ANNIVERSARY GALA - National Italian American Foundation

The NIAF Ambassador Peter F. Secchia
Voyage of Discovery
—
the opportunity of a lifetime for students
Thanks to the generosity and continued commitment from Ambassador Peter
F. Secchia, each year a group of Italian-American college students are given
the opportunity of a lifetime to strengthen their Italian American identity by
experiencing the country, culture, and heritage of Italy.
Now in its 10th year, the group of 30 students embarked on a nine-day journey through the southeastern
side of Campania, visiting such sites as La Certosa di San Lorenzo in Vallo di Diano, the town of Paestum,
the Reggia di Caserta, Pompeii, the Vesuvius and cities along the Amalfi Coast, including Sorrento and
Positano.
Overall, the Voyage of Discovery is a fun, learning and enriching experience. Participants return home
completely different people, having witnessed and understood the greatness of their Italian heritage while
seeing Italy’s accomplishments today. As the program progresses to a different part of Italy each year, more
and more Italian American youth who have never before visited their homeland. And, family and friends of
the participants were able to view the group’s progress through videos, photos and blog postings on a website
created by NIAF particularly for the 2011 Voyage of Discovery program.
Voyage of Discovery Participants Speak
“This experience has provided
me with great insight into my
own Italian heritage; Italy is a
growing country and has affected
me personally in my own growth.”
“The Voyage of Discovery really
lived up to its name and opened
up a whole host of possibilities
to me that I had never even
contemplated before.”
“I was thoroughly impressed with the trip from
start to finish: from the intrigue I experienced
at the Italian Institute of Technology, to the
humbling awe I felt when first gazing upon the
breathtaking architectural majesty of the Duomo.”
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The 2011 NIAF Gala