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ne of the most salient facets of the diplomatic career of Andrea Canepari, presently the Ambas-
sador of Italy to the Dominican Republic, is that he has been/is insisting in documenting the
rich cultural heritage of Italy in the places where he serves. His service at the Embassy of Italy
in Washington, D.C. (2006-2010), saw the publication of
The Italian Legacy in Washington, D.C.:
Architecture, Design, Art and Culture
(Milan: Skira, 2008). His tenure as Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia
(2013-2017) produced
The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People and Ideas
, which is scheduled
for release by Temple University Press in 2021. Also being published in 2021 is the present book, undertaken
during Ambassador Canepari’s current assignment:
The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic: History, Archi-
tecture, Economics and Society
.
Carmen Robert Croce, Director of Saint Joseph’s University Press, and I are delighted to be counted among
the contributors to
The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia
. Saint Joseph’s University Press is even more pleased to
be, in collaboration with Allemandi Editore in Turin (Italy), the publisher of the English edition of
The Italian
Legacy in the Dominican Republic
, which will also appear in Spanish and Italian editions.
For this book, Ambassador Canepari has assembled an impressive team of forty-five scholars, intellectu-
als, and historians from the Dominican Republic, Italy and the United States, to produce the most thorough
examination to date of the rich cultural heritage of Italy in the Dominican Republic. As with its predecessors,
The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic
serves to make better known and appreciated the important contri-
butions by the Italian community to places far from its homeland. Saint Joseph’s University Press is proud to
participate in this very worthwhile project.
Preface
Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S.
Editorial Director, Saint Joseph’s University Press