He will be long remembered with admiration by the NIAF family.”

    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Americans of Italian descent. Visit www.niaf.org.

     
  • Arte e Cultura

    17 luoghi gatteschi in Italia

    In principio fu uno starnuto. Si racconta che durante il diluvio universale sull’Arca i topi si riproducevano a grande velocità, rischiando di consumare tutte le scorte di cibo. Non sapendo più cosa fare, Noè chiese aiuto al Signore. Subito il leone starnutì, e dal suo starnuto nacquero due gatti che riportarono il numero dei topi a un giusto livello. E da allora è iniziata la magia che circonda il gatto, in ogni angolo di mondo. La Guida di viaggio per gattofili di Barbara Bellinelli si muove proprio su questa tracce: scovare posti insoliti, anche attraversati nell’ordinario, che abbiano il gatto come musa.

    A Bologna per esempio, c’ è un quadro del Crespi che custodisce il gatto come personaggio della metafora dell’amore. Altra città Venezia, ma sempre pittura per l’Ultima cena del Veronese, che ha fatto comparire il suo autore addirittura davanti al Tribunale dell’Inquisizione. Ma i gatti a Venezia sono sempre stati famosi. Si ricorda quello del doge Morosini, che lo seguiva perfino in guerra. E quello dell’ottocentesco Caffè dei Frari, zona San Polo, al quale fecero un monumento. 

    Non più nel libro paga della Serenissima i gatti vennero adottati dai bottegai. Questo del caffè, (detto anche Caffè Toppo), di fronte la facciata principale della Chiesa di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, al di là dell’omonimo ponte, si chiamava Ninni e visse 14 anni. Talmente famoso da essere meta di veneziani e turisti le cui firme venivano registrate su un libro d’onore. 

    Tra le firme spiccava quella dello zar Alessandro III il quale, uscito dall’Archivio di Stato proprio di fronte al locale, vi si recò per un rinfresco. Altra acqua è quella che custodisce i gatti più tecnologici del momento: sono i gatti della colonia felina di Su Pallosu nel più piccolo borgo marino d’Italia con 8 abitanti nel comune di San Vero Milis, provincia di Oristano. 

    Hanno una pagina sul Social network Facebook con oltre 4.000 amici. Adagiati su un sito nuragico da inserire nella lista del Patrimonio dell’Umanità dell’UNESCO, amano la spiaggia e sdraiarsi vicino alla battigia alla faccia di chi vuole il gatto ostile all’acqua.

    I capitoli sono diciassette, perché si sa è numero gattesco. Per i popoli di origine latina il 17 è considerato sfortunato perché in numeri romani il 17 si scrive “XVII” che anagrammato diviene “VIXI” cioè “sono vissuto” quindi sono morto”, ma il gatto con le sue sette vite può ben dire di aver vissuto. Nel Nord Europa invece, questo numero ha un valore positivo che significa, tra l’altro, “vivere una vita per sette volte”. 

    Barbara Bellinelli è nata a Ravenna dove lavora in un ufficio pubblico.
    Un posto particolare spetta infatti a Ravenna, una delle sette città che in Italia ospitano questi esemplari in biblioteca.

    Dall’Iowa all’Illinois passando per il Kansas fino a Ravenna, queste le tappe dei gatti in biblioteca. C’era una volta il ‘topo di biblioteca’ e ora ci sono i gatti in biblioteca: son ben 809 quelli registrati nel mondo con residenza tra scaffali e libri. Alcuni sono veri e propri vip come Elsie che dalla ‘sua’ St. Helena Library della California, ha una pagina facebook con oltre 18.000 amici. Sette sono quelle che in Italia ospitano gatti, ma altre coordinate non si addicono all’animo felino. Una di queste si trova a Ravenna. La Biblioteca Classense, infatti, dà alloggio e custodisce fin dal 2009 quattro gatti che sono nati nel cantiere aperto per l’ammodernamento degli spazi bibliotecari e sono stati perfino allattati dagli operatori culturali.

    Si chiamano Dewey, come l’inventore della classificazione decimale usata in tutte le biblioteche del mondo; Byron, come il poeta inglese che soggiornò a lungo a Ravenna; Teresa, come la contessa ravennate Teresa Gamba Guiccioli amata da Byron e quello tutto nero Obama, come il primo presidente nero della storia degli Stati Uniti d’America. Saggi i gatti lo sono, ma che non si approfitti troppo della loro pazienza... ecco quindi un adesivo fare bella mostra di sé all’entrata della biblioteca: Qui vive una colonia felina.

    Perché se i gatti possono sopportare gli umani a gironzolare tra i libri, accettare altri quattro zampe è talvolta troppo e allora, se scappa una baruffa, il cane è avvertito. I gatti della Biblioteca Classense sono tutelati da una legge regionale e inoltre l’Asl vigila sul luogo e sui gatti in modo da garantire l’igiene e la sicurezza per tutti, umani compresi. Comunque è possibile andare in Biblioteca Classense e stare senza la presenza dei gatti. Per cui anche chi, per diversi motivi, non vuole averli tra i piedi, è accontentato: è una struttura pubblica e quindi potrà dirigersi nella sala Malkowski e nella sala riservata al piano nobile.
     
  • Events: Reports

    THIS WEEKEND on i-italyTV/NYC Life


     
  • Facts & Stories

    NIAF Official Delegation Meets in Italy's Region of Piemonte



     The National Italian American Foundation Chairman Joseph V. Del Raso, President John M. Viola, the Foundation’s executive committee and the members of the Italian American Leadership Council (IALC), will travel to Italy June 5-11. The “Mission to Italy” will bring together NIAF board and IALC members and business leaders to discuss key issues influencing cultural, economic and diplomatic relations between our two nations, in Piemonte, NIAF’s 2016 Region of Honor.
     
    “NIAF’s leadership will strengthen the Foundation’s role as the bridge between the United States and Italy during its official mission to the region of Piemonte,” Del Raso said. “Together with regional executives, we will solidify lasting relationships with business and cultural leaders in Italy.”
     
    The seven-day itinerary begins on Sunday, June 5, in Torino for four days. After Torino, the delegation travels to Santo Stefano Belbo for the duration of the mission which concludes on June 11.
     
    During the NIAF mission, the delegation will meet the participants of the 2016 Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery Program, now in its 17th year. Twenty university students of Italian heritage are participating in this year’s program dedicated to strengthening their understanding of their rich cultural heritage, and introducing them to their ancestral homeland and the many contributions Italy is making to the world. For the fourth consecutive year, participants are giving back to the Italian community with a service project. This year, the students will work with school children under the care of the Salesians of Don Bosco at the Mother House, known as Valdocco, in the city of Torino.
     
    While in Torino, the first capital of modern Italy, the delegation will visit the Restoration Center of La Reggia di Venaria, one of the residences of the Royal Savoy Family, and the Basilica di Superga, the burial place of the Savoy Family. Private guided tours of the National Museum of Cinema, the Egyptian Museum and lunch at Eataly, are part of the itinerary in the city.  They will also visit the Church of Gran Madre di Dio, a neoclassical-style church located in front of Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The steps of the Gran Madre appear twice in the 1969 film, “The Italian Job.” The delegation will meet entrepreneurs at several events, including a gala at the Venaria Royal Palace and a private dinner at Esperia Rowing Club. 
     
    At FIAT Chrysler Automobiles S.p.A. in Torino, the delegation will visit the Abarth plant, FIAT’s racing division, and test drive a FIAT 500 Abarth. They will visit ALTEC S.p.A., an aerospace logistics and engineering company that works with the International Space Station and supports future robotic and manned planetary exploration.
     
    At the Museum of the Holy Shroud, the delegation will view the museum’s display of historical artifacts depicting The Shroud of Turin through literature, art and theology.
     
    Before leaving Torino, the delegation will meet executives at the Unione Industriale of Biella and visit the city of Biella, known for the Sanctuary of Oropa, site of religious pilgrimages.
     
    During the final days of the NIAF Mission to Italy in Santo Stefano Belbo, the delegation will gather for a meeting on June 10.  The following day it will tour the Langhe area, known for its wines, cheeses and truffles, particularly the white truffle of Alba.  The delegation will also visit the Guarene Castle (Castello di Guarene), an 18th century palace overlooking the Langhe hills with Italian-style gardens.
     
     
     
    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of Italian Americans. Visit www.niaf.org.

      
  • Facts & Stories

    To Alexa Castelluccio the NIAF Michael Gargiulo Scholarship


    Alexa Castelluccio of Astoria, N.Y., who attends St. Francis College in Brooklyn, N.Y., will receive the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Michael Gargiulo Scholarship in Broadcasting and Communications.


    NIAF Board of Director Nicholas R. Caiazzo will present the scholarship to Castelluccio during the Foundation’s New York Golf Kick-Off Reception at the historic Pier A-Harbor House in Battery Park on June 7. The June 7 event introduces NIAF supporters and friends to the Foundation’s mission, and its upcoming 12th Annual Golf Tournament at the Old Westbury Golf and Country Club in Old Westbury, N.Y., on August 8.


    Emmy–award winning journalist and co-anchor of NBC 4 New York’s weekday newscast, “Today in New York,” Michael Gargiulo will serve as this year’s master of ceremonies. A longtime supporter and friend to NIAF, Gargiulo has emceed this event for five consecutive years. He also has covered the Foundation’s Anniversary Awards Galas in our nation’s capital.


    “We are very proud of Michael’s outstanding achievement in the field of broadcasting and remain grateful to his dedication in leading our NIAF event program each year,” said Caiazzo. “NIAF values the importance of education and the role it plays in helping deserving Italian American students including Alexa Castelluccio, build promising futures.”


    Castelluccio is a rising senior and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communications and broadcasting. She is a graduate of St. John’s Preparatory High School in Queens, N.Y.


    Since NIAF’s inception 40 years ago, the scholarship program has grown from four scholarships of $250 each to dozens of annual scholarships ranging in value from $2,000 to $12,000, each in the Italian language and culture, medicine, engineering, business, law, music, and other specialized fields. Last year, the average scholarship to students in the United States was worth more than $6,000. NIAF has awarded millions of dollars in merit-based scholarships and cultural grants to undergraduate, graduate, post graduate, medical and law students from across the country.



    Contributors to the NIAF scholarship program include individuals, corporations and organizations throughout the United States and Italy.
     
    For more information on establishing a NIAF scholarship, contact NIAF Director of Programs Gabriella Mileti at [email protected].
     
    The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian Americans.   Visit www.niaf.org
     






     
  • Art & Culture

    Italian Heritage Curriculum at Ocean County College


    “The Universality of Italian Heritage” Curriculum Presentation featured testimonials from administrators, teachers, and even students from Oakcrest high school, to the effectiveness of the Curriculum. Additional presentations were made by NJIHC Commissioners Cav. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, Ed.D and Dr. Eileen L. Poiani, while opening remarks were graciously provided by Dr. Jon Larson, president of Ocean County College.

     

    Attendees learned how to integrate this significant educational tool for preserving and promoting Heritage for all students from kindergarten to the undergraduate level. More information and lesson plans from the Curriculum can be found on the Commission’s website >>   



    The New Jersey Italian Heritage Commission (NJIHC) raises public awareness of the rich and varied culture, positive achievements and traditions of Italy, the Italian people, and Italian Americans as these have contributed to American and world civilization. 




    The more than two million descendants of Italian immigrants in New Jersey form a vast, untapped reservoir for the development of leadership talent. Sharing a common purpose, they are the driving force behind the work and goals of the Commission. NJIHC engages in the development, support and production of education programs, forums, seminars, publications and exchanges for schools and private and public sector audiences throughout the state. 



    The Commission brings long overdue recognition to Italian accomplishments that have improved the quality of life for all, be it the sciences, jurisprudence, the fine and performing arts, technology, medicine, literature, philosophy, or trade and commerce.
  • Art & Culture

    Exceptional Concert for the 70th Anniversary of the Italian Republic


     
    Salvatore Accardo, Mario Brunello, and Beatrice Rana: three exceptional musicians performing together for the first time, accompanied by the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai conducted by James Conlon. The three soloists, representing three generations of world-renowned Italian musicians, will be the protagonists of the concert taking place by will of the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace, celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Italian Republic.



     
    The concert, scheduled on Wednesday 1 June at 6 pm, will be held at the Quirinal Palace, in the Salone dei Corazzieri, and will be live broadcast by Rai Cultura on Rai1, and aired the following day, Thursday 2 June, at 9.15 pm on Rai5. 



     
    The core of the program is Beethoven’s famous “Triple Concerto”, where violin, cello, and piano engage on an intense musical dialogue between them, and with the orchestra. The work, written between 1903 and 1804, follows the patterns of the Sinfonia Concertante written by Mozart and Haydn, seeking a mediation between the instrumental solo and the concertante style, while at the same time creating something new: Beethoven himself, in a letter sent to the publisher Härtel, wrote that «a Sinfonia Concertante, with those three concertante instruments, is indeed something new».



     
    A very famous but little performed concerto, the Triple Concerto faces the difficulty of putting together three top level performers. The goal has been reached in this occasion, where Salvatore Accardo, one of the greatest violinists worldwide, celebrated cellist Mario Brunello, who is enjoying increasing success, and Beatrice Rana, a highly talented pianist who is experiencing an incredible international career despite her young age, are performing together for the Quirinal Concert. 



     

    A commemoration of the day of the Republic could not go without celebrating Giuseppe Verdi, famous opera composer who, more than any other, represents Italian music abroad. The concert presents some of his symphonic works, like the Prelude and the Ballabili from Macbeth, Act III; and the symphonies from the operas La Battaglia di Legnano and Luisa Miller. 

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