The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

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On June 6, 2018, the anniversary of Italian Nation-

al Day, the debut of the cultural year was occasioned

to commemorate the 120

anniversary of diplomatic

relations between Italy and the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Vice President Margarita Cedeño attended

the event as a special guest of honor.

Beginning in the month of June 2018, and for an

entire year, 120 events were organized, representing

the number of years of official diplomatic relations be-

tween Italy and the Dominican Republic. However, the

friendship between the two countries obviously dates

back much further, in recognition that mutual human

interactions are certainly far more longstanding. These

events were followed by commercial relations, then

consular relations (consular relations with the King-

dom of Sardinia began in 1854), and finally diplomatic

relations (1898). As is widely known, the first person of Italian descent to arrive in the Dominican Republic

was Genoese Admiral Christopher Columbus. After Columbus, other Genoese merchants brought new devel-

opments to the country, principally in the agricultural sector, as well as the first newspaper. This cultural year

made it possible to officially commemorate the historical events that united the two countries, such as the role

played by the Genoese merchant Juan Bautista Cambiaso. On August 25, 2018, an inauguration ceremony was

held for the first Dominican School Ship, which was baptized specifically in honor of Genoese Admiral Juan

Bautista Cambiaso. The ceremony was presided over by President Danilo Medina.

Over the course of this cultural year, numerous events were staged to showcase the shared bonds between

Italians and Dominicans in the establishment of the press, the strengthening of ecclesiastical institutions, and

the implementation of technology for development of the livestock, agriculture, and tourism industries, as

On October 4, 2018,

at the Convention

Center of the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs,

the opening of the

photographic exhibit

commemorating the

50th anniversary of the

establishment of the

International Italo-Latin

American Organization

(IILA). At the head

table were Foreign

Minister Vargas, Italian

Undersecretary Merlo,

IILA, Secretary General

Di Santo, Italian

Ambassador Canepari,

and the Ambassador

of the Dominican

Republic to Italy,

Cabral.

Affairs of the Dominican

Republic (MIREX)

The inauguration

of the new offices

of the Embassy:

Undersecretary of the

Ministry of Foreign

Affairs, Senator Merlo,

Chancellor of the

Dominican Republic

Miguel Vargas, the

Ambassador of Italy

Andrea Canepari,

Ambassador of the

Dominican Republic

to Italy, Alba Maria

Cabral; and Bishop

Faustino Burgos.

October 5, 2018.