{"id":4483,"date":"2025-10-22T02:17:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T02:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/?p=4483"},"modified":"2025-10-22T02:17:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T02:17:55","slug":"niaf-gala-2025-andrea-bocelli-incanta-washington-john-elkann-premiato-come-global-business-leader-e-del-piero-ospite-donore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/niaf-gala-2025-andrea-bocelli-incanta-washington-john-elkann-premiato-come-global-business-leader-e-del-piero-ospite-donore\/","title":{"rendered":"NIAF Gala 2025: Andrea Bocelli enchants Washington, John Elkann honored as Global Business Leader and Del Piero guest of honor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"651\">The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niaf.org\/\">National Italian American Foundation<\/a> was held last Saturday at <strong>Washington Hilton<\/strong> Of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/trasferirsi-a-washington-dc-cosa-sapere-e-cosa-fare\/\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>., transforming the American capital into a veritable Italian salon. An event that brought together over two thousand guests from the worlds of business, culture, diplomacy, and entertainment, in an elegant and emotional atmosphere. The evening, in gala dress, represented one of the most important moments in the history of <strong>NIAF<\/strong>, for fifty years a point of reference for the promotion of Italian culture in the United States and the link between the two sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"653\" data-end=\"1035\">This year the Foundation has chosen to celebrate the <strong>Lazio as Region of Honor<\/strong>, honoring its artistic, gastronomic, and industrial excellence. This recognition honored not only Rome, the cradle of civilization and global cultural heritage, but also the region&#039;s many businesses that contribute to maintaining Italy&#039;s image around the world.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"653\" data-end=\"1035\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4486\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_0306.heic\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1037\" data-end=\"1562\">The ceremony had moments of great intensity. Amid the applause of the audience, J<strong>Ohn Elkann<\/strong> took the stage to receive the award as \u201c<strong>Global Business Leader<\/strong>\u201d, an award given to those who have successfully represented the value of Italian entrepreneurship internationally with vision and concreteness. With his modern entrepreneurial spirit, capable of combining innovation and identity, Elkann perfectly embodied the spirit of the evening: an Italy that looks forward, without forgetting its roots.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1564\" data-end=\"2092\">Applause and emotion also accompanied the entrance of <strong>Andrea Bocelli<\/strong>, awarded with the \u201c<strong>Dea Roma Lifetime Achievement Award in Entertainment<\/strong>\u201dThe tenor, a global icon of Italian music, received a standing ovation from the audience and delivered one of the evening&#039;s most moving moments with a short performance that tugged at the hearts of everyone in attendance. His voice, a universal symbol of harmony and beauty, most authentically represented the pride of belonging to Italian culture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2094\" data-end=\"2524\">Making the evening even more special was the presence of <strong>Alessandro Del Piero<\/strong>, Italian soccer legend and global ambassador for the sport. The former Juventus captain, enthusiastically welcomed by the American crowd, was the guest of honor in a segment dedicated to the partnership between NIAF and Lega Serie A, emphasizing the role of soccer as a universal language capable of uniting generations and cultures.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2094\" data-end=\"2524\"><img \/><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2526\" data-end=\"2962\">During the event, the President and CEO of the Foundation, <strong>Robert Allegrini<\/strong>, recalled how NIAF has been a home for millions of Italian Americans for half a century and a bridge of values, opportunities, and identity. A bridge that goes beyond the memory of its origins, but looks confidently to the future, promoting educational programs, cultural exchanges, and economic initiatives that strengthen ties between Italy and the United States.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2964\" data-end=\"3346\"><strong>The 50th Anniversary Gala<\/strong> It wasn&#039;t just a celebration, but a declaration of love for Italy and everything it represents in the world: art, talent, dedication, and a sense of belonging. The presence of figures like Bocelli, Elkann, and Del Piero made this edition a symbol of Italian excellence in every field\u2014from music to business, from sport to culture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"3348\" data-end=\"3757\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">With this anniversary, NIAF has confirmed its mission: to preserve Italian roots, enhance contemporary expressions and continue to build solid bridges. <strong>between Italy and the United States<\/strong>. A fifty-year history that continues to inspire new generations of Italians around the world, uniting pride, passion, and the future in a single voice: that of an Italy that never ceases to shine.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>La celebrazione del 50\u00b0 anniversario della National Italian American Foundation si \u00e8 tenuta sabato scorso al Washington Hilton di Washington D.C., trasformando la capitale americana in un autentico salotto tricolore&#8230;.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,146,157],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4483","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-eventi","7":"category-italiani-allestero","8":"category-lifestyle"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4483"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4496,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4483\/revisions\/4496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitedstatesofitaly.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}