The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

208 / 540

207
ENDNOTES
1 Data is from Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Immigrantes en las
Republica Dominicano, Oficina National de Estadistica, June 2017,
48.
2 See Historia Dominicana en Graficas, June 21, 2018.
3 See “Fallace el empresario Juan Batista Vicini Cabral as los 91
anos,” Diario Libre, April 28, 2015.
4 “Looking for Italian Expats in the Dominican Republic,” Inter-
Nations Dominican Republic, 2018. Also, Comuni-Italiani.it, January
11, 2014.
5
can-republic-and-italy.
6 Centro de Exportacion e Inversion de Relaciones Commeriales
de Republica Dominicano e Italia, Periodo 2015-2019.
7 Ibid.
8 See Romiro Espina, “Dominican Republic and Italy Brought
Together by Migrants and Investments,” op.cit., https://www.
italy.
9 “New Mining Legislation Proposed,” KPMG, September, 11,
2019. Also see “Dominican Mining Law Must Attract Foreign In-
vestment,” Dominican Today , May 5, 2020.
10 “Dominican-Italian Tourism Pact Looks to Boost the Econo-
my,” Dominican Today , May 3, 2017.
11 The new Board of Directors of the Dominican-Italian Cham-
ber of Commerce includes some of the most important figures
in the country and the entire region’s economy. Among them,
Chairman of the Board Celso Marranzini Pérez and the three
Deputy Chairmen, Miguel Barletta, Frank Rainieri Marranzini,
and Felipe Vicini Lluberes. While Frank Rainieri Marranzini’s
business activity is described in one of the chapters of this book,
it is worth devoting a few lines to the other three members of the
new leadership of the Dominican-Italian Chamber of Commerce.
Celso Marranzini Pérez is the owner of “Multiquímica Domin-
icana, which is the largest of Marranzini Pérez’s companies. It
is dedicated to the production and distribution of around 40,000
tons of chemicals such as resins, emulsions for adhesives and for
maintenance, and street signage paints, as well as waterproofing.
“There isn’t an industry in the Dominican Republic that we don’t
sell something to. We have an important part of the paint mar-
ket, but we are also in the area of food, beauty and agricultur-
al products. There is not a single sector that we do not touch,
manufacture or distribute.” Isabel Trinidad, “El Alquimista De
Los Negocios,” Forbes Centroamérica y Republica Dominicana , no. 6
(April 2020).
Deputy Chairman Lluberes is a shareholder with his family in: INI-
CIA, Lantica Media, Putney Capital Management, Gerdau Metal-
dom, Gerdau Diaco and Listín Diario, EGE Haina (public-private
electricity generator / 50% of the shares belong to INICIA); total
assets: $931.3 million (EGE Haina, at the end of 2019); total reve-
nues: $473 million (EGE Haina, at the end of 2019); total revenues:
$916 million (Gerdau Metaldom and Gerdau Diaco, 2018). “Ellos
Son Los Millonarios De Centroamérica y República Dominicana,”
Forbes Centroamérica y Republica Dominicana, June 24, 2020.
Deputy Chairman Miguel Barletta is the owner of Santo Domingo
Motors. “Currently, Santo Domingo Motors sells 5,000 new units
in the Dominican territory and a total of 27,200 units among all the
countries in which they have a presence, which last year represent-
ed sales that reached $750 million. Santo Domingo Motors’ total
sales are equivalent to more than 20% of the new vehicle market
in the Dominican Republic...” Felivia Mejia, “Miguel Barletta, El
Dominicano Del Imperio Sobre Ruedas,” Forbes Centroamérica y Re-
publica Dominicana, April 20, 2020.
12 M. Vargas, Memoria. Gestion 2019-2020 (Santo Domingo: Editora
Corripio, 2020), 75.
13 See
conference-aims-to-bolster-italy-Dominican-rep-tourist-trade-ties.
14 The remarks of Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas
Maldonado regarding the opening of the Italian Embassy and the
120 years of diplomatic relations between the Dominican Repub-
lic and Italy can be found in a press release from the Ministry of
the Exterior, “Discurso a Pronunciar por el Ministro de Relaciones
Exteriores, Senor Miguel Vargas Maldanado, en le Recepcion con
Motivo de la Fiesta de la Republica Italiana y el Cierre de las Cel-
ebraciones de los 120 Anos de Relaciones Diplomaticas con la Re-
public Dominicano,” May 29, 2019.
15 M. Vargas, Memoria. Gestion 2019-2020 (Santo Domingo: Editora
Corripio, 2020), 240.
16 See the remarks of Ambassador Andrea Canepari: “Una Visita
Esperonzadora,” Diario Libre, February 13, 2019.
17 Quote from Ambassador Canepari, Diario Libre , op.cit. Febru-
ary 12, 2019.
18 M. Vargas, Memoria. Gestion 2019-2020 (Santo Domingo: Editora
Corripio, 2020), 74.
19 “Opposition Candidate Wins Dominican Presidential Vote,”
The New York Times, July 6, 2020.
20 1.
afirma-compromiso-del-pais-para-relanzar-relaciones-con-ita-
lia-8863832.html.
2.
promiso-de-rd-en-relanzar-relaciones-con-italia.
3.
eo-canciller-roberto-alvarez-reafirma-compromiso-de-rd-en-re-
lanzar-relaciones-con-i
AL/469296.
4.
ofrecera-conferencia-en-camara-de-comercio-dominico-italiana.
5.
del-pais-para-relanzar-relaciones-con-italia/.
6.
ciones-italia.html.
7.
cion-de-buena-vecindad-con-haiti-dice-canciller-roberto-alvarez/.
8.
relacion-de-buena-vecindad-con-haiti-dice-canciller-dominicano/.
9.
compromiso-del-pais-para-relanzar-relaciones-con-italia/.
10.
ferencia-en-camara-de-comercio-dominico-italiana/.
11.
compromiso-de-rd-en-relanzar-relaciones-con-italia
12.
ciller-reafirma-lazos-con-italia.
21 The first Design Week RD was held from September 23 to
29, 2019 in the city of Santo Domingo, seeking to exhibit, pro-
mote, and internationalize architectural, interior, craft, and in-
dustrial design in the Dominican Republic. Design Week RD
was the culmination of the weRDesign movement that sought
to educate about the power of design to improve the quality
of life, boost the economy, and highlight our cultural heritage.
Holding this first ever Design Week in Santo Domingo was
doubly significant in that this capital city was not only the first
city of the Americas but home of the first cathedral in the New
World.
CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN-DOMINICAN RELATIONS