Contact: Elissa Ruffino
202/939-3106 or
elissa@niaf.org
Gunster Yoakley Attorney Arthur J. Furia Hosts VIP Delegation
From Italy
CORAL GABLES--While Spanish-language media events
are frequent occurrences in South Florida, the international flavor of
the community took a different turn when a group of Italian-American
journalists gathered at Coral Gables’ Caffee Abbracci recently
(June 4) to greet an official VIP Delegation from Italy’s Abruzzo
region.
The language of the evening was Italian when Arthur
J. Furia, law partner at Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart and the regional
vice president of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), hosted
the event chaired by Michele Gillen, WFOR- TV’s chief investigative
reporter. Other journalists attending the event included: Jacquee Petchel,
reporter for The Miami Herald; John Dahlburg, bureau chief of Los Angel
Times; Mike Di Pasquale, sports anchor, Channel 7; Charles Perez, news
anchor for FOX News; Steve Malagodi, WLRN Radio producer; Tracy Fields,
PBS, and Francesca Porpiglia, publisher of Gente D’Italia.
“South Florida is home to a surprising number
of Italian-American journalists and certainly an even larger number of
Italophiles,” said Furia, whose family comes from Italy’s
Abruzzo region. Furia handles a number of clients at Gunster and Yoakley
with ties to Italy, including representation of the Republic of Italy
in the Southeastern U.S. and Caribbean.
Italy's Consul General to the US in Miami, Dott.
Gianfranco Colognato, welcomed the South Florida journalists along with
a 10-member delegation visiting from the Region of Abruzzo, Italy led
by its Regional President, Dott. Giuseppe Tagliente, and 5 mayors from
the Region, regional cabinet members, and a representative to the European
Community.
Furia presented to President Tagliente U.S. Presidential
cufflinks depicting the White House. In Furia’s remarks, he noted
that President Tagliente himself is a journalist by background following
a long tradition of world famous journalists and authors of Abruzzese
heritage, including Ovidius, Gabrielle D’Annunzio, John Fante and
popular Italian-Americans, including world-champion prize fighter Rocky
Marciano, and entertainers Dean Martin and Penny Marshall.
President Tagliente thanked NIAF and its leadership
for highlighting the contributions of Italians of Abruzzese heritage
in such a high-level way and concluded that further educational, cultural
and scientific exchanges can be enhanced between the US and the Region
utilizing the special friendship the Region has for NIAF.
The evening concluded with a stirring performance
by visiting Abruzzese musician, Mario Stefano Pietrodarchi, named world
champion accordianist in 2001 playing the “pianoforte”, with
selections of Rossini and Verdi.
NIAF sponsored the reception to highlight the Foundation's
youth, scholarship and grant programs and events to the South Florida
community. Miami resident, Vaughn Edleson, NIAF scholarship recipient
and second year student at Brown University in Rhode Island, joined Furia
to express her thanks to the Foundation for her scholarship award.
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