Not all young Italian Americans have the fortune to visit “il bel paese”—but for over twenty years the National Italian American Foundation has strived to provide that opportunity with its annual all-expenses-paid Voyage of Discovery.
The Voyage of Discovery was the brainchild of the late businessman and philanthropist Peter F. Secchia, who served as the United States Ambassador to Italy from 1989 to 1993. His interactions with college students experiencing the wonders of Italy for the first time made him realize what a great impact travel had on their personal development and cultural awareness—it offered young Italian Americans a chance to connect with their heritage on a deeper level, to see themselves as part of living history and a bright future.
Secchia’s financial support allowed the NIAF to launch the program—originally named the Ambassador Peter F. Secchia Gift of Discovery—in 2001. It was an ambitious initiative from its inception. In its first year, the NIAF sent 120 young Italian Americans to Italy. It also allowed 40 Italian students to travel to major American cities like New York and Washington, D.C.
Since its beginnings, the Voyage of Discovery has continuously evolved. Over the years it has been extended from 10 days to two weeks, and now includes a day of community service that most recently took the form of a beach cleanup—but it has remained one of the NIAF’s most competitive programs.
Of the up to 400 applications submitted each year, 10 female and 10 male applicants are selected to travel to NIAF’s Region of Honor, which changes from year to year and has included Molise, Puglia, and Silica.
Applicants must be full-time college students for the semester preceding the trip, be between the ages of 18-23, be a citizen or permanent residents of the United States, and a member of the NIAF. They must also be prepared for a packed itinerary from morning to night.
“Every trip really exposes the students to the local culture,” said Gabriella Mileti, the NIAF’s Director of Special Programs. “I make it a point to bring students to artisan workshops.” Students in the past have witnessed the process of handcrafting bronze bells at a factory in Molise that traces its origins to the 1500s, learned about traditional leather working and winemaking, and tasted cheese straight off production lines in Tuscany.
Though students begin the trip as complete strangers, the bonds they make are deep. “Every time we have to say goodbye at the airport there is not a dry eye to be seen,” Mileti said. Alumni of the Voyage of Discovery are invited to reunite at the NIAF’s annual Anniversary Gala and keep in touch in other ways—two students who took the 2012 trip together even ended up marrying.
For Mileti, who was raised in an Italian-speaking family, her position at the NIAF is far more than just a job. “I’ve always been very passionate about my Italian heritage,” she said. “I’ve been going to Italy since I was born.”
Mileti has always been aware of the NIAF through her family, but her personal connection with the organization began in college as she earned her bachelor’s degree in Italian studies. She was accepted into the NIAF on Campus program, which provides funding to student leaders helping to run Italian American clubs.
Her first experience with the Voyage of Discovery came about as a result of a serendipitous coincidence. While vacationing in Calabria with her mother, she learned that the NIAF had chosen it as the program’s destination that year and was able to join the students for a dinner with the NIAF’s board of directors.
Mileti has worn many hats over the course of her career—she previously worked for Glamour Magazine in Milan and La Gazzetta Italiana in Cleveland—but organizing the Voyage of Discovery has been uniquely fulfilling for her.
“Being exposed to a foreign language and a different culture, especially through travel, I think is essential to a young person’s growth,” Mileti said. “It’s what I was put on this earth to do—to share my love for Italy and Italian culture.”
Adelina Nita
Alexandra Adelina Nita is a former America Domani editorial intern currently pursuing a journalism degree at Baruch College. At Baruch, Adelina is a graphics editor for its newspaper The Ticker (whose writing and photography have been republished in Dollars & Cents and Dateline: CUNY) and a marketing director for its arts publication Encounters Magazine. Adelina has also worked as a journalist for the Queens Post and a vote entry operator for the Associated Press.