FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

(WASHINGTON, DC – June 9, 2004) Eighty Italian American students participated in The Gift of Discovery, an educational and cultural program, sponsored by the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) to the region of Campania, in the central part of Italy, between May 23 and June 8, 2004.

The Foundation’s all expenses-paid program increased the participants’ understanding of Italy and their Italian heritage. Over 500 students between the ages of 18 and 23 applied to the Foundation’s Gift of Discovery program.

In its fourth year, the 10-day Gift of Discovery trip included: a tour of Paestum including the golden-stoned temples and remains of one of the oldest Greek settlements; meetings with students at a high school and technical institute in Salerno; and receptions with local officials in various cities. Visits to Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast and its ceramic producers, a tour of San Leucio’s ancient Barbonic Center and silk factory and an intensive Italian lesson were part of the trip’s itinerary. Participants traveled to Velia to see an ancient Greek colony, and the famous ruins at Pompeii. Students also hiked through the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano along the Bussento River.

The round-trip airfare between the U.S. and Italy, accommodations, meals, escorted tours, and transfers (valued at $1,800) are financed by NIAF with sponsorship from the region of Campania.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC and dedicated to preserving the heritage of Americans of Italian descent. Visit our web site at www.niaf.org