“We want to show Italy’s excellence to everyone, not only what is connected to the past, but also our excellence today which will launch us into the future,” declared Francesco Maria Talò, Italian Consul General in New York, [2] introducing this week’s celebrations.

Renato Miracco (Italian Culture Institute, New York) [3], Aniello Musella (National Institute for Foreign Commerce) [4] and Walter Salvitti (Italian Tourism Board) [5] along with the Consul General presented last Friday an incredibly rich calendar full of events.

“With these celebrations we want to establish an important precedent of joint action. This will allow us to cooperate more closely in the near future and to organize group events which will keep costs low and make the most of our resources. Too often we were faced with a great number of uncoordinated efforts, at times organized in a self-referential way. We must work in a different way to publicize other aspects of our country, and promote the true image of contemporary Italy. The reception organized for June 2 will not be a standard institutional event, but an important occasion to show the many faces of Italy.”

The events will cover a vast number of topics from cinema to science, literature, the promotion of two Italian regions (Sicily and Tuscany), and the presentation of a very interesting project on Italian scientific culture.

Here is the complete list of events planned for the week of June 2:

Saturday, May 31

4:00 p.m.

Opening reception for the “Master Artisans Exhibition” of Tuscan crafts

Snug Harbor Center, Staten Island

5:00 p.m.

Reception at the Italian Vice-Consulate of New Jersey

Newark Penn Station – Gateway Center, Raymond Blvd

Telephone: (973) 643-4716

Email: [email protected]

Monday, June 2

6:00–8:00 p.m.

Main event of Italian National Day

Nearly one thousand people will gather at the Cipriani Ballroom to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of Italian National Day. In addition to the Italian community residing in New York, there will be cultural, political, and entrepreneurial Italian and American representatives in attendance. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the movie The Leopard by Tomasi di Lampedusa and the 150th anniversary of Puccini’s birth, both Sicily and Tuscany will play a major role in the festivities. There will be an exhibit on Puccini and The Leopard, booths promoting wine and culinary products from these two regions, as well as a presentation on the exceptional tourism, scientific, and technological sectors. During the event, Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, will receive the Puccini International Award.

Tuesday, June 3

6:00 p.m.

Presentation of a photo exhibit on The Leopard

Italian Cultural Institute of New York

Telephone: (212) 879-4242 ext. 368

7:15 p.m.

Screening of a new, restored version of The Leopard (185’)

Italian Cultural Institute of New York

Telephone: (212) 879-4242 ext. 368

Wednesday, June 4

6:00 p.m.

Opening of the exhibit on Italian ceramics by Staccioli

Italian Cultural Institute of New York

Telephone: (212) 879-4242 ext. 370

7:15 p.m.

Round table discussion on Tomasi di Lampedusa with Professor Gioacchino Lanza Tomasi and a representative of the Feltrinelli Publishing House. Screening of the documentary Parco Letterario Tomasi di Lampedusa to follow.

Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University

Telephone: (212) 988-8730

Thursday, June 5

5:00 p.m.

Special event presenting the tourist itinerary dedicated to The Leopard. Light buffet to follow. For travel agencies and tourism operators; by invitation only.

Italian Tourism Office

Telephone: (212) 245-5618

7:00 p.m.

New Italian Cinema on Stage

A panel discussion with Italian directors and actors attending the film festival “Open Roads: New Italian Cinema” in New York. Moderated by Antonio Monda, New York University.

Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, New York University

Telephone: (212) 988-8730

Friday, June 6

1:00–5:00 p.m.

Tuscany Meets New York – The ENDOCAS Project: Innovation in Surgical Technology

Seminar on the medical-scientific sector hosted by the Consulate General of Italy, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, and the Italian American Foundation. It is the first in the series entitled “Colloqui newyorchesi di cultura scientifica italiana – Lynx XXI” (New York Discussions on Italian Scientific Culture – Lynx 21).

Italian Consulate General of New York

Telephone: (212) 439-8609

(Edited by Giulia Prestia)