The Italian Cultural Institute of New York is hosting an event to discuss Italian excellence in America. Maurizio Molinari will moderate a discussion with Dr. Silvia Formenti, a breast cancer researcher at NYU, Lidia Bastianich, a renowned chef and restauranteur, and Alberto Cribiore, a former executive at Citibank and Merrill Lynch. The discussants will illustrate how Italians have influenced American culture through fields like art, business, design, cuisine, science, and entertainment. The event is part of the 11th annual Italian Language Around the World Week celebration.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On the Occasion of the 11th Italian Language Around The World Week: Buon
Compleanno Italia – Happy Birthday Italy ,
Under the high patronage of the President of the Italian Republic
The Italian Cultural Institute of New York presents:
EXCELLENT ITALIANS FROM NEW YORK
Friday, October 21, 2011 – 6.00 pm
Italian Cultural Institute
686 Park Avenue
(between 68th and 69th street)

2. Maurizio Molinari, correspondent of “Stampa” of Turin, one of the major daily
newspapers of Italy, is the author of “Italiani di New York” (Laterza, 2011). Mr.
Molinari illustrates through interviews with Italians and Italian-Americans living
in New York, how Italians influenced American culture and society in different
areas including art, business, design, fashion, cuisine, science and
entertainment. Molinari will facilitate a discussion on Italian influence on
American culture with Dr. Silvia Formenti, Lidia Bastianich and Alberto
Cribiore. Silvia Formenti is the chairman of the Department of Radiation
Oncology at the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Formenti is a
specialist in breast cancer research and is currently focused on developing new
drugs to block proteins responsible for the development and metastasis of
cancer cells. Ms. Bastianich is the owner and chef of some of the most famous
and appreciated restaurants in New York, and is also well-known on the
American TV networks. Alberto Cribiore is Vice Chairman of Citibank and was
Interim Chairman and Lead Director of Merrill Lynch. He is a former Co-
President and Partner of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, and was the Founder and
Managing Partner of Brera Capital Partners.
Formenti,Bastianich and Cribiore perfectly represent models of Italian
excellence in America.
Maurizio Molinari is a journalist in the employ of the Italian daily newspaper La
Stampa, for which he serves as United States correspondent. Before arriving at
La Stampa in 1997, Molinari covered foreign affairs and defense-related stories
for several Italian newspapers and news magazines, including La Voce
Repubblicana, Il Tempo, L'Indipendente, L'Opinione, Il Foglio, and Panorama.
Molinari is best known for his having been granted interviews with many world
leaders, including former President of the United States George W. Bush,
former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Henry Kissinger and many
others. Molinari is also a regular guest commentator on Italian foreign policy
and United States politics on news programs aired on Italian television
networks La7 and Tg5 and he has occasionally been a panelist on CNN and The
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Molinari is the author of many non-fiction books,
each published in Italian and in English, including La sinistra e gli ebrei in Italia
(The Left and Jews in Italy, 1995), L’interesse nazionale. Dieci storie
dell’Italia nel mondo (The National Interest, 2000), Wall Street nel Terzo
Millennio (Wall Street in the Third Millennium, 2003), Gli italiani di New York,
(The Italians of New York, 2011).
Silvia Formenti:
Silvia C. Formenti, M.D., is Professor and Chairman of the Department of
Radiation Oncology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York
City. Before joining the NYU faculty in 2000, Dr. Formenti was a tenured
Associate Professor of both Radiation Oncology and Medicine at the University
of California School of Medicine in Los Angeles. Dr. Formenti was born in Milan,
Italy, and attended medical school at the Universita degli Studi di Milano. She

3. completed residencies in internal medicine, medical oncology radiology and
radiation oncology in Milan, before coming to the United States, where she
completed an internship in general medicine and residency in radiation
oncology prior to joining the faculty at USC. Dr. Formenti has been the
principal investigator in many important studies, and has recently received
multi-year peer-reviewed grants from the American Cancer Society and the
Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Her extensive research interests include
developing a new model for the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer by
assessing the molecular characteristics of tumors before starting treatment. Dr.
Formenti has also contributed to the study of hormonal treatment,
chemotherapy, and radiation.
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in Pola, Istria on the northeastern coast
of the Adriatic Sea. She is a cookbook author, restaurateur, and one of the
best-loved chefs on television. Cookbooks include her latest, Lidia's Italy--a
companion book to her new television series, Lidia's Family Table, Lidia's
Italian-American Kitchen, Lidia's Italian Table, and La Cucina di Lidia. She is
also founder and president of Tavola Productions, which produces quality
broadcast shows, like Lidia's Italy. Lidia is the chef/owner of acclaimed New
York City restaurants Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto as well as Lidia's in
Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Along with her son Joseph, Lidia produces award-
winning wines at the Bastianich and La Mozza wineries in Friuli and Maremma.
With her daughter, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, and Shelly Burgess Nicotra, she
heads an exclusive travel company that implements excursions to Italy that
combine gastronomy with art history. Lidia stays active in community service
on behalf of the James Beard Foundation and Public Television. More
information can be found on her website: www.lidiasitaly.com. Her signature
line is 'Tutti a tavola a mangiare!' meaning, 'Everybody to the table to eat!' This
simple phrase epitomizes Lidia's true recipe for success
Alberto Cribiore Vice Chairman of Citibank. Prior to forming Brera Capital
Partners, Mr. Cribiore was Co-President and Partner at Clayton, Dubilier &
Rice, Inc., which he joined in 1985. He had previously been a Senior Vice
President at Warner Communications, where he was responsible for mergers,
acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to Warner Communication, he was Vice
President at IFI International, the international holding company controlled by
the Agnelli family. Mr. Cribiore is a cum laude graduate of Bocconi University in
Milan, Italy, and holds degrees in business administration and economics. He
serves on the Boards of GAB Robins and various other Brera controlled
companies. He is a former Director of Merrill Lynch, where he served as Lead
Director and as Non-Executive Chairman. Mr. Cribiore is a member of the Board
of Trustees of Reed College and serves as a Managing Director of the
Metropolitan Opera Association and as Chairman of the New York City Chapter
of the Bocconi University Alumni Association. He is also a Director of the
Council for the United States and Italy, and a member of the Weill Cornell

4. Medical College Board of Overseers.
The Italian Cultural Institute of New York
Founded in 1961, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York is an office of the
Italian government, dedicated to the promotion of Italian language and culture
in the United States through the organization of cultural events.
Under the guidance of its trustees at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its advisory
board, and its staff, the Italian Institute of Culture of New York conforms to
this commitment by fostering the cultural exchange between Italy and the US
in a variety of areas, from the arts to the humanities to science.
Central to the Italian Cultural Institute’s mission is a constant effort to
encourage the understanding and enjoyment of Italian culture by organizing
and promoting cultural events in collaboration with the most prominent
academic and cultural institutions of the East Coast. The Italian Cultural
Institute of New York focuses on the development of initiatives aimed at
showcasing Italian excellence in various fields, such as science, technology, the
arts and design. The development of academic exchanges, the organization
and support of visual arts exhibitions, the grants for translation and publication
of Italian books, the promotion of Italian studies, and the cooperation with
local institutions in planning various events that focus on Italian music, dance,
cinema, theater, architecture, literature, philosophy etc., are just a few
examples of the Institute’s initiatives. In conclusion, the Italian Cultural
Institute of New York provides an “open window” on the cultural and social
aspects of past and present Italy.
For more information please visit: www.iicnewyork@esteri.it
Press contact:
Email: eva.zanardi@esteri.it
tel: +1 212 879 4242 ext. 333