Consul in late 2024 you wrote a beautiful open letter to Italians and Italics living in New York: can you give me back the meaning of this letter?
“The year-end letter is now a custom that we introduced a few years ago. It is one of the means by which we try to communicate with Italians, since one of the biggest challenges is not only to strengthen services, but also to inform Italians about how we have improved them, explaining how they can access them more easily, avoid misunderstandings, and simplify their daily lives. The letter was therefore designed as a communication tool, although, unfortunately, it does not reach all of Tri-State’s nearly one hundred and ten thousand subscribers, but only those who shared their email address when they registered.
This aspect introduces an important theme: we are now in a time when new generations of Italians are beginning to outnumber the old. These are often highly educated Italians who, every year, land in New York to become part of the country’s elite, active in the fields of research, business, finance and culture. However, even with these younger generations, my experience shows the importance of informing and educating, in order to get them used to using digital channels and using consular services more effectively.”
Consul, what significance does Italian Heritage Night have for the Italian community in New York? “Italian Heritage Night is an initiative that was started years ago by an Italian agency, IBBL. We initially put it in contact with Italian-American associations, the Municipality and the State of New York. From this collaboration was born a basketball tournament that, in its first year, took place in New York City playgrounds, in the streets, and saw a prestigious opening at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. This year’s event will again be held in the Brooklyn Sports Hall and will be connected to the Brooklyn Nets game. Also planned is an initiative, Italian Heritage Night, which will involve many representatives of Italian and Italian-American associations. For us, it is a special occasion for sports diplomacy, a topic that has gained increasing importance in recent years, thanks to the attention of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Sport as a tool for promoting Italy, its talents, its territories and, more generally, economic growth. What’s more, this is an event that celebrates the spirit of community between Italians and Italian-Americans who come together in such an iconic place as the Barclays Center.”
Sport seems to play a central role in his diplomatic activities. “Sport is an extraordinary means of global communication, capable of strengthening ties between cultures and peoples. Events like this also allow us to engage the new generations. Basketball does not have the potential of soccer as a bridge between Italy and the United States (also as a source of U.S. investment), but it is certainly among the most popular sports in the U.S. and deserves a lot of attention.”
From his words it seems that he has a passion for basketball.
“Yes, basketball has always been an important part of my youth. As a boy I played competitively in Sicily and was lucky enough to attend tryouts for teams like Benetton Treviso. I was a classic “failed promise!” I did not play again for many years. With the arrival of IBBL, we created a Consulate General team to participate in annual tournaments and mobilize the participation of other teams. Basketball taught me a lot, from discipline to teamwork.”
What do you expect from the evening at the Barclays Center?
“It will be an exciting and fun event, an opportunity to celebrate our Italian pride and strengthen ties between the Italian and American communities.”
There is a lot of growth in soccer in America, and many Americans are investing in our Serie A.
“Basketball is one of the main sports here, but soccer is growing, as you rightly observed. Last September, we held an event at the Consulate, attended by Minister Tajani. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, was also present, along with American presidents of Italian teams: there were the presidents of Milan, Atalanta and Parma, and executives from the Oaktree Fund, which owns Inter. What was the point of that event? To note with satisfaction how soccer is also a tool for investment from America to Italy: investment then means infrastructure, of course, as well as financial sustainability of Serie A. “.
The article Consul General of Italy in New York Fabrizio Di Michele interviewed by Claudio Brachino | Buongiorno America Ep. 2 comes from TheNewyorkese.
