Italian Heritage Guide: Home

In October 1989, Congress declared October National Italian American Heritage Month to recognize that "Whereas Italian-Americans have contributed to the United States in all aspects of life, including art, science, civil service, military service, athletics and education; Whereas Italian-Americans make up one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States...Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That October 1989 is designated as "Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month", and the President of the United States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Approved October 25, 1989."

You may know some famous people who are of Italian-American heritage:

BIA:  Rapper and Hip Hop star (Italian and Puerto Rican)

Ariana Grande: Actor and Singer 

Lady Gaga: Grammy Award Winning Singer 

Dr Anthony Fauci: Immunologist working with HIV/AIDS and COVID.

Mario Cuomo and Andrew Cuomo:  Father/Son New York Governors

Selena Gomez: Actor and Singer

Mike Massimino: NASA Astronaut (Sicilian)

Gaten Matarazzo: Actor (Stranger Things)

Giancarlo Esposito: Actor (Dear White People, The Mandalorian)

Ariana Grande: Actor and Singer

Francesca Capaldi: Actor (Crown Lake)

Italy has a long history of being in a state of separate regions rather than one country.  These regions still have diverse landscapes, cultures, and dialects. Although the country was unified in 1861, the most extended period of unity occurred during the Roman Empire, from the founding of Rome in 753 BCE to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE.

The modern Italian state began to take shape in 1861 when the House of Savoy (Piedmont-Sardinia) unified most of the Italian peninsula into the Kingdom of Italy. By 1871, following the Franco-Prussian War, Italy had also incorporated Venetia and the former Papal States, including Rome. Before this unification, known as the Risorgimento, the United States maintained diplomatic relations with several key entities on the Italian peninsula, such as the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the Papal States.

In 1946, the monarchy was abolished, and the Italian Republic was established. The United States and Italy have a close relationship (known in international relations terms as bilateral ties). Italy is a NATO (the political and military alliance of countries from Europe and North America) and was one of the founding nations of the European Union (a political and economic union of European countries).

Population and Immigration:

In 2024, Italy’s resident population is estimated to be just under 59 million. About one-sixth of the population resides in Lombardy, the most populous region in Italy. Lazio and Campania come next, with approximately 5.7 million and 5.6 million inhabitants, respectively. These numbers are largely influenced by Rome and Naples, the administrative capitals of these regions and two of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.

Between 2014 and 2022, the number of immigrants arriving by sea in Italy peaked in 2016, with a total of 181,000 arrivals that year. Notably, in October 2016 alone, 27,400 individuals reached Italian shores by crossing the Mediterranean. After this peak, the numbers declined, with 105,000 arrivals recorded in 2022. The southern ports of Italy were primarily affected by these arrivals, with Pozzallo, a town in Sicily on the Mediterranean Sea, becoming the main port for migrants. The Italian island of Lampedusa also served as a significant entry point for immigrants coming from North Africa, being geographically closer to the continent than to Italy itself.

As for the most common nationalities, data from 2022 indicates that immigrants predominantly hailed from Africa and South Asia. Specifically, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Syria were the four leading countries of origin. In fact, those arriving from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia represent the largest group of nationalities granted refugee status in Italy.

                                                                                                          Statistics sourced by: Statista

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