The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

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2005), public diplomacy, i.e., the interactions between diplomats

and the foreign public they work with, today is not only a tool

of “soft power” in international relations but also the effect of

a wider process of change in diplomatic practice that requires

transnational collaboration.

Letter from H.E. President Danilo Medina dated September

26, 2019: “Your Excellency Mr. Ambassador: Receive my warm-

est Greetings. I wish to thank you for your kind communication,

in which you inform me, in a comprehensive and detailed man-

ner, of the extensive program of events commemorating the

quincentennial of the arrival in our territory of Monsignor Ales-

sandro Geraldini, the first resident bishop in the Americas.

I join in celebrating such a singular event, and I am extremely

pleased with the effort put into the magnificence of each of the

scheduled events, which serve to highlight the intimate ties of

friendship between Italy and the Dominican Republic, the ongo-

ing success of which we wish to reiterate with our best wishes.

With the greatest distinction and consideration, Sincerely, Danilo

Medina.”

Gabriella Airaldi, Pierluigi Crovetto, Edoardo D’Angelo, San-

dra Origone, and Stefano Pittaluga.

Chapter 27, “The Italian Training of Modern Dominican Ar-

chitects, 1950-2019,” by Gustavo Luis Moré.

Chapter 25, “The Italian Engineer Guido D’Alessandro Lom-

bardi and the Construction of the Dominican National Palace,”

by Emilio José Brea; Chapter 26, “The Dome of the Dominican

National Palace and Guido D’Alessandro Lombardi,” by Jesús

D’Alessandro, PhD; and Chapter 39, “The Italian Contribution

to Mining Development in the Dominican Republic,” by Renzo

Seravalle.

This family is described in Chapter 37, “The Dominican-Ital-

ian Chamber of Commerce,” by Celso Marranzini.

Family described in Chapter 1, “The Italian Presence in Santo

Domingo, 1492-1900,” by Frank Moya Pons; in Chapter 15, “Juan

Bautista (“Chicho”) Vicini Burgos,” by Bernardo Vega; in Chap-

ter 16, “The Provisional Government of Juan Bautista Vicini,” by

Alejandro Paulino Ramos; and in Chapter 36, “Italian Investment

in the Modern Dominican Economy,” by Arturo Martínez Moya.

Family described in Chapter 18, “Antonio Imbert Barrera Res-

cued: Italian Families Serving the Nation,” by Antonio J. Guerra

Sánchez, and in Chapter 40, “Frank Rainieri Marranzini: Creator

of Dreams,” by Mu-Kien Adriana Sang Ben.

Family described in Chapter 17, “Amadeo Barletta,” by Ber-

nardo Vega.

Family described in Chapter 37, “The Dominican-Italian

Chamber of Commerce,” by Celso Marranzini.

Vicini provides a description of his family in Chapter 43, “An-

giolino Vicini Trabucco (1880- 1961)—An Immigrant Who Never

Forgot His Homeland,” by Guillermo Rodríguez Vicini.

This family is described in Chapter 37,”The Dominican-Italian

Chamber of Commerce,” and Chapter 41, “Italian Journalists,”

by Antonio Lluberes, S.J.

Family described in Chapter 45, “The Bonarelli Family. The

Flavors of Italy in the Dominican Republic,” by Mu-Kien Adriana

Sang Ben.

Mentioned in Chapter 37, “The Dominican-Italian Chamber

of Commerce.”

Miguel Vargas,

Memoria. Gestión 2019-2020

(Santo Domingo:

Editora Corripio, 2020), 75.

Roberto Casoni is honorary vice-consul of Italy in Puerto Pla-

ta. Arrived in 1988, he became Vice President of the VH Hotels

company, which owns and manages three hotels in Playa Dora-

da: the Casa Colonial, the Gran Ventana, and the Atmosphere.

In 2001 he founded the Association of Hotels in Puerto Plata

(ASHONORTE). In order to promote and help sustain a viable

tourist industry, he founded the Tourism and Cultural Cluster of

Puerto Plata, of which he was president, and also presided over

the Association of Hotels in Playa Dorada.

Matteo Scandiani is consular correspondent of Italy in Bayahi-

be. In 1995, he ventured into entrepreneurship, specifically in the

areas of real estate and tourism, by opening a ranch offering tour-

ists horse rides. In 1998, he offered excursions by way of horse and

four-wheel buggy, then excursions on the Chavon river; in 2014,

he introduced excursions to the islands of Saona and Catalina.

Today, the companies Operadora Caoba and Alamos Travel rep-

resent important reference points in the business of excursions,

as two of the most important companies in the sector and with

over 100 employees.

Described in Chapter 43, “Angiolino Vicini Trabucco (1880 -

1961)—An Immigrant Who Never Forgot His Homeland.”

Subsequently Deputy Minister of Bilateral Political Affairs

until August 2020, Peggy Cabral is an important figure in the

Dominican political landscape for her leadership positions in the

PRD (Revolutionary Democratic Party). She is the widow of the

national political leader José Francisco Peña Gómez.

As stated in the speech by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas

Maldonado during the celebration of the Te Deum on Septem-

ber 19, 2019, within the framework of the Quincentennial of the

arrival of the First Resident Bishop, Alessandro Geraldini, held at

the Catedral Primada de América.

Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez’s speech at the Domini-

can-Italian Chamber of Commerce, September 22, 2020.

On Maggiolo, See Danilo Manera’s Chapter 30 in this book,

“Marcio Veloz Maggiolo: A Writer of Italian Descent at the Very

Heart of Dominican Literature.”

Marcio Veloz Maggiolo, “Italianos en la vida dominicana,”

Siglo

, October 27, 2001, 6E.

These are common themes reflecting needs and situations

within Italian communities around the world. As an example

of the experience in the United States, see my article: Andrea

Canepari, “Ciao Philadelphia: Creation of an Italian Cultural Ini-

tiative and Volume,” in

The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History,

Culture, People, and Ideas

, ed. Andrea Canepari and J. Goode (Phil-

adelphia: Temple University Press, 2021).

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS. PART TWO. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN THE PRESENT: 2017-2020