October 18, 2023
Dr. Antonella Valoroso, senior researcher at the Sorbello Foundation, has been invited to speak at the Inauguration of the 23rd “International Week of the Italian Language” held at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York City.
The ceremony was held at the historic location on 686 Park Avenue.
The theme chosen for this year’s edition was “Italian and Sustainability”, and therefore Dr Valoroso presented a paper highlighting Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello’s sensitivity towards environmental issues: “Hopes Amid Hard Times”. The Protection of Landscape and Historic Centers in the Writings of Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello. The presentation also included a pre-recorded video clip (see below) in which Dr. Ruggero Ranieri introduced to the audience the life and the many achievements of his father, Uguccione.
The participation to the event -together the University for Foreigners of Perugia and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute in New York– held special significance for the Sorbello Foundation this year, as the year 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of a historic event for cultural diplomacy and Italy-US relations: the return of Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello to the United States as a cultural attaché at the Italian Embassy, tasked with managing the information office at the Consulate General of Italy in New York.
It was the year 1953, and cultural diplomacy was finally back in motion. Uguccione Sorbello, after serving with honor in the Allied forces during the liberation war – earning two medals of valor – returned to the USA, where he had been educated in the 1930s, and was ready to undertake a new fundamental mission: rebuilding Italy’s image as a modern and democratic country capable of playing a leading role among Western powers.
“Our Foundation -stated Professor Ruggero Ranieri, President of the Sorbello Foundation and its Italian counterpart, the Fondazione Ranieri di Sorbello of Perugia– proudly recalls how 70 years ago Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello, on behalf of the Italian government, took up the task of essential cultural diplomacy to introduce the post-war democratic Italy to the American world. It is another crucial milestone in the work undertaken with our partner institutions, the University for Foreigners of Perugia and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, to enhance Uguccione’s legacy, and highlight his role as a constructor of cultural bridges across the Atlantic”.
