It is no secret Connecticut is the most Italian state in the country, having a greater percentage of Italian Americans in its population than any other state.     Those were the findings of the most recent census.   What you may not know, is that an official from the Italian government lives here in our state, and is elected to the government in Rome by some of your friends and neighbors.

Quintino Cianfaglione is the cavalieri elected to represent the interests of some 650,000 people in Connecticut and parts of New York state.   There are only eleven such elected officials spread across the United States.      Cavalieri Cianfaglione is my guest this weekend on Face the State, and talks about his duties, the Italian people in Connecticut, and possible jobs coming to our state from Italy.

I’m proud of my Italian heritage, and coincidentally, Cavalieri Cianfaglione is from the same region of Italy (Abruzzo) as my great-grandfather Paolo Chiulli.    We plan on visiting the ancestral homeland this summer.

Paolo Chiulli

Tune in this Sunday morning at 11AM for Face the State, only on Channel 3.

Also read about my quest to learn more about my Italian roots:  http://dennishouse.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/the-search-for-my-italian-ancestors/