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# 77 MARCH 21 , 2016
nue to emphasize tourism
in Puglia. Tourism in Puglia
has grown exponentially
in the past few years and
we like to think we played
a part in that boom. Still,
I believe Puglia is far
behind the other regions
in promotions. We aim to
remedy that.
How many Pugliese associations are there in the
US? And how many are
the Americans who have
their heritage in Puglia
like you?
There are many individual
Pugliese clubs in the USA.
In the hundreds. Most of
them started as Mutual
Aid Societies back at the
turn of the century. As
such many of the groups
have second and third
generation members but
unfortunately they have
for the most part, lost the
connection to Puglia.
Who have been or are the
most famous Pugliesi in
America?
Fiorello LaGuardia had
Apulian roots. Peter Pace,
the head of the Joint Chief
of Staff under President
Bush has Apulian roots. So
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do actors Sylvester Stallone, John Turturro and Joe
Mantegna. The discoverer of the AIDS virus, Dr.
Robert Gallo has Apulian
roots. World famous architect and NY resident
Antonio Pio Saraceno is