Friday, October 29, 2021 | 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Watch a Replay of the Event
Each year State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli commemorates Italian Heritage Month by honoring prominent members of the Italian-American community. In addition to this year's honorees, we will be joined by Joseph Sciame, President of IHCC-NY, INC, as our Emcee; Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D., Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute (Queens College/CUNY), for reflections on Dante; and a musical performance by acclaimed Italian Tenor Luciano Lamonarca.
The live stream of the event has ended, but a recording of the event is available below. Select the play icon to get started. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for photos from the event.
2021 Honorees
Cav. Anthony and Mary Naccarato
NYS OSDIA Immediate Past President
Chairperson of OSDIA Gift of Sight Committee
Victor Calise
Commissioner of NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
Andy Pallotta
President of NYSUT
About Italian Heritage Month
New York State is home to over 3 million Italian Americans, with New York City being the largest Italian city outside Italy. Since 1976 the State has recognized October as Italian Heritage and Culture Month. This annual event honors the long legacy of Italians, Italian Americans and their contributions with a series of special events, concerts, exhibits and lectures.
DANTE 700! Celebrating the Genius of Dante
Dante Alighieri left his mark on the world since his death 700 years ago. He was the first to use the Florentine vernacular in a major literary work, rather than Latin, which was previously only accessible to the well-educated. This allowed a wider audience to read his work, and established his Italian as the accepted national language, unifying the people of Italy across diverse regions and dialects.
Dante’s philosophical poem Divina Commedia is considered a great literary work that takes the reader on an epic journey through Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise.