In the latest issue of Ambassador, NIAF features a special photo essay on the earthquake-stricken city of L’Aquila by Boston photographer Rebecca Heyl. Additional articles include a feature on NIAF grant recipient “Pane Amaro,” a documentary detailing the Italian American experience; “It Happened In Italy,” a chat with author Elizabeth Bettina about her new book detailing the experiences of Holocaust survivors in Italy; and “Ferramonti di Tarsia: Calabria’s Forgotten Internment Camp,” an article by Hofstra University history professor Stanislao Pugliese about the region’s World War II history. Click here to read more!

Directed by Peter Miller and funded partially with a grant from NIAF, this documentary brings the story of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti to a modern audience. A compelling and moving documentary, it is told through the letters that the accused wrote from prison. Actors John Turturro and Tony Shalhoub read the words of Vanzetti and Sacco respectively and give audiences the feeling that the two men are very much alive, if not physically then spiritually. The film was released in 2007 by Willow Pond Films and is available on DVD.

One highlight of this year’s 34th Anniversary Convention and Gala Weekend will be Friday evening’s performance by legendary singer and songwriter Antonello Venditti, a 2009 NIAF honoree. Get ready for his show by listening to “Le Donne,” his newly released 2009 album, which is a compilation of his most famous love songs. NIAF will honor Venditti with the Foundation’s prestigious Special Achievement Award in Music on Saturday, October 24. For more information about other gala honorees, click here.