The Honorable Claudio Bisogniero with Cultural Center Director Patricia Civitate (left) and President Jo Anna Schmeling (right).

The Honorable Claudio Bisogniero, Italian Ambassador now serving in Washington, DC, was guest of honor at a reception held December 4th at the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa. Ambassador Bisogniero officially took the reins as Italy’s ambassador to the U.S. on February 6th.

Born in Rome, Italy on July 2, 1954, Claudio Bisogniero earned a degree in Political Science from the University of Rome in 1976, and served as an officer in the Italian Army in 1976 and 1977. He then entered the Italian Foreign Service in May, 1978.

Late in 1992 Bisogniero was posted for the first time to the U.S. to serve as first counselor for economic and commercial affairs at the embassy in Washington, D.C., with special focus on financial issues, the IMF and World Bank, and defense industry co-operation. After four years in Washington, he moved north to New York, to serve at the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nation, with primary responsibilities for political affairs and UN reform. In 1998 he returned to Rome to serve at the Foreign Affairs Ministry for the next 8 years.

Ambassador Bisogniero with board members of the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa.

From 1999 to 2002, Bisognero served in the Personnel Department and later at the Office of the Secretary General, as direct collaborator with the Secretary General. In February 2002 Bisogniero was appointed deputy director general for political multilateral affairs, responsible for NATO, the United Nations, G8, disarmament, OSCE, anti-terrorism and human rights issues. In June 2005 he became director for the Americas, with responsibility for the relations with the nations of the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S. In October 2007 Bisogniero was named NATO Deputy Secretary General, serving in Brussels until late 2011 when he was named ambassador to the U.S.

Ambassador Bisogniero with Polk County Supervisors (L-R) Angela Connolly, Tom Hockensmith and John Mauro.

Consulate General of Italy Marco Gracioso, whose office is in the Consulate in Chicago, accompanied Ambassador Bisogniero while visiting the mid-west. Also in attendance at the reception were members of the Des Moines City Council, the Polk County Board of Supervisors, members of the Board of Governors of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa as well as representatives from the Society of Italian-Americans, the Societa Vittoria Italiana and ladies of their auxiliaries.

Ambassador Bisogniero expressed his extreme pleasure of being at the reception and during his visit to the Cultural Center and told those in attendance that he was impressed with the manner in which the Italian Culture and Heritage is being displayed at the Center. He also congratulated the Board for not only preserving but also shared their Italian heritage with generations both old and young alike. Click here to view the letter from the Ambassador.

The Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa held the 37th annual Columbus Day Dinner Party on Sunday, October 7, 2012 at the Forte Banquet and Convention Center in downtown Des Moines.  A full crowd of 118 attendees enjoyed a delicious Italian meal, but the highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Outstanding Citizen Awards.

This year, the Board of Governors of the cultural center awarded Outstanding Citizen Awards to Lisa Vivone Cruchelow, Nancy Stefani and Rose Leo Grandanette (posthumously).

Special thanks to Randy Prati for a great job organizing this year’s dinner.

Below is a slideshow of photos from this wonderful event.

[Show as slideshow]

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Story by Jeff Eckhoff, Des Moines Register, July 31, 2012

Ralph Marasco stands outside the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa, 1961 Indianola Ave. in Des Moines, earlier this month. / Rodney White/The Register

Ralph Marasco looks at construction equipment sitting on a triangular piece of property southeast of downtown Des Moines and sees possibility — or at least potential.

What if, one day, this storage space for scrap metal on Southeast First Street became a focal point for Italian culture? What if, one day, people flocked to cooking classes, language classes or fashion shows at what would then become a southern anchor of a newly revitalized Des Moines riverwalk?

“The goal is to create a focal point for the preservation, protection and promotion of the culture,” said Marasco, 70. “Obviously, everything is depending on the dollars.”

Ralph Marasco looks at land south of the Des Moines River that could be the future home of the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa. Rodney White/The Register / Rodney White/The Register

Marasco, the son of a Des Moines baker whose bread company once sat on the site of the current Italian-American Cultural Center in south Des Moines, now is the point person for a $165,000 study focused on finding that facility a new home.

The center, at 1961 Indianola Ave., has existed since the early 1980s as a combination south-side meeting hall, museum and genealogical library aimed at charting the progress of Italians through Iowa’s history. Wedding photos from across the state hang in the same room with displays commemorating, among other things, Iowa’s Italian entertainers, its Italian-owned businesses and its priests. But the museum over the years has become cramped for space. And the kitchen, where they still hold classes and prepare cultural dinners, is outdated.

The question is what anybody can do about it.

The $165,000 — money that includes $65,000 from a pot of gambling revenue controlled by the Polk County supervisors and $99,250 that the center raised, mostly, from what Marasco describes as a single anonymous benefactor — is slated to be spent over the next few months to study moving to the former home of Gillotti Construction. The Gillotti land, roughly 6.5 acres located south of the Des Moines River and just east of Mullets bar, would provide more than enough space for the cultural center.

The cultural center's museum has become cramped for space. Marasco is leading a study investigating the possibility of relocating to a spot on Southeast First Street and building a new center. / Rodney White/ Register photos

Polk County Supervisor John Mauro said there’s probably enough room on the property to eventually develop an Italian restaurant, Italian bakery and perhaps an Italian market.

“I think it would be an excellent deal if they could do the entire project,” Mauro said. “To me, it’s a great thing. It’s got some life, and I’m going to push for it.”

The question is whether it will work.

Experts plan to spend the next few months studying things like the center’s environmental and architectural needs, Marasco said. They’ll also need to explore government grant options, such as a pot of federal money that might help officials build a new energy-efficient building. Lastly, there will be a marketing study to find out whether it’s possible to raise enough money to build it.

Polk County records show the center, a regular recipient of grants from Polk’s gambling-funded Community Betterment program, has received $90,000 over the past four years alone.

Mauro on Monday downplayed the possibility of specific future grants for land acquisition.

“I’m sure we’d like to be part of it, but we can’t be a big part of it,” Mauro said. “The Italian community’s going to have to step up also. It can’t just be everybody else.”

Exact details of what will be included in a proposed new building will be determined as part of the feasibility process. But Marasco said his thoughts are of a roughly 25,000-square-foot structure that uses geothermal heating. It would be regularly filled with classes, events and traveling exhibits showing Italian culture.

“If somebody’s 2 or 92, there ought to be something there for them to do two or three times a year,” Marasco said.

And plenty to look at, he added. Like maybe, for example, a borrowed Ferrari in the lobby? Possibilities are endless.

“You let this go,” he said, “and it just gets wild.”