Italian Dominicans
Italo-dominicani (Italian)
Ítalo-dominicanos (Spanish)
Francisco Gregorio Billini, President of the Dominican Republic in 1884–85, was an Italian Dominican with grandparents from Ravenna
Total population
c. 50,000 (by birth)[1]
c. 300,000 (by ancestry, corresponding to about 3% of the total population)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Boca Chica, Santiago de los Caballeros, La Romana and Santo Domingo[2]
Languages
Dominican Spanish · Italian and Italian dialects
Religion
Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Italians, Italian Americans, Italian Argentines, Italian Bolivians, Italian Brazilians, Italian Canadians, Italian Chileans, Italian Colombians, Italian Costa Ricans, Italian Cubans, Italian Ecuadorians, Italian Guatemalans, Italian Haitians, Italian Hondurans, Italian Mexicans, Italian Panamanians, Italian Paraguayans, Italian Peruvians, Italian Puerto Ricans, Italian Salvadorans, Italian Uruguayans, Italian Venezuelans

Italian Dominicans (Italian: italo-dominicani; Spanish: ítalo-dominicanos) are Dominican-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to the Dominican Republic during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in the Dominican Republic. The Italian community in the Dominican Republic, considering both people of Italian ancestry and Italian birth, is the largest in the Caribbean region.[1]

History

There were a few hundred Italians who moved to live in "Santo Domingo" (as the Dominican Republic was then called), in the first centuries after the discovery of America in 1492. Most were religious, adventurers and traders.

Dominicans of Italian descent, businessman Frank Rainieri with his family

The turbulent years of Dominican independence even had a Dominican president whose ancestors came from Ravenna—Francisco Gregorio Billini. Indeed, Billini was president between 1884 and 1885, and gave his resignation early after refusing to limit the freedom of the press.[3]

At the end of the 19th century, the sugar industry produced much of wealth on the Caribbean island and attracted several hundred Italians who settled mainly in the capital Santo Domingo and its surroundings, such as La Romana.[4]

Italian Dominicans have left its mark on the history of the Caribbean country. The foundation of the oldest Dominican newspaper in 1889 was the work of an Italian, while the establishment of the Navy of the Dominican Republic was the work of the Genoese merchant Giovanni Battista Cambiaso.[5] Finally, the design of the Palace of the President of the Dominican Republic, both aesthetically and structurally, was the work of an Italian engineer, Guido D'Alessandro.[5]

In 2010, Dominicans of Italian descent numbered around 300,000 (corresponding to about 3% of the total population of the Dominican Republic), while Italian citizens residing in the Caribbean nation numbered around 50,000, mainly concentrated in Boca Chica, Santiago de los Caballeros, La Romana and in the capital Santo Domingo.[1][2] The Italian community in the Dominican Republic, considering both people of Italian ancestry and Italian birth, is the largest in the Caribbean region.[1]

Notable Italian Dominicans

Carlos Morales Languasco, President of the Dominican Republic in 1903-1905
Marcio Veloz Maggiolo
Freddy Ginebra

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Italiani nella Repubblica Dominicana: una storia di successo da oltre due secoli" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 Italia estera: Italiani nella Repubblica Dominicana nel 2002 (In Italian)
  3. ↑ "Francisco Gregorio Billini: un presidente come pochi" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "La Romana, ecco la Repubblica Dominicana da cartolina" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  5. 1 2 "La presenza italiana a Santo Domingo dalla metà dell'Ottocento ad oggi" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 March 2023.

Bibliography

  • Favero, Luigi; Tassello, Graziano. Cent'anni di emigrazione italiana (1861 - 1961). CSER. Roma, 1981. (In Italian)
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