During Italian American Heritage Month, Sister Cities International celebrates the enduring connection between Los Angeles, California, and Ischia, Italy, a partnership that reflects the cultural ties and shared heritage connecting communities across borders.
For generations, Italian immigrants and their descendants have contributed to the cultural, civic, and economic life of Los Angeles. Their stories are part of the broader history of a city shaped by people who arrived from around the world, built new lives, established communities, and carried their traditions with them.
The story of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini offers a powerful example of the Italian immigrant experience and the importance of community. Born in Italy in 1850, Cabrini came to the United States in 1889 and devoted her life to serving immigrant families, establishing schools, hospitals, and orphanages to support communities in need. She was canonized in 1946, becoming the first U.S. citizen to be recognized as a saint.
Her legacy took center stage on October 13, 2026, when Los Angeles City Hall hosted a celebration honoring Mother Cabrini and the enduring contributions of Italian Americans to the city. The ceremony marked the establishment of the city’s first-ever Mother Cabrini Day, which will now be commemorated annually.
The milestone was several years in the making, thanks to the efforts of the Little Italy of Los Angeles Association (LILAA), including its Immediate Past President Mario Amalfitano and community leaders working alongside Los Angeles City Councilmembers John Lee and Tim McOsker. For those involved, the occasion was deeply meaningful, bringing together community members to recognize their shared heritage and the generations of Italian immigrants who have helped shape Los Angeles.
Among the ceremony’s special guests was Sister Regina Palamara, the last living sister of Mother Cabrini’s religious order, who offered a blessing to those gathered. Music also played a central role in the celebration, honoring the community’s strong Neapolitan and Ischitan roots. Soprano Elisabetta Russo and guitarist Pietro Ruscigno performed Santa Lucia Luntana, a poignant Neapolitan song associated with the longing of emigrants who leave their homeland to begin new lives abroad.
The performance captured the emotions at the heart of the Italian American experience: the sacrifices involved in building a life far from home, the hopes carried across the ocean, and the enduring attachment to the places and traditions left behind. These connections continue to shape Italian American communities today, linking generations in the United States with their ancestral homes in Italy.
The Los Angeles–Ischia Sister Cities partnership represents another expression of these enduring connections. Located in the Bay of Naples, Ischia is an island with a rich cultural history and a strong sense of community. With deep Neapolitan and Ischitan roots represented among Italian American community leaders in the Los Angeles area, the relationship offers a meaningful connection between communities separated by thousands of miles but linked by shared history, culture, and family traditions.
Through Sister Cities relationships, communities can honor their shared heritage while fostering cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and lasting connections across generations. This Italian American Heritage Month, Sister Cities International celebrates the Los Angeles–Ischia partnership, LILAA’s work to preserve Italian heritage, and the establishment of Mother Cabrini Day as a lasting tradition that honors Italian American contributions and reminds us how cultural heritage can serve as a bridge between communities around the world.
Story based on information provided by Anna Manunza, President of the Little Italy Association of Los Angeles, and Mario Amalfitano, Chair of the Piazza Committee.
