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The National Italian American Foundation and Aspen Institute Italia have signed an agreement aimed at promoting and strengthening relations between the United States and Italy. Titled “USA and Italy: Common History, Common Values, Common Future,” the three-year partnership will feature a series of meetings on economic, institutional and values-based themes to be held alternately in Italy and the United States. Aspen Institute Italia and NIAF will collaborate to determine the format, agenda and organizational structure for each event. The agreement was penned at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., by NIAF President and CEO Robert Allegrini and Aspen Institute Ex …

Robert M. Ferrito, national president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America’s Commission for Social Justice, sent a letter of thanks to Nevada Governor Joseph Lombardo, who vetoed a bill that would have formally replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day in the state’s calendar. “We believe in diversity and tolerance by addition, not by subtraction or substitution,” Ferrito wrote. “We urge you to continue supporting Italian Americans and our heritage in this battle that has been unjustly thrust upon us, and we also urge and fully support you to recognize the contributions Native Americans made to …

The Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum is backing five budding directors whose films bring to life stories of family memories, immigrant dreams, Hollywood stereotypes and a surreal quest for the perfect plate of pasta. Maky Rupert, director of “St. Joseph”; Katerina Munis, director of “Tiramisu”; Michael Mastronardi, director of “Forgotten Flavors”; Adriano Valentini, director of “Pasta di Niente”; and Luke Salvatore Petronella, director of “Luigi Lookalike,” will receive $10,000 grants to produce their films. Once the films are completed, a selection committee will choose one winner to receive an additional $10,000 and a spot in the AGBO Storytellers Collective, …

Ferrari will venture into the world of sailing with a Hypersail project led by Italian yachtsman Giovanni Soldini that would “blend racing tradition with technological innovation,” ESPN reported. The world’s first 100-foot monohull ocean racing yacht with a foil on the keel was designed by French naval architect Guillaume Verdier and is being built at an undisclosed location in Italy with a launch scheduled for 2026. “It perfectly aligns with Ferrari’s tradition, drawing inspiration from our Hypercar, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Ferrari Chairman John Elkann said. “Designing a yacht for offshore racing is perhaps the …

The first “dog hotel” inside an Italian airport, Dog Relais, opened in Rome’s Fiumicino airport. The facility is described as a “safe, stimulating and state-of-the-art environment where your dog can play, socialize while you’re at work, or enjoy a unique and comfortable stay during your travels.” Dogs can stay for about $46 per night in individual “lodges,” each with an indoor area of 43 square feet and an outdoor area of 107 square feet, with shaded and open areas. The facilities are equipped with radiant panel climate control, automatic water dispensers and background music “to ensure a pleasant experience at …

An erotic ancient Roman mosaic stolen in 1944 by a Wehrmacht officer (a commissioned officer in the German armed forces) and given to a German citizen was returned to Pompeii in July, ANSA reported. The German army captain, who was responsible for the military supply chain in Italy during World War II, handed over the mosaic of a pair of lovers to the German citizen, whose family returned it thanks to the work of the Carabinieri of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Rome. The mosaic dates between the mid-last century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. The heirs of …

The new owner of NWA 16788, the largest Martian meteorite ever found on Earth, is rumored to be a well-known Italian gallery owner, Adnkronos reported. The extraterrestrial rock was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in New York for the record sum of $5.3 million. The 54-pound meteorite was discovered in 2023 in the Nigerian Sahara and had been entrusted to a research team from the University of Florence, led by Giovanni Pratesi, professor of mineralogy, who studied its composition and origin in detail. Two fragments of the meteorite will remain at the University of Florence as specimens available to the …

Tennis champion Jannik Sinner defeated Spanish defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win Wimbledon, becoming the first Italian to ever do so. Two Italians had come close before, with Matteo Berrettini reaching the men’s final in 2021 and Jasmine Paolini reaching the women’s final in 2024, tennis.com reported. Last year, Sinner tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March. He was initially cleared, based on the defense that he was accidentally exposed to the banned substance during a physiotherapist massage. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a three-month ban that ended …

Italian confectionery giant Ferrero Group plans to buy U.S. cereal company WK Kellogg Co. in a $3.1 billion deal to “invest in and grow” the Michigan-based business, which has 14,000 employees and 22 plants, CNN reported. Ferrero’s largest acquisition to date, WK Kellogg has a portfolio of cereals including Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes and Apple Jacks. In recent years, Ferrero also bought Nestlé’s U.S. business and Blue Bunny ice cream. Ferrero makes Nutella, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Baby Ruth candy bars, and Keebler and Famous Amos cookies.

Ostana, a small town at the foot of the Monviso mountain in the Piemonte region of Italy, has seen its population grow from 10 to 150 in just a few years. A bakery and clinic have reopened, an alpaca farm has put down roots, and there are now rooms for rent to tourists, Corriere della Sera reported. What happened in Ostana is part of a larger trend of people leaving Italy’s urban areas to settle in the mountains. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of people living in Italy’s mountain communities increased by 100,000, according to a report from UNCEM …