Nationally, October is Italian Heritage Month and since 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed a proclamation designating October as Italian Heritage Month in Colorado. The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver drafted the proclamation noting the many different ways in which Italians helped and contributed to the establishment of many industries within the state. My guests are Susan Gurule from The Dante Alighieri Society of Denver and Alisa DiGiacomo from History Colorado.

Alisa DiGiacomo is the director of curatorial services and the senior curator at History Colorado. In 2007, she curated the Italians of Denver exhibit at the Colorado History Museum. A fifth-generation Italian American in Colorado, she holds a B.A. in art history and photography from the University of Northern Colorado and an M.A. in art history and museum studies from the University of Denver.

We encourage people to explore, document, share and celebrate our Heritage. In case people are not aware, History Colorado has one of the largest Italian American research archives in the nation. Developed in partnership with the Colorado Italian American community (beginning in 2002) it is a rich resource currently in the final stages of processing. Many items are available online and work continues.