THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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ipality of Cabrera, in the province of María Trinidad Sánchez, for three terms: 2002 - 2006, 2006 - 2010 and
2016 – 2020.
204
As can be seen, in the Cibao, Puerto Plata and Santiago there has been a general recognition of the Italian
contributions, with various streets and roads bearing the name Italia. In the case of Santiago, the designation
of the main street in the Kokette district as Calle Italia took effect on May 15, 1997, as part of an initiative pro-
moted by the Centro Italiano del Norte, which was chaired by the renowned doctor Dr. Rafael Cantisano and
which included many members of the Italian community residing in Santiago, as well as descendants of the
first immigrants who arrived in that city.
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The Cibao continues to welcome Italian nationals to this day. Those who arrived in the 1970s, when Italy
first emerged as a so-called “economic miracle,” that great phenomenon that brought it to the level of the
Oreste Menicucci.
© Edwin Espinal
Shoe shop
La Marchanton, on the
corner of Duarte Street
and Beller Street in
Santiago.
© Edwin Espinal
Interior view of the
shoe shop and factory
La Marchanton of the
Pugliese brothers in
Santiago.
© Edwin Espinal




