Anna Manunza, who intervened at the microphones of the New Yorker in the podcast Portraits of Claudio Brachino told a personal path, over time, a real collective project.
A journey made of deep roots and a gaze always facing beyond the horizon, “with the constant idea of building bridges and not walls”, as she herself loves to repeat.
«I was born in Sardinia, in the province of Oristano, in a country called Cabras, to which I am still deeply bound», says Anna, retracing the initial stages of a life marked immediately by movement and openness to the world. The university studies in Cagliari, Erasmus in Germany, the meeting with John, future husband, mark the beginning of an international existence.
“It was a meeting that literally changed my life,” he confesses, recalling how years of travel began, between Germany, Europe and the United States.
“In these twenty-three years together we have lived in many countries,” he explains, emphasizing that identity, for her, has never been a cage but a compass.
The landing in Los Angeles, however, was not painless. Anna remembers it without filters, with a rare sincerity. “For me it was a real trauma at first, I am a person who needs time to adapt to changes and this was particularly difficult.”.
The distance from Europe, the feeling of having lost reference points, the melancholy: “For the first six months I was also a little depressed, I say it with sincerity”.
Then the decisive, almost random encounter with a compatriot who introduced it to the “Italy system” in Los Angeles: “It brought me to the events of the Italian Institute of Culture and from there my passion for community activities was born”.
It is from that moment that the personal path of Anna Manunza has intertwined indissolubly with that of the Italian and Italian-American community: “That fortuitous meeting was the engine of everything”.
Living in Rancho Palos Verdes, a few steps from San Pedro, means getting in touch with “the largest Italian-American community in California”, consisting largely of families of Istrian and Sicilian origin. “Through San Pedro I joined the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association and from there my involvement became increasingly intense.
Alongside Community work, Anna pursues a leading professional career: «I work as a manager and I am responsible for the European market of the company», he explains, explaining how his role leads her to travel constantly between the United States and Europe.
A balance not always simple, but which perfectly reflects its identity: “I feel deeply Italian, but also a citizen of the world”.
From his words emerge a modern vision of emigration, far from stereotypes.
The official recognition of this commitment came in 2025, with the honor of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, conferred by President Mattarella: «It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, a totally unexpected recognition».
A title that for her does not represent a personal goal, but “the confirmation that the work done in silence, day after day, can really make a difference”. In the last ten years, he explains, “I have been very active in the Italian-American community of Los Angeles, always with the idea of making a cultural bridge”.
Among the most significant projects that contributed to the development was the Village Italia realized during the stage in Los Angeles of the Amerigo Vespucci: «I collaborated as a contact and bridge during the world tour. It was an extraordinary job, because it showed an Italy capable of presenting itself to the world in a modern, inclusive way, proud of its history”.
The same spirit that animated another initiative became symbolic: the star of Luciano Pavarotti on the Walk of Fame.
“It seemed impossible for me not to exist”, he recalls, telling how, from an idea born almost by chance, an international project has arisen. “For me, I deeply love classical music, it was a very special moment.”.
The commitment with the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association also resulted in popular events of great impact: “When we started there were a few thousand people, last year we arrived at 35 thousand”.
Numbers testifying to a hunger for identity and sharing: «To see people running through the streets of Los Angeles with the Italian flag on me is something that fills me with pride».
The gaze of Anna Manunza is already addressed to the future: “I’m working on another star on the Walk of Fame, and I’m writing a book on Italian immigration in California.”.
A work that arises from listening, empathy, from the awareness that “every person who meets has a story worthy of a book”. Like that of the surviving family at the shipwreck of Andrea Doria: «To help them regain Italian citizenship was one of the most exciting moments of my life».
In the end, the sense of all this path emerges clearly in his words: “A great privilege. Telling these stories means giving meaning to our past and building bridges for the future”.
This is perhaps the most authentic figure of his commitment: transforming memory into action, identity into dialogue, emigration into shared wealth.
L’articolo Anna Manunza, the gentle force of cultural bridges proviene da IlNewyorkese.
