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Thirty-Four University Students Receive Travel Grants To Italy Through a National Italian American Foundation Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org


*Follow the students virtually at https://www.niaf.org/voyageofdiscovery*

(WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 20, 2010) Thirty-four college students from across the United States will participate in the Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Voyage of Discovery program, an all-expenses-paid educational and cultural initiative that sends Italian American students to Italy. Sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), the tour will visit Italy’s Campania and Umbria regions from May 29 to June 8, 2010.

“NIAF’s Voyage of Discovery program further strengthens Italian American students’ understanding of their heritage, creates greater awareness of Italy as one of America’s business and political partners and a vital ally to our nation. The Foundation’s signature educational program gives participants with careers to explore an opportunity to experience the land of their ancestors while learning about modern-day Italy as a leader in science and technology,” NIAF President Joseph V. Del Raso, Esq. said.

Now in its ninth year, the nine-day NIAF program will include excursions to the historical center of Padula in Campania to visit one a World Heritage Sites – La Certosa di San Lorenzo, the second-largest Carthusian monastery in Italy and the Museo (museum) of Joe Petrosino, a former New York City police officer who was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime. Dinner will follow at an Agriturismo, a local working vacation farms. An excursion to Alvaneta Fattoria (farm) will include educational workshops on biodiversity and local traditions. While in Teggiano, students will listen to a bishop’s greetings and explore the famous caves of Pertosa. In Salerno, students will meet withEnzo Maraio, commissioner of tourism, and travel to the archeological site of Paestum, known for its three Doric temples – considered the best preserved Greek temples in the world. During the second part of the trip to the region of Umbria, students will visit the cities of Assisi, Bevagna and Perugia where they will tour the University of Perugia and meet its students.

The package, which includes round-trip airfare between the U.S. and Italy, accommodations, meals, guided tours and transfers, is valued at more than $2,500 and financed by NIAF. For more information, visit https://www.niaf.org/voyageofdiscovery.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Americans of Italian descent.