From June 10 to July 15, Vicenza will host five events focused on American culture and the migration stories of the late 19th century, when people from the Vicenza area moved to the United States. The program includes talks, book presentations, and film screenings with the participation of authors, held at Palazzo Trissino and the Monte di Pietà Foundation.

These events serve as a lead-up to the inaugural ITALIA-AMERICA Friendship Festival (Palladian Basilica of Vicenza, September 12–14), a multidisciplinary cultural event designed to explore and celebrate the historical, artistic, culinary, athletic, social, economic, and scientific ties between the two nations.

The events over the coming month will explore how Italy and the United States have influenced and inspired each other in fields such as cinema, marketing, and communication—with a special focus on the great wave of Italian, and especially Vicentine, migration in search of the American dream, filled with hope, hardship, and redemption.

The month of programming kicked off on June 10 with the presentation of the book Marketing e brand activism by Romano Cappellari, a professor at the University of Padua. The book explores the evolution of branding and communication strategies, which have become bolder and increasingly shaped by pop culture. This trend, born in the U.S., has transformed the relationship between consumers and consumption across Europe and Italy.

On June 12, the Sala degli Stucchi in Palazzo Trissino hosted the talk “Representing Italy in America,” where Ambassador Armando Varricchio shared insights from his years of service as Italy’s Ambassador to the United States, a position he held until 2021. The event was introduced by Vicenza’s mayor, Giacomo Possamai.

On June 25, the Monte di Pietà Foundation will screen the documentary Cries from the Cotton Field, in the presence of its acclaimed director, Larry Foley. The film tells the powerful story of families from Recoaro and Valli dei Signori (in the province of Vicenza) who emigrated to Arkansas at the end of the 19th century. It follows their journey from disillusionment with the harsh life in the cotton fields to the founding of the town of Tontitown. Historian Luciano Caleffi, who co-authored the book that inspired the documentary and collaborated on the film, will introduce the event. That book, titled Promised Land: The American Dream of the Emigrants from Recoaro and Valli dei Signori at the End of the 1800s, will be presented on July 15 by lead author and historian Giorgio Trivelli. The volume offers a well-researched and moving account of one of the lesser-known but most dramatic episodes of Vicentine emigration to the U.S., marked by broken promises, propaganda, and exploitation.

On July 4, as the U.S. celebrates Independence Day, the editorial team of Mondoserie.it presents “INDEPENDENCE DAY: From Star Wars to the Italian Risorgimento—Freedom in Film, Comics, and TV.” Through iconic scenes and imagery, the event explores the various ways in which Italy and the U.S. have portrayed humanity's longing for freedom—whether spectacular, provocative, reflective, or ironic.

After a summer break, the “Road to the Festival” program resumes on September 2 with the presentation of 70 Years of Vicentini in the World, a book by author Stefano Ferrio, in collaboration with the organization Vicentini nel Mondo, a co-promoter of the Festival.

The ITALIA-AMERICA Friendship Festival (September 12–14, Vicenza) is a multidisciplinary cultural event created to explore and celebrate the deep-rooted connections between Italy and the United States—in history, art, food and wine, sports, society, economics, and research. The Festival is built on the belief that the best way to promote a culture of dialogue is to build bridges.

It is promoted by the City of Vicenza in partnership with NIAF (National Italian American Foundation), the U.S. Consulate in Milan, Vicentini nel Mondo, and is organized by the Fondazione Teatro Comunale di Vicenza. The long list of cultural and organizational partners includes: Neri Pozza Publishing, Accademia Olimpica, Fondazione Monte di Pietà, Palladio Museum / CISA, Biblioteca Civica Bertoliana, Biblioteca Internazionale La Vigna, Fondazione di Storia, Cinema Odeon, Mondoserie, and Confindustria Vicenza.

All events are free to attend, subject to availability. Reservations are optional and can be made at www.italiamericafestival.it