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Armed Forces Day
Fallen soldiers remembered at Holy Rosary Church Mass
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Italian Armed Forces Day and Italy's Day of National Unity were recently celebrated at a reception at the Embassy of Italy. Ambassador of Italy, Mariangela Zappia, in her welcoming message, paid tribute to all Italian military personnel and spoke of the strong alliance between Italy and the United States.
Celeste Wallander, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense, noted in her remarks that "Italy's contribution as a global security leader and its strategic position at the nexus of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia make Italy a prominent and dependable regional and global force. I want to emphasize a point that I just made, that Italy is a leader in global security."
Embassy Defense Attache General Maurizio Cantiello highlighted the fact that several thousand Italian troops are deployed in three continents and twenty countries around the world, often together with U.S. Armed Forces.
At Holy Rosary Church a Messa per i Caduti was held, followed by a reception at Casa Italiana to celebrate Italy's Day of National Unity and Armed Forces Day. Counselor Francesco Santillo brought greetings from Ambassador Zappia to the many attend-
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Above, Holy Rosary Church Mass; right, Amb. Mariangela Zappia, Celeste Hollander, Gen. Maurizio Cantiello at Italian Embassy; right, reception at Casa Italiana ees. Francesco Isgro, on behalf of the community, welcomed members of the diplomatic and military corps and expressed a special thanks to the Italian Embassy military officials for their steadfast support of Holy Rosary and Casa Italiana over the years.
Refreshments for the reception were provided by Filippo and Maddalena Leo of Filippo's Italian Specialties in Wheaton, Md.
How five Georgetown University students define their cultural identity
Continued from page 3 but that does not mean that they cannot identify as Italian Americans, she said. Rather, she believes, their Italian American identity manifests itself in other ways.
Embracing their roots
According to the interviewees, now that Italian Americans are fully integrated and have achieved considerable success in society, third and fourth generation Italian Americans have an interest in learning Italian to further connect with their heritage. Sara points to her decision to pursue an Italian major at Georgetown as one of the biggest testaments to her commitment to embrace her roots. Like Sara, many of the other students talked about their Italian background as a large motivation to enroll in Italian language and culture courses. They do so to deepen their understanding of their culture.
Many of the students are also members of Circolo Italiano, Georgetown’s Italian culture club, which provides opportunities for Italian American students to unite through cultural activities. The Club’s weekly Chiacchiere e Caffè program allows students to practice Italian conversation while sipping fresh espresso. For these Italian Americans, culture rather than language has become the basis of identity, but at the same time they are also part of a trend to connect to their roots and honor their ancestors by learning the Italian language.
Ralph stated that taking a class on Italian Pop Culture has made him “feel somewhere in between a tourist and a sense of belonging.” While he feels strongly about his Italian American identity, learning more about contemporary Italy has made the distinctiveness of the Italian American culture obvious. The experience of Italian Americans is vastly different from Italians, particularly as the generations become more ethnically mixed, he noted.
Media stereotyping
Another unifying factor among the students was their shared disappointment with the damaging portrayal of Italian Americans in the media, particularly mafia-related entertainment and shows like Jersey Shore, which present a skewed vision of Italian American life and culture. This type of media reinforces many negative stereotypes that depict Italian Americans as either dumb or in the mob.
The students agreed that it is disrespectful and a serious issue since it “extends to real life and how people view our culture,” according to one participant. Sara expressed her dislike of this type of media, saying, “It baffles me why [Italian American] people don’t take it more seriously. It makes me so uncomfortable.” Rather than focusing on the numerous success stories of Italian Americans in every field, from Joe DiMaggio to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the negative media representation leads to an ill-informed understanding of the culture.
Ralph put this shared perspective concisely, “When the story is not told by someone who is Italian American, and it is someone who is just doing it for the views and for the laughs, it disempowers Italian Americans from being able to tell their own stories…there is no academic literature around [Italian Americans]…the story of Italian Americans in the U.S. is told by the Godfather and Jersey Shore, and that’s it.”
The insights of these Georgetown students on their Italian American ethnic identity and their conscious efforts to understand the distinct nature of their cultural traditions and values, show that perhaps young Italian Americans are not forgetting to keep their culture and traditions alive. This group, at least, is enthusiastically embracing their Italian American identity and actively preserving and promoting their ancestral heritage and culture.
Local Italian Studies class tours Italian American Museum of Washington DC (IAMDC)
Students of Italian at Columbia Heights Educational Campus High School visit IAMDC. Second row, left, teacher Alessandra Di Vetta. Seated, right, museum director Liz DiGregorio. Top right, Federica Petracci, director of Casa Italiana Ente Promotore.
An Italian studies class and their teacher, Alessandra Di Vetta, from Columbia Heights Educational Campus High School recently toured the Italian American Museum of Washington DC. The ninth-through-twelfth graders study Italian as part of a multi-cultural curriculum taught by Ms. Di Vetta. Liz DiGregorio, IAMDC director, and Anna Isgro, curator, guided the group through the museum.
After the tour, the group gathered in the Giovanni Falcone conference room and participated in a lively discussion about the museum's themes, and how the struggles and resilience of the early Italian immigrants mirror, in many ways, the stories of America’s immigrants today.
They were joined by Federica Petracci, Director of the Casa Italiana Ente Promotore, which supports the teaching of Italian language and culture in area schools with funding from the Italian government.
Italy celebrates annual Italian language week and Italian cuisine week
The 22nd edition of The Week of Italian Language in the World, a celebration of Italian language and creativity, was held in midOctober, followed by the Seventh Annual Week of Italian Cuisine in mid-November. Hundreds of events were held in conjunction with those celebrations across the entire United States, including at the Embassy of Italy in Washngton, D.C.
The theme for this year's cusine week was sustainability. At one session at the Embassy, a panel of experts discussed innovations and technology for sustainable food production, and ingredients for healthy Italian cuisine for individuals and the planet. The panel was moderated by Anastasia Dellaccio, co-owner of Dolci Gelati.
A tasting of authentic Italian products followed the discussion.
Community Franco Nuschese's Cafe Milano: 30 years of glittery success in Georgetown
Cafe Milano founder Franco Nuschese welcomes 500 guests to his restaurant's 30th anniversary bash.
Franco Nuschese, founder of the iconic Cafe Milano, celebrated the restaurant's 30th anniversary with a glitzy gathering of 500 guests, including celebrities, rap and pop singers, politicians, news anchors, Ambassadors, and numerous other notables.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled by all of the love you are giving me tonight,” Nuschese said. “But I want you to know one thing — this party is for you.
Gemma Puglisi named WWPR Woman of Year
Gemma Puglisi, Assistant Professor of Public Communication at American University and a member of the Board of the National Organization of Italian American Women, was recently named the 2022 Woman of the Year by Washington Women in Public Relations (WWPR). We would not be here tonight if it wasn’t for you and for all the support you have given us over the last 30 years.”
Jonathan Karl, ABC News Washington chief, was emcee for the evening. Jazz musician Frédéric Yonnet and his band provided the entertainment. Awardwinning Hamilton performer Paul Oakley Stovall surprised Nuschese with a solo of “The Room Where it Happens,” and rapper Doug E. Fresh performed.
Newt Gingrich, Anthony Fauci, British Ambassador Karen Pierce, and Kellyanne Conway, to name a few, were spotted in the crowd. Mayor Muriel Bowser presented Nuschese with an anniversary plaque, and President Joe Biden sent a congratulatory note.
