Adelegation headed by The American University of Rome (AUR) Board of Trustees’ President Joseph Del Raso, and including AUR Trustees Gabe Battista and Domenico Oliva, and AUR Honorary Degree recipients Vincent Viola and Robert Carlucci, was received by Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano today as part of the Gianicolo celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification.
The delegation met President Napolitano by the statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s wife, Anita, and presented him with a faithful reproduction of the first Italian flag ever waved in the United States. The flag has a historic value. It was raised on the highest mast of the Caroline ship as it was entering the port of New York on March 14, 1848. The ship had set off from Palermo and its Commander, Corrao, hostile towards the Bourbon regime, decided to wave the flag in protest, to mark the arrival in New York. The gesture was enthusiastically welcomed by Italian expatriates in New York, many of whom had fled their country following the rises of 1821 and 1831.
The reproduction handed to President Napolitano was embroidered with the sentence, in Italian, 26 million of Italian Americans proud of their Italian origins. 1861– 2011 and was presented as an homage from the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), representing Italians in the US and chaired by Mr. Del Raso.
“Italian Americans appreciate President Napolitano very much for the friendship and sensitivity he has always shown us,” said Del Raso. ”That’s why we are pleased to honor him with this symbolic flag, which testifies the attachment of Italian Americans and their felt participation to the 150th anniversary.”
From left: Giorgio Napolitano, President of the Italian Republic, Francesco Nicotra, NIAF representative in Italy, Paolo Catalfamo, Chairman of Investar Group. From right: Joseph Del Raso, President of NIAF and Chairman of AUR’s Board of Trustees, Vincent Viola, Vice Chairman of NIAF. Photo courtesy of Il Messaggero
