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THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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in the first democratic elections held after the dictatorial regime led by Rafael Trujillo between 1930 and 1961.
Bosch visited Europe after being received at the White House by President John F. Kennedy. In Europe, in
addition to meeting with the president of Italy, he held official meetings with Charles de Gaulle in France and
Konrad Adenauer in Germany.
Bosch’s visit marked the beginning of a new era, which has continued to this day, in relations between Italy
and the Dominican Republic.
The numerous Italian companies investing in the Dominican Republic and overseeing development
projects, the technical and cultural cooperation between the Italian government and the Dominican Republic,
the large numbers of Italian tourists, the thousands of Italians residing in the Dominican Republic, and the
thousands of Dominican citizens who work and reside in Italy are the clear result of an integratory trend that
has been accelerating since 1963.
On the diplomatic side, Defense Minister Giulio Andreotti in March 1965 made a diplomatic visit to the
Dominican Republic as representative of the Italian government to the first international Marian and Mario-
logical Congresses to be held in the Americas by order of Pope Paul VI. In 1990, Andreotti returned to the
country as president of the Italian Council of Ministers.
During the 1990s, the Italian flagship airline Alitalia regularly scheduled flights to Santo Domingo several
days a week. It is worth noting that, during Pope John Paul II’s first apostolic trip, the first Latin American
country he visited was the Dominican Republic—on a flight from Rome on Alitalia.
In January 1999, President Leonel Fernández made a state visit to Italy, where he was received by the
Italian president, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro. The visit included meetings with the prime minister and the signing of
numerous agreements between the two governments aimed at furthering bilateral relations.
The Efforts of President Danilo Medina and his government
More recently, relations have been strengthened in a more substantial way. President Danilo Medina, for
example, has been in Rome three times since 2014.
On the first such occasion, he was granted an official audience with Pope Francis. Most recently, Medina
made an official visit, which included a working lunch with the current president of the Italian Republic, Ser-
gio Mattarella. The Ambassador of Italy, Andrea Canepari, and the delegation of officials accompanying Presi-
dent Medina were present at that meeting. An extremely cordial lunch was held at the presidential palace, the
Quirinale, on February 13, 2019. On that occasion, various topics were discussed. First, the lunch opened with
a reminder from the President Mattarella that the Dominican Presidential Palace was, in fact, designed by an
Italian architect, Guido D’Alessandro. This was followed by President Danilo Medina underscoring the impor-
tance of the Italian community in the Dominican Republic and of the various families that have contributed
to the economic, social, and political development of the country. Medina also discussed the fifth centenary
of the arrival in Santo Domingo of the first resident bishop, Alessandro Geraldini, and of the yearlong cele-
brations that would begin in September 2019, which would be organized by the Italian Embassy in Santo Do-
mingo together with various Dominican institutions. Because of the great attention paid by President Medina
to these celebrations, and due to the overriding desire to strengthen relations with Italy, Medina delegated to
the First Lady, Cándida Montilla de Medina, the task of overseeing the Honor Committee that organized the
events of this joint, culturally celebratory year.
As we have seen in this brief overview, cultural, scientific, technological, and commercial exchanges, as
well as other economic ties, have been forged over the centuries between the people and the governments of
both countries. We have a great Italian community in the Dominican Republic, just as there is a great Domi-
nican community scattered across the territory of Italy.
In order to preserve these ties, the government of President Danilo Medina has devoted substantial efforts,
including bringing together Dominican businessmen, to avoiding any possible distancing from Italy, as had