Stefano Albertini, professor of Italian Literature and Cinema at New York University (NYU) and for 30 years at the helm of NYU’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, has been awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. The title, conferred by President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, is one of the highest honors in Italy, and is in recognition of the professor’s contribution to the spread of Italian culture, achieved even during the pandemic, not only in the classroom but also among New Yorkers.
The Casa Italiana, in fact, which under Albertini’s leadership organizes more than 100 events a year including concerts, exhibitions, presentations, film screenings, theatrical performances, and conferences of international scope, has nimbly reinvented itself under lockdown by giving life to direct and digital events with which to reach everyone’s homes, transcending the borders of New York and the United States, thus continuing its own mission: to spread Italian culture beyond all borders and stereotypes.
The award was presented by Consul General of New York Fabrizio Di Michele during a private ceremony at the consulate’s headquarters on Park Avenue. “I am very grateful to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, a person I respect infinitely, but also to the Consul General, Fabrizio Di Michele, and his predecessors, because these things happen if someone from New York tells the Presidency of the Republic what we do here,” Albertini said. Referring then to a predecessor of the consul, but without naming him, the professor continued, “When I was considering a possible career change, he said, ‘No, stay where you are and continue to serve Italy from there.’ And I think he was right, and that’s always what I’ve tried to do. For me, serving Italy does not mean playing the fanfare to a score that has been prepared for me, but it means celebrating the beauty of our country’s diversity and plurality. I continue to be in love with Italy and I hope and believe that it shows in what I do.”
Albertini went on to express gratitude to his collaborators “Kostja (Kostic) and Chiara (Basso) who are here and Julian (Sachs) who we left on lookout at the Italian House. As you know carrying out such an operation really requires that there is a great fellowship that leads us to see things the same way and work with the same enthusiasm and passion.” He finally thanked his colleagues, represented by Eugenio Refini, director of the department of Italian at NYU, who was present at the ceremony, and “our students who are the ones who continue to motivate me every day to do the things I do.”
In the official motivations, Albertini, already awarded the honor of Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana in 2009, was praised for having “continued in recent years to devote himself to the implementation of initiatives to promote and spread Italian culture in New York, even during the difficult period of the pandemic. Under his leadership, the Casa Italiana has offered a wide variety of free cultural activities open to the public, ranging from the world of theater, to that of art, cinema and Italian literature, with special attention to NYU students.” Also worthy of recognition were Prof. Albertini’s “extensive professional skills, intellectual rigor, spirit of initiative, network of acquaintances and collaborations, and love for our country,” which “enable him to make an outstanding contribution to the dissemination and promotion of Italian language and culture in New York.”
Also present to celebrate Albertini were Consul Cesare Bieller and Vice Consul Alessandra Oliva. Among the guests were also other exponents of the spread of Italian culture in the Big Apple such as Nicola Lucchi, director of research at the Magazzino Art Center, Natalia Indrimi and Alessandro Cassin, head of the Primo Levi Center in New York, and Stella Levi, a survivor of Auschwitz and co-founder of the same center. Smiling more than ever at 101 years old, Ms. Levi, on whom Mattarella last year bestowed the highest title of all, that of Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, was among those most proud of the title Albertini received.
Albertini, director of the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò and professor in the Department of Italian Studies at NYU, hails from the small town of Bozzolo, in the province of Mantua. With training in History, Italian Literature and Cinema at the Universities of Parma, Virginia and Stanford, he brings a valuable interdisciplinary perspective to his role. Associated with Casa Italiana for 30 of its 34 years, Stefano has played a key role in shaping the institution. Working closely with the Casa’s founder, Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò, he has worked diligently to realize the Baroness’s vision through the Casa Italiana’s mission by transforming it into the vibrant cultural center it is today. Albertini’s dedication to promoting intercultural dialogue and creating an intellectually welcoming space has earned him international recognition far beyond academia.
