Italy’s Republic Day Celebrated with Reception by Italian Consulate of Los Angeles

Consul General Nicola Faganello and Mrs. Franziska Faganello welcomed the many guests who attended the festive celebration of Italy's Republic Day on June 3, at the University of California, Los Angeles. An impressive and polished program marked the occasion, entertaining Italians, Italian Americans and Italophiles alike with a medley of awards, opera, food and drinks in the best of Italian tradition.

After the singing of the American and Italian anthems by Gino Gaudio, the event got underway at UCLA's Lenart Auditorium with opening remarks by Consul General Faganello who noted the importance of the occasion and presented to three distinguished individuals the Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica award.

The Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana is conferred by the President of the Italian Republic on Italian and foreign citizens who have shown great merit and distinguished themselves through lasting contributions to Italian society in the fields of literature, economics, public service, and social, philanthropic and humanitarian activities.

The three distinguished honorees were Federico Frediani, Nicola D’Egidio and Joe La Banca Representatives of Los Angeles County and the Mayor's office presented Commendations to Consul General Faganello, and also to two prominent members of the local Italian Government - Mariella Salvatori, Head of Commercial Office at the Italian Consulate, and Francesca Valente, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute. Both Salvatori and Valente will soon be leaving Los Angeles after many years of excellent and dedicated service.

It will be a difficult farewell for two very talented and gracious women who have rightfully earned the utmost respect of the community. What followed was a delightful opera concert presented by the Italian American Opera Foundation, Tuscia Opera Festival. Several young opera singers alternated on the stage displaying their vocal talents in arias from The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Tosca, Le nozze di Figaro, Gianni Schicchi and l'Elisir d'Amore, under the direction of Maestro Timothy Leon.

The guests were then invited to proceed to the Royce Hall Terrace for the reception. A display of culinary specialties, prepared in the authentic Italian tradition awaited the crowd who seemed to thoroughly enjoy the occasion, while the bar offered fine wines, Peroni beer, Prosecco and of course Limoncello. Alitalia was one of the sponsors of the evening.

Their presence was a fresh reminder of the newly inaugurated non-stop flight Lax-Rome and one lucky winner of Alitalia’s raffle drawing received two round-trip tickets to Italy. The Italian flavor was undeniable, both in the delicacies offered on the tables, as well as in the conversations between friends old and new.

The beautiful gathering allowed us once again to remember why we so proudly share our rich culture, language and traditions. The 64th anniversary of the founding of the Italian Republic was indeed worthily celebrated.