Italy–USA Foundation (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Fondazione Italia USA'') is a non-profit

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers s ...

organization based in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, established to promote friendship between

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

and

Americans Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...

plus American culture in

Organization

The foundation's president is Mauro della Porta Raffo, and its Vice Presidents are Emilio Carelli, Gabriella Giammanco, Dario Stefano and Gianpaolo Vallardi. The Secretary General and founder is Corrado Maria Daclon. The President of the Scientific Committee is Alain Elkann, the Vice Presidents of the Scientific Committee are Stefania Giannini and

Franco Bassanini Franco Bassanini (born 9 May 1940, in Milan) is an Italian lawyer, politician, minister and undersecretary of state. Career Bassanini was a deputy from 1979 to 1996 and a senator from 1996 to 2006. He served as the minister of public administrat ...

, and the Secretary of the Scientific Committee is Antonio Martino.

Activities

The foundation organizes meetings between Italian members of Parliament and US Senators and Representatives to discuss legislation and cultural issues; these include meetings with

American Legislative Exchange Council The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments in the United State ...

(ALEC) members. The foundation cooperates with many American universities, like

John Cabot University John Cabot University (JCU) is a private American-style university in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1972 and it offers undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and study abroad programs to English-speaking students. The university has more tha ...

and Loyola University Chicago through the

John Felice Rome Center The John Felice Rome Center is a campus of Loyola University Chicago in Rome, Italy. The center was founded as CIVIS (Casa Italiana Viaggi Internazionali Studenti) in January 1962, hosted on premises built for the Olympic Village of the 1960 Summ ...

, for projects, conferences, staging. The scientific committee consists of more than 30 members, including some Italian scientists, politicians, diplomats, and journalists, for example

Paolo Mieli Paolo Mieli (born 25 February 1949) is an Italian journalist who has been editor of Italy's leading newspaper, ''Corriere della Sera''. Born in Milan, Mieli debuted as journalist at 18 for ''L'Espresso'', where he remained for some 20 years. As ...

, Stefania Giannini, Vincenzo Camporini, Fiamma Nirenstein, Aurelio De Laurentiis, Giuliano da Empoli, Beatrice Trussardi,

Mario Capecchi Mario Ramberg Capecchi (born 6 October 1937) is an Italian-born molecular geneticist and a co-awardee of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a method to create mice in which a specific gene is turned off, known as knock ...

Giampaolo Di Paola Giampaolo Di Paola (born 15 August 1944) is an Italian naval officer who served in the government of Italy as minister of defense from November 2011 to April 2013. He was the Italian military's Chief of Staff from 10 March 2004 to 8 February 20 ...

, Carlo Cracco,

Giulio Tremonti Giulio Tremonti () (born 18 August 1947) is an Italian politician. He served in the government of Italy as Minister of Economy and Finance under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2004, from 2005 to 2006, and from 20 ...

, Carlo Scognamiglio,

Francesco Paolo Fulci Francesco Paolo Fulci (19 March 1931 – 21 January 2022) was an Italian diplomat who served as Ambassador to the United Nations. Education Fulci graduated with honours in law in 1953 from the University of Messina and obtained a master's deg ...

, Edward Luttwak,

Dante Ferretti Dante Ferretti (, born 26 February 1943) is an Italian production designer, art director, and costume designer. Biography Throughout his career, Ferretti has worked with many acclaimed directors, both American and Italian, including; Pier Paolo ...

Antonio Marzano Antonio Marzano (born 18 February 1935) is an Italian economist, academic and politician, who served as the minister of productive activities in the second cabinet of Silvio Berlusconi from 2001 to 2005. Early life and education Marzano was bor ...

Carla Fendi Carla Fendi (July 12, 1937 – June 19, 2017) was an Italian fashion executive and philanthropist who worked for Fendi, along with her sisters and parents. She was also well known for her philanthropy. Biography Carla Fendi was born on July 12, ...

, Antonio Martino, Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo,

Carlo Rubbia Carlo Rubbia (born 31 March 1934) is an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Simon van der Meer for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN. Early life and educa ...

Margherita Missoni Margherita Maccapani Missoni Amos (born February 22, 1983) is an Italian fashion designer, model, socialite and heiress to her family's Missoni fashion house, which was founded by her grandparents Ottavio Missoni and Rosita Missoni Jelmini. Misso ...

Carlo Pelanda Carlo A. Pelanda (born April 17, 1951 in Tolmezzo, Italy) is an Italian professor of Political Science and Economics. Biography Pelanda received a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Trieste where he specialized in Strategic Stu ...

. The Director of the Scientific Committee is Emilio Iodice, a former American diplomat, best-selling author, professor and business leader. The foundation is a member of the

United Nations Academic Impact The United Nations Academic Impact, also known by its acronym UNAI, is a United Nations initiative to align institutions of higher education, scholarship and research with the United Nations and with each other. In the words of former United Nat ...

and also promotes the ''Leadership per le relazioni internazionali e il Made in Italy'' Master's degree, directed by the former minister Stefania Giannini. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

sent to the Secretary General of the Foundation, at the end of his presidency, a letter to thank the Foundation for the support since his 2008 campaign and election: "Michelle and I have many fond memories of our visits to Italy during the Administration, and we are touched by your and the Italy-USA Foundation's support and inspired by the work".

America Award

The Italy–USA Foundation promote yearly in Italy the America Award (

: ''Premio America''), a recognition under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic. The award is mainly seen as a means to acknowledge and encourage initiatives and work aimed at favoring relationships between Europe and the United States of America. Clearly famous, eminent figures that have distinguished themselves in their work and have achieved the utmost excellence in their respective fields of interested and activities, are considered.

Ceremony

The ceremony is held in

, at Chamber of Deputies, the Italian Parliament. The Italy–USA Foundation, in the frame of the America Award, also confer three sterling silver medals of the President of the Chamber of Deputies to three students of American universities. The prize is an exclusive work of art in sterling silver, rose bronze and palladium, representing a

Caravel The caravel (Portuguese: , ) is a small maneuverable sailing ship used in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing win ...

with the American flag.The America Award on the website of the Italy-USA Foundation
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Laureates

Among the winners

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

Walter Veltroni Walter Veltroni (; born 3 July 1955) is an Italian writer, film director, journalist, and politician, who served as the first leader of the Democratic Party within the centre-left opposition, until his resignation on 17 February 2009. He serv ...

, Umberto Paolucci, Pier Francesco Guarguaglini,

Umberto Veronesi Umberto Veronesi (; 28 November 1925 – 8 November 2016) was an Italian oncologist, physician, scientist and politician, internationally known for his contributions on prevention and treatment of breast cancer throughout a career spanning ove ...

, Antonio Campo Dall'Orto, Ennio Morricone, Franco Frattini, Rinaldo Petrignani,

Maria Grazia Cucinotta Maria Grazia Cucinotta (; born 27 July 1968) is an Italian actress who has featured in films and television series since 1990. She has also worked as a film producer, screenwriter and model. Internationally she is best known for her roles in ' ...

, Luciano Pavarotti, Igor Man, Luisa Todini,

Paolo Limiti Paolo Mario Limiti (8 May 1940 – 27 June 2017) was an Italian lyricist, journalist, radio and television writer and presenter. Born in Milan, Limiti begin his career as a journalist, then in 1960 he started a long collaboration with Mike Bongi ...

, Piero Fassino, Renzo Arbore, Justine Mattera, Renato Balestra, Massimo Ferragamo, Antonio Di Bella, Emilio Carelli, Alain Elkann,

Oriana Fallaci Oriana Fallaci (; 29 June 1929 – 15 September 2006) was an Italian journalist and author. A partisan during World War II, she had a long and successful journalistic career. Fallaci became famous worldwide for her coverage of war and revolution ...

Emma Bonino Emma Bonino (born 9 March 1948) is an Italian politician. A senator for Rome, she served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2014. Previously, she was a Member of the European Parliament and a member of the Chamber of Deputies. She serve ...

Laura Biagiotti Laura Biagiotti (; 4 August 1943 – 26 May 2017) was an Italian fashion designer, and the founder of the House of Biagiotti. Early life Biagiotti was born in Rome on 4 August 1943. Her mother Delia Soldaini Biagiotti was a successful dressm ...

Mike Bongiorno Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an Italian-American television host. After a few experiences in the US, he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host in Ital ...

, Maria Laura Baccarini, Franca Sozzani,

Jeremy Rifkin Jeremy Rifkin (born January 26, 1945) is an American economic and social theorist, writer, public speaker, political advisor, and activist. Rifkin is the author of 23 books about the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, ...

, Peter F. Secchia, Carlo Rossella,

, Edward Luttwak,

Alison Smale Alison Smale is a British journalist. From 2017 until 2019, she served as the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations Department of Public Information. Appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on ...

, Jo Champa, Lapo Elkann,

Paul Bremer Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941) is an American diplomat. He led the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, from May 2003 until June 2004. Early life and education Born on ...

Gianni Riotta Gianni Riotta (born 1954 in Palermo, Italy) is an Italian journalist, a regular contributor for the daily newspaper La Stampa and a former editor-in-chief of the financial newspaper ''Il Sole 24 Ore'', Rai 3 and the news bulletin TG1. He has c ...

, Guido Damiani, Oscar Farinetti,

Alan Friedman Alan Friedman (; born April 30, 1956) is an American journalist, author, documentary writer and producer, TV anchor and former media and public relations executive. Early life and education Friedman was born in New York City from a Jewish f ...

Gianni Versace Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-u ...

Gianni Letta Gianni Letta (born 15 April 1935) is an Italian journalist and politician. He is a close advisor of Silvio Berlusconi and a member of the advisory board of Goldman Sachs International. Biography After graduating in law, he started working as a ...

Roberta Pinotti Roberta Pinotti (born 20 May 1961) is an Italian politician, member of the Democratic Party. From 22 February 2014 to 1 June 2018 she served as the Italian Minister of Defence in the governments of Matteo Renzi and Paolo Gentiloni. Early life ...

Mel Sembler Melvin Floyd Sembler (born May 10, 1930) is an American former diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Italy (2001–2005), and Ambassador to Australia and Nauru (1989–1993). He has also served as chairman of the board of the Sembler ...

Frank Joseph Guarini Frank Joseph Guarini (born August 20, 1924) is an American Democratic Party politician, who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives, where he represented the Fourteenth Congressional District for seven terms from 19 ...

, Sergio Leone, Frank Sinatra,

Gabriella Pession Gabriella Pession (born November 2, 1977) is an American-born Italian actress. Biography Gabriella Pession was born in Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west ...

Paolo Nespoli Major Paolo Angelo Nespoli (born 6 April 1957) is an Italian astronaut and engineer of the European Space Agency (ESA). In 2007, he first traveled into space aboard the Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' as a mission specialist of STS-120. In December ...

, Vittorio Zucconi,

Mario Moretti Polegato Mario Moretti Polegato (born 16 August 1952 in Crocetta del Montello, Italy) is an Italian entrepreneur, active in the footwear sector, who founded the company Geox of which he is the president. According to Forbes magazine, in 2014 he ranks ...

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

Nicola Bulgari Nicola Bulgari (born 1941) is an Italian billionaire businessman and grandson of Sotirios Bulgari, founder of the luxury brand Bulgari. Early life and education Nicola Bulgari was born in Rome in 1941, the third son of Giorgio Bulgari (1890–1 ...

, Stefania Giannini,

Uto Ughi Bruto Diodato "Uto" Ughi (; born 21 January 1944) is an Italian violinist and conductor. He was the music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia between 1987 and 1992. He is considered one of Italy's greatest living ...

, Kathryn Iacocca,

Tony Renis Tony Renis (born 13 May 1938), stage name of Elio Cesari, is an Italian singer, composer, music producer and film actor. Life and career Renis was born in Milan. In the mid-1950s he met with Adriano Celentano, and the two started performing an i ...

, Lucia Annunziata, Ronald Spogli,

George Lombardi George "Guido" Lombardi (born 1950s) is an American real estate investor who is an advisor to Donald Trump. He is credited with launching social media groups supporting Trump's candidacy for U.S. president in 2016, such as "Latinos for Trump", thou ...

, Bebe Vio,

Joe Bastianich Joseph Bastianich (born September 17, 1968) is an American restaurateur, winemaker, author, television personality, and musician. He, along with his mother and business partner Lidia Bastianich, co-owns thirty restaurants in four countries, incl ...

Alberta Ferretti Alberta Ferretti (; ) is an Italian fashion designer and dressmaker. She designs for her namesake brand Alberta Ferretti, and designed for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti until 2014. Her showroom is in Milan, Italy but her studio is in her na ...

, Silvio Garattini, Valentina Cervi,

Federico Marchetti (businessman) Federico Marchetti (born 21 February 1969) is an Italian businessman who founded and, until July 2021, was chairman and CEO of YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group. Education and early career Federico Marchetti was born in 1969 and raised in Ravenna, Italy. ...

, Bruno Vespa,

Alessandro Benetton Alessandro Benetton (born 2 March 1964) is an Italian businessman. He served as Chairman of the Benetton Group from April 2012 to May 2014. Early life Alessandro Benetton is the son of Luciano Benetton and Maria Teresa Maestri. He attended univ ...

Dario Franceschini Dario Franceschini (; born 19 October 1958) is an Italian lawyer, writer, and politician, member of the Democratic Party (PD), of which he briefly became leader in 2009. Franceschini served as Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and T ...

Christian De Sica Christian De Sica (; born 5 January 1951) is an Italian actor and film director. Life De Sica was born in Rome the second son of Italian director Vittorio De Sica and Spanish actress María Mercader. His first cousin once removed was Ramón ...

, Antonin Scalia, John R. Phillips (attorney),

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the 24th Prime Minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the 12th Secretary General of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became CEO of polit ...

, Veronica Mainetti, Gualtiero Marchesi,

Giovanni Allevi Giovanni Allevi (; born April 9, 1969) is an Italian pianist and composer. His song "O Generosa" is the current theme tune of the top flight of Italian football, Serie A. Biography Education Allevi attained a first-class diploma both in piano a ...

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman, former Chairman of Ferrari, and formerly Chairman of Fiat S.p.A. and President of Confindustria and FIEG. He comes from an aristocratic family from the region of Piedmo ...

Alberto Angela Alberto Angela (; born 8 April 1962) is an Italian paleontologist, writer and journalist. Angela is a famous history and science communicator in Italy. Biography Alberto Angela was born in Paris, where his father worked as correspondent for ...

, Nerio Alessandri, Marco Bussetti,

Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Prince of Venice Emanuele Filiberto Umberto Reza Ciro René Maria di Savoia (born 22 June 1972)''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIV. "Haus Italien". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, pp. 33, 38–39. .Willis, Daniel, ''The Descendants of Louis ...

, Maria Latella,

Danny Quinn Danny Quinn (born Daniele Anthony Quinn; 16 April 1964) is a Mexican-Italian actor. He is the son of Anthony Quinn.http://articles.philly.com/1997-08-20/living/25567777_1_kathy-benvin-fayed-dodi Since 1986, he has appeared in more than twenty fi ...

Brunello Cucinelli Brunello Cucinelli (; born 3 September 1953 in Castel Rigone) is an Italian luxury creative director and the chief executive of his eponymous made in Italy brand, Brunello Cucinelli. He donates 20% of his profits through the Brunello Cucine ...

, José María Aznar,

Curtis Scaparrotti Curtis Michael "Mike" Scaparrotti (born March 5, 1956) is a retired United States Army four-star general who last served as the Commander of United States European Command. He concurrently served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Scaparr ...

, Carlo Cracco, Ilaria Capua, Luca Maestri, Jean Claude Trichet, Alessandro Minuto Rizzo,

Massimo Bottura Massimo Bottura (; born 30 September 1962) is an Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label= Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is ...

Valentina Vezzali Maria Valentina Vezzali (; born 14 February 1974) is an Italian politician and retired fencer. As a fencer, Vezzali won six Olympic gold medals and was a 16-time World Champion in foil. She is one of only five athletes in the history of the Summ ...

Umberto Guidoni Umberto Guidoni (born 18 August 1954 in Rome) is an Italian astrophysicist, science writer and a former ESA astronaut, being the first European to visit the International Space Station. He is a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions. He was ...

Prosecution of Amanda Knox

A delegation of the Foundation met on Sunday December 13, 2009, in Capanne prison on the outskirts of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and pa ...

, with American prisoner

Amanda Knox Amanda Marie Knox (born July 9, 1987) is an American author, activist, and journalist. She spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student with ...

, and then campaigned for her until the acquittal verdict. The Secretary General of the Foundation, Corrado Maria Daclon, who became a close friend of Knox's while she was in prison, managed Knox's departure from the penitentiary of

to the airport after the acquittal, when Knox returned to her home in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. Knox wrote a letter to Corrado Maria Daclon the day after she was freed by prison, with her first words since she regaining freedom: "To hold my hand and offer support and respect throughout the obstacles and the controversy, there were Italians. There was the Italy–USA Foundation, and many others that shared my pain and that helped me survive, with hope. I am eternally grateful for their caring hospitality and their courageous commitment. To those that wrote me, that defended me, that stood by me, that prayed for me. I am forever grateful to you. I love you."

References

"Radio Radicale, La giustizia moderna in una democrazia liberale"

"Il Sole 24 Ore, Gli italiani promuovono a pieni voti Obama"

"Politicamente corretto, Conferenza promossa con la collaborazione della Loyola University Chicago e dell'ambasciata degli Stati Uniti"

"Il Giornale, Buffet e maxi schermi – folla di politici al party per le elezioni Usa"

"Corriere della Sera, Un dvd racconta l'ascesa del leader"

"Gaffi editore, Collana Ingegni"

"Corriere della Sera, Amanda – In Italia sono stata bene"

* ttp://www.italiausa.org/index.php?c=premio_america The Italy-USA Foundation - America Awardbr>Vogue - Premio America a Franca SozzaniTG Com - Darina Pavlova vince il Premio America
* ttp://www.ilgiornaledellusso.it/2011/10/10/premio-america-2011-per-laura-biagiotti/ Il Giornale - Premio America 2011 a Laura Biagiottibr>Roma Daily News - Anche Andrea Bocelli al Premio AmericaCetri Tires - La Fondazione Italia Usa conferisce il Premio America a Jeremy RifkinRadio Radicale - Cerimonia del conferimento del Premio AmericaLa Repubblica - Carla Fendi vince il Premio AmericaOnline News - Alla Camera dei Deputati la consegna del Premio AmericaIl Mondo - Italia USA, al ministro Emma Bonino il Premio America 2013Corriere della Sera - A Carla Fendi e Bonino il Premio America

External links

The Italy–USA Foundation – Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Italy-USA Foundation 2005 establishments in Italy Italy–United States relations Foundations based in Italy Italian-American organizations