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irst of all, my warmest congratulations to Italian Ambassador Andrea Canepari for having brought
about this work with enthusiasm and exemplary dedication. I would define it as “encyclopedic” on
the Italian influence in the Dominican Republic and the very long, fraternal relations between the two
countries. Indeed, the precious, detailed information offered to the reader makes an essential framework for
anyone wishing to look more closely at this fascinating relationship - an important
tessera
in the vast mosaic
of the Italian presence in Latin America - and this journey through history, from Columbus to our own days.
I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know some of the people featured in these stories, from our
contemporaries, now a point of reference for Dominican society as much as for the Italian community, such as
the Vicini, to heroes of the recent past whose history we also recently recalled at the IILA. I am referring to the
unforgotten Commander Ilio Capozzi, for example. I got the impression of a close link between Italy and the
Dominican Republic, which goes beyond the people concerned, transcends epochs, and merges into a feeling
of mutual affection that I would like to call love.
Over the years the IILA has helped forge this sense of closeness between the two countries through sig-
nificant projects of cooperation, especially in the sphere of agriculture and SMEs, but also by stimulating the
development of new technologies - I recall for example the Cooperation Agreement between the Dominican
Republic’s Foreign Ministry and the IILA for the creation of a Scientific, Technological and Innovation Diplo-
macy Program - and offering scholarships to worthy Dominican students and researchers. Recently, in 2019,
we had the pleasure and honor of receiving a visit from then President Medina and of having the Dominican
Ambassador to Rome, Peggy Cabral, as Vice President of our organization. The presentation of the historic
IILA exhibition at the Foreign Ministry in the Dominican Republic in early 2020 made our role as a bridge
between Italy and the Dominican Republic better known to the Dominican people. The cultural relations
are fertile. To cite only the most recent, I recall in 2017 the participation of the singer Cynthia Antigua in the
concert “Musiche dall’America Latina” and the photography exhibition on the Mirabal sisters. In 2018 there
was the screening of the documentary “Las sufragistas” by the Dominican director Ylonka Nacidit-Perdomo
and the participation of the painter, stylist, and entrepreneur Grey Est in our “RedTalentosLatinos” at the first
meeting of Latin American talents in the cultural field, along with the participation in the IILA-FOTOGRAFIA
prize of Alejandro Cartagena, previous winner of the 2012 award, and the presentation of the documentary
“Mujeres dominicanas en la historia 1821-1942” by Jocelyn Espinal. The Dominican Republic has taken part
Antonella Cavallari
Secretary General of IILA (Italo-Latin American International Organization)