Umberto Mucci has a degree in Political Sciences International Address and an Advanced degree in Marketing and Communication. He is the Founder and CEO of We the Italians. He represents in Italy the Italian American Museum of New York. He has been the co-director of “èItalia for USA”, a bimestral magazine regarding Italy in the US, and is Founder and has been Secretary General of Fondazione Roma Europea. He has been Head of International Relations of Innovarte for the exhibition “Italian Logos – Testimonies of the art to excel”, and Head of the Diplomatic section of the magazine “Romacapitale”. He is guest lecturer at Accent, where he lectures about the Italian emigration in the US and about the actual Italian presence in the US to students from Michigan State University, University of Minnesota and Santa Barbara City College. Address: Rome, Lazio, Italy
In the Italian American community, where traditions are a fundamental part of the rich cultural h... more In the Italian American community, where traditions are a fundamental part of the rich cultural heritage that proudly claim those who are part of it, folklore has a particular importance, which is sometimes difficult to understand here from Italy, where we unfortunately often neglect the importance of our traditions. The Italian Folk Art Federation of America was founded to bring together and give voice to this aspect, and it is for We the Italians reason of particular satisfaction to be able to host Leslie Gigliotti, President and CEO of this important institution. Leslie, you are the President of the Italian Folk Art Federation of America. Please tell us about this association and its mission, when it was born and how it is structured The Italian Folk Art Federation of America was founded in 1979 as an outgrowth of an Italian Folk Art Project initiated in 1977 at the Nationalities Service Center (NSC) of Philadelphia. With the assistance of the NSC and the leadership and guidance of Cav. Elba Farabegoli Gurzau, IFAFA was created. We are super excited to be celebrating our 40 th anniversary next year! Our organization was created to preserve and foster interest in all Italian folk arts; to research Italian folklore, traditions, costumes, dances, songs, instruments, etc.; to act as a center for gathering, storing and disseminating the information; and to bring together Italian folk performing groups and other interested individuals. We are a member of the Federazione Italiana di Tradizioni Popolari (Italian Federation of Popular Traditions) in Rome, Italy. IFAFA is a registered non-profit and structured not as chapters, but as individual memberships. We govern with an executive team and board of directors. All of us are volunteers which is incredible! Many of us have full time jobs and families but we love IFAFA and believe in its mission. At present our membership is all based in the United States but we know that the rest of North America is opportunity for us to engage with people who share our same passions. Our membership is not limited to Italians and Italian Americans. We are all Italophiles and/or lovers of the folk arts. Everyone is welcome! When I first joined the organization in 2004, I was amazed by the diversity of the membership. I met people at my very first conference in Philadelphia who joined IFAFA because of their
L'Italia è la più grande superpotenza enogastronomica del pianeta: è difficile che qualcuno non s... more L'Italia è la più grande superpotenza enogastronomica del pianeta: è difficile che qualcuno non sia d'accordo con questa affermazione. Ma il cibo non è solo nutrimento: è cultura, integrazione, dialogo, innovazione. E anche da questo punto di vista, l'Italia ha eccellenze che guardano al futuro con leadership e talento. Uno di questi è Marco Gualtieri, creatore di " Seeds&Chips " : uno degli eventi di riferimento a livello mondiale nel campo della Food Innovation. Marco è anche uno dei tantissimi italiani ad avere un particolare rapporto di amore con gli Stati Uniti. Noi siamo lieti di ospitarlo su We the Italians, e lo ringraziamo per quello che fa e per la sua amicizia Marco, il cibo è a tutti gli effetti parte del patrimonio culturale di un Paese. Il filosofo Feuerbach asseriva che " L'alimento è il fondamento della cultura e del sentimento… Noi siamo quello che mangiamo ". L'Italia è, da questo punti di vista, il Paese più ricco del mondo, per distacco. Cosa pensi che si dovrebbe fare per valorizzare questo fattore attrattivo, pensando a come siamo percepiti nel mondo? Ancora prima di Feuerbach e con una angolatura evidentemente diversa perché legata alla salute, la stessa cosa la diceva Ippocrate. Oggi per valorizzare ed evidenziare entrambi gli aspetti abbiamo a disposizione qualcosa che prima non c'era: la tecnologia intesa come il digitale, i big data, l'intelligenza artificiale, l'Iot; infatti se da una parte questa ci apre un orizzonte immenso nel conoscere e capire le relazioni tra cibo e salute, dall'altro ci può aiutare a comunicare direttamente a raccontare e fare conoscere la storia, le tradizioni, le origini ed i processi produttivi del nostro cibo e del nostro sistema agroalimentare. L'ampia e crescente disponibilità di questi strumenti si palesa in un momento di grande cambiamento, che penso sia irreversibile, nel quale i consumatori pretendono di conoscere chi e cosa c'è dietro ed attorno ad un prodotto alimentare. L'Italia per le sue caratteristiche pertanto non solo può, ma deve cogliere questa opportunità valorizzando le tipicità ed in molti casi l'unicità del proprio sistema e modello. Lo può fare usando propriamente le tecnologie a disposizione, in primis il digitale, ma anche non arrivando anche questa volta in ritardo con l'utilizzo di quelle più emergenti come può essere l'esempio della blockchain che applicata al food è uno straordinario sistema di certificazione così come lo sarà anche di tracciabilità. Ma come sempre accade, non è sufficiente solo avere gli strumenti a disposizione, bisogna saperli usare. Nel nostro caso l'errore più grande (insieme a quello drammatico e per me incomprensibile di non riuscire a fare sistema!) è quello di dare le cose per scontato. Troppo spesso non solo, infatti, ce la raccontiamo tra di noi di quanto il nostro cibo sia il più buono e sano al mondo, ma siamo convinti che il mondo lo condivida e lo sappia. E' invece fondamentale cambiare questo paradigma quasi come se si dovesse partire da zero ed iniziare a raccontarci in un modo nuovo e non scontato.
Italy is the greatest food and wine superpower of the planet: it's hard to find somebody who disa... more Italy is the greatest food and wine superpower of the planet: it's hard to find somebody who disagrees with this statement. But food is not just nourishment: food is culture, integration, dialogue and innovation. And, also from this point of view, Italy has excellences that look towards the future with leadership and talent. One of them is Marco Gualtieri, creator of "Seeds&Chips": one of the world's leading events in the field of Food Innovation. Marco is also one of the many Italians who has a special love relationship with the United States. We are pleased to host him on We the Italians, and we thank him for what he does and for his friendship Marco, food is effectively a part of the cultural heritage of a country. Indeed, it was the philosopher Feuerbach who stated that, "Food is the foundation of culture and sentiment ... We are what we eat." By this account, Italy is the richest country in the world by far. What do you think needs to be done to enhance this, considering how we are perceived by the world? Even before Feuerbach, though certainly from a different perspective as it was linked to health, the same thing was said by Hippocrates. Today, we have something that was not present before that enhances both of those aspects: technology. That comprises digital resources, big data, artificial intelligence, along with many other elements. On one hand, this opens up an immense horizon in knowledge and understanding of the relationships between food and health; on the other hand, it can help us communicate directly to communicate the history, traditions, origins and production processes of our food and agri-food system. The wide range and growing availability of these tools portend a moment of great change, which I think is irreversible, in which consumers want to know who and what is behind and around a food product.
Let's go back to the topic of regional emigration and after Sicily, Abruzzo and Puglia, this time... more Let's go back to the topic of regional emigration and after Sicily, Abruzzo and Puglia, this time we talk about the emigration from Lucania (Basilicata) to America. We do this thanks to a documentary produced and realized, with the contribution of the Basilicata Region, by a young talented Lucanian, Ileana Disabato, whom we thank and to whom we give our warm welcome on We the Italians.
San Francisco has always been an important location for the Italian emigration. History is mixed ... more San Francisco has always been an important location for the Italian emigration. History is mixed with innovation, and both tell the story of how Italian hard work and creativity are rewarded by the entrepreneurial spirit that finds a perfect welcome in San Francisco and its surroundings. Consul Lorenzo Ortona heads the Italian Consulate General in charge for northern California and other areas of the American West. We thank him for his availability and we welcome him with friendship on We the Italians. Consul Ortona, you have been serving as Consul General in San Francisco for almost two years now. We met in Rome even before you left: our question is, what exactly is it about San Francisco that has confirmed your expectations; and what, if anything, was a surprise that you discovered? As far as the first part is concerned, I can cite an aspect that my predecessor had also described to me, and that has been absolutely confirmed even beyond my expectations: the dynamism of the Italians in the San Francisco bay area, and at the same time, the deep and ancient roots of the Italian American community in the territory.
In the Italian American community, where traditions are a fundamental part of the rich cultural h... more In the Italian American community, where traditions are a fundamental part of the rich cultural heritage that proudly claim those who are part of it, folklore has a particular importance, which is sometimes difficult to understand here from Italy, where we unfortunately often neglect the importance of our traditions. The Italian Folk Art Federation of America was founded to bring together and give voice to this aspect, and it is for We the Italians reason of particular satisfaction to be able to host Leslie Gigliotti, President and CEO of this important institution. Leslie, you are the President of the Italian Folk Art Federation of America. Please tell us about this association and its mission, when it was born and how it is structured The Italian Folk Art Federation of America was founded in 1979 as an outgrowth of an Italian Folk Art Project initiated in 1977 at the Nationalities Service Center (NSC) of Philadelphia. With the assistance of the NSC and the leadership and guidance of Cav. Elba Farabegoli Gurzau, IFAFA was created. We are super excited to be celebrating our 40 th anniversary next year! Our organization was created to preserve and foster interest in all Italian folk arts; to research Italian folklore, traditions, costumes, dances, songs, instruments, etc.; to act as a center for gathering, storing and disseminating the information; and to bring together Italian folk performing groups and other interested individuals. We are a member of the Federazione Italiana di Tradizioni Popolari (Italian Federation of Popular Traditions) in Rome, Italy. IFAFA is a registered non-profit and structured not as chapters, but as individual memberships. We govern with an executive team and board of directors. All of us are volunteers which is incredible! Many of us have full time jobs and families but we love IFAFA and believe in its mission. At present our membership is all based in the United States but we know that the rest of North America is opportunity for us to engage with people who share our same passions. Our membership is not limited to Italians and Italian Americans. We are all Italophiles and/or lovers of the folk arts. Everyone is welcome! When I first joined the organization in 2004, I was amazed by the diversity of the membership. I met people at my very first conference in Philadelphia who joined IFAFA because of their
L'Italia è la più grande superpotenza enogastronomica del pianeta: è difficile che qualcuno non s... more L'Italia è la più grande superpotenza enogastronomica del pianeta: è difficile che qualcuno non sia d'accordo con questa affermazione. Ma il cibo non è solo nutrimento: è cultura, integrazione, dialogo, innovazione. E anche da questo punto di vista, l'Italia ha eccellenze che guardano al futuro con leadership e talento. Uno di questi è Marco Gualtieri, creatore di " Seeds&Chips " : uno degli eventi di riferimento a livello mondiale nel campo della Food Innovation. Marco è anche uno dei tantissimi italiani ad avere un particolare rapporto di amore con gli Stati Uniti. Noi siamo lieti di ospitarlo su We the Italians, e lo ringraziamo per quello che fa e per la sua amicizia Marco, il cibo è a tutti gli effetti parte del patrimonio culturale di un Paese. Il filosofo Feuerbach asseriva che " L'alimento è il fondamento della cultura e del sentimento… Noi siamo quello che mangiamo ". L'Italia è, da questo punti di vista, il Paese più ricco del mondo, per distacco. Cosa pensi che si dovrebbe fare per valorizzare questo fattore attrattivo, pensando a come siamo percepiti nel mondo? Ancora prima di Feuerbach e con una angolatura evidentemente diversa perché legata alla salute, la stessa cosa la diceva Ippocrate. Oggi per valorizzare ed evidenziare entrambi gli aspetti abbiamo a disposizione qualcosa che prima non c'era: la tecnologia intesa come il digitale, i big data, l'intelligenza artificiale, l'Iot; infatti se da una parte questa ci apre un orizzonte immenso nel conoscere e capire le relazioni tra cibo e salute, dall'altro ci può aiutare a comunicare direttamente a raccontare e fare conoscere la storia, le tradizioni, le origini ed i processi produttivi del nostro cibo e del nostro sistema agroalimentare. L'ampia e crescente disponibilità di questi strumenti si palesa in un momento di grande cambiamento, che penso sia irreversibile, nel quale i consumatori pretendono di conoscere chi e cosa c'è dietro ed attorno ad un prodotto alimentare. L'Italia per le sue caratteristiche pertanto non solo può, ma deve cogliere questa opportunità valorizzando le tipicità ed in molti casi l'unicità del proprio sistema e modello. Lo può fare usando propriamente le tecnologie a disposizione, in primis il digitale, ma anche non arrivando anche questa volta in ritardo con l'utilizzo di quelle più emergenti come può essere l'esempio della blockchain che applicata al food è uno straordinario sistema di certificazione così come lo sarà anche di tracciabilità. Ma come sempre accade, non è sufficiente solo avere gli strumenti a disposizione, bisogna saperli usare. Nel nostro caso l'errore più grande (insieme a quello drammatico e per me incomprensibile di non riuscire a fare sistema!) è quello di dare le cose per scontato. Troppo spesso non solo, infatti, ce la raccontiamo tra di noi di quanto il nostro cibo sia il più buono e sano al mondo, ma siamo convinti che il mondo lo condivida e lo sappia. E' invece fondamentale cambiare questo paradigma quasi come se si dovesse partire da zero ed iniziare a raccontarci in un modo nuovo e non scontato.
Italy is the greatest food and wine superpower of the planet: it's hard to find somebody who disa... more Italy is the greatest food and wine superpower of the planet: it's hard to find somebody who disagrees with this statement. But food is not just nourishment: food is culture, integration, dialogue and innovation. And, also from this point of view, Italy has excellences that look towards the future with leadership and talent. One of them is Marco Gualtieri, creator of "Seeds&Chips": one of the world's leading events in the field of Food Innovation. Marco is also one of the many Italians who has a special love relationship with the United States. We are pleased to host him on We the Italians, and we thank him for what he does and for his friendship Marco, food is effectively a part of the cultural heritage of a country. Indeed, it was the philosopher Feuerbach who stated that, "Food is the foundation of culture and sentiment ... We are what we eat." By this account, Italy is the richest country in the world by far. What do you think needs to be done to enhance this, considering how we are perceived by the world? Even before Feuerbach, though certainly from a different perspective as it was linked to health, the same thing was said by Hippocrates. Today, we have something that was not present before that enhances both of those aspects: technology. That comprises digital resources, big data, artificial intelligence, along with many other elements. On one hand, this opens up an immense horizon in knowledge and understanding of the relationships between food and health; on the other hand, it can help us communicate directly to communicate the history, traditions, origins and production processes of our food and agri-food system. The wide range and growing availability of these tools portend a moment of great change, which I think is irreversible, in which consumers want to know who and what is behind and around a food product.
Let's go back to the topic of regional emigration and after Sicily, Abruzzo and Puglia, this time... more Let's go back to the topic of regional emigration and after Sicily, Abruzzo and Puglia, this time we talk about the emigration from Lucania (Basilicata) to America. We do this thanks to a documentary produced and realized, with the contribution of the Basilicata Region, by a young talented Lucanian, Ileana Disabato, whom we thank and to whom we give our warm welcome on We the Italians.
San Francisco has always been an important location for the Italian emigration. History is mixed ... more San Francisco has always been an important location for the Italian emigration. History is mixed with innovation, and both tell the story of how Italian hard work and creativity are rewarded by the entrepreneurial spirit that finds a perfect welcome in San Francisco and its surroundings. Consul Lorenzo Ortona heads the Italian Consulate General in charge for northern California and other areas of the American West. We thank him for his availability and we welcome him with friendship on We the Italians. Consul Ortona, you have been serving as Consul General in San Francisco for almost two years now. We met in Rome even before you left: our question is, what exactly is it about San Francisco that has confirmed your expectations; and what, if anything, was a surprise that you discovered? As far as the first part is concerned, I can cite an aspect that my predecessor had also described to me, and that has been absolutely confirmed even beyond my expectations: the dynamism of the Italians in the San Francisco bay area, and at the same time, the deep and ancient roots of the Italian American community in the territory.
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