Claudio Angelini

Claudio Angelini is currently president of the Dante Alighieri Society in New York, U.S. political correspondent for RAI, the Italian national television network and is President Emeritus of RAI Corporation. He wrote the book Obama, un anno di sfide (Obama, a Year of Challenges).^[1]

Angelini recently ended a 4-year term as director of the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, the Italian governmental agency for the worldwide promotion of Italian cultural affairs. His tenure was praised by some of the most prominent cultural and political figures, including U.S. Ambassador Richard Gardner and Professor David Friedberg, the director of the Italian Academy at Columbia University.

He is well known among Italian-Americans for hosting the weekly TV show "Zoom", on RAI International, a 30-minute lifestyle program focused on many aspects relevant to the large Italian community of North America.

In 1997 Angelini moved from Rome to New York, where he served as the U.S. Bureau Chief for RAI. He was the first Italian journalist to broadcast the tragic September 11 terrorist attack. Before moving to the U.S., Angelini was the director of RAI News Radio and the deputy director of TG1 (RAI 1 news office). He also served for 20 years as the RAI chief correspondent for the president of the Italian Republic. This role made him a familiar face in Italian households and earned him the affectionate nickname of the “Voice of the Presidents.” Prior to these roles, Angelini anchored TG1 (RAI 1 TV news) and hosted the popular cultural program “Almanacco del Giorno dopo” for several years.

He has been editor-in-chief of important cultural publications including Fiera and has published many books of fiction and poetry with notable Italian publishers Rusconi and Bompiani. His latest book will be published in 2008 with Rizzoli. Renowned intellectuals such as Nobel Prize recipient Salvatore Quasimodo, Jorge Luis Borges, Mario Luzi and Carlo Betocchi have praised Claudio Angelini’s work.

He also writes a political column for the Italian daily newspaper Il Messaggero.

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