(RE)COVERING AMERICA – Two Italians and One Epic Road Trip from New York to the Pacific

Must RSVP by the Friday before

$55 admission includes a three-course lunch payable at the door by cash or check only

Maria Teresa Cometto and Glauco Maggi are award-winning Italian journalists and U.S. citizens since 2018. Both are recipients of the Amerigo Journalism Award, recognizing outstanding coverage of the United States for the Italian audience. Cometto writes for "Corriere della Sera" and has authored several books, including "Emma and the Angel of Central Park", "La Marchesa Colombi", "Brothers of the Mountain", and "Tech and the City: The Making of New York’s Startup Community".  Maggi, a veteran of "La Stampa", currently contributes to "Investire", "Money.it", and "La Voce di New York". His previous books include "Trump 2.0 – The Comeback", "Il guerriero solitario: Trump e la Mission Impossible", and "Obama Dimezzato."  

Living in New York since 2000, Maria Teresa and Glauco undertook two expansive road trips as "special correspondents for the Italian Cultural Institute of New York". The first followed the routes of America’s pioneers from New York to Oregon and back through the northern states along the Canadian border. The second led them south — from New York to San Diego by way of Georgia and the deep South — revealing corners of the country often overshadowed by familiar tourist icons.  

Their travels took them through landscapes that inspired American writers like Ernest Hemingway in Michigan and into striking curiosities such as the University of Texas at El Paso, whose architecture echoes Bhutanese temples. They explored the surreal Craters of the Moon in Idaho and the elegant Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas — a world-class art institution nestled in a small Walmart town.  

Equally vivid are the stories of the people they met: from reflections on America’s painful past at Montgomery’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice (the Lynching Museum) to the hopeful activism of Opal Lee, the 99-year-old “Grandmother of Juneteenth” in Fort Worth, who preaches colorblind love and reconciliation. The authors also encountered a “new” Italy across America — from NASA scientists in Pasadena to Chef Bruno Serato, who since 2005 has cooked and served free pasta meals to disadvantaged children at his Anaheim White House restaurant.  

Cristina Fontanelli has become an international personality through her recordings and appearances on stage, radio, and television. Her television appearances include serving as a PBS host for specials featuring Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo, and Michael Bublé. She has also appeared on CBS Weekend New York and has been a guest on WOR Radio with Joe Piscopo, Bloomberg Radio, and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Cristina won Best Actress at both the Cutting Room International Film Festival and the Venus International Film Festival (Las Vegas, July 2019) for her role in SANTINO, a NIAF/Russo Brothers Production grantee. She is a regular performer at New York’s renowned Broadway supper club Feinstein’s/54 Below and has shared the stage with Tony Bennett.

An accomplished soprano, Cristina has sung title roles with Palm Beach Opera, and internationally with the Hong Kong Opera and Cairo Opera. She has also been a featured soloist with the Boston Pops and the St. Louis Symphony, performing in major concert halls throughout the United States and abroad, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Philadelphia Academy of Music, Boston Symphony Hall, and Guild Hall in East Hampton.

A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Cristina has been named one of the school’s most notable alumni alongside Robert Redford, Danny DeVito, and Anne Hathaway. She performed at the White House during President Bill Clinton’s holiday celebration and opened the 2005 Stars and Stripes Inaugural Ball for President George W. Bush.

Her honors include the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts from the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (a distinction also given to Luciano Pavarotti).

Cristina also produces and stars in the beloved annual concert Christmas in Italy®, now in its twentieth year. The production—often presented to sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall—has provided hundreds of young performers with opportunities on stage while raising funds for children’s charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the Cristina Fontanelli Foundation. She is currently producing a PBS television special based on the concert.

Cristina appears annually with Opera & Broadway of the Hamptons, has opened ceremonies at the Hampton Classic Horse Show, and performs in nine languages.

www.cristinafontanelli.com