Virtualitalia Meets New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Roberto Simmarano, (650) 347-3768, simma@virtualitalia.com

virtualitalia.com meets New York

Leading Online Resource for the Italian experience in America opens
New York Site June 1st.

San Mateo, CA -- New York City has the highest number of Italian
Americans of any city in the United States. "Ignoring that population
would be like serving spaghetti without parmesan cheese," reasons
Laura Pazzaglia, Webmistress and founder of virtualitalia.com.

With 'Little Italys' shrinking in every major city and about a
third of all Italian-Americans now residing in the suburbs, the
goal of this all-volunteer site is to help unite these increasingly
disparate communities -"We want to be a vehicle for
Italian-Americans who want to find one another and for American
aficionados of Italian culture."

Because of its roots in San Francisco, the site began by covering the
San Francisco Bay Area. In January, coverage was expanded to include
greater Los Angeles, and starting in June, the site will incorporate
New York's five boroughs into its offerings. (All of this with no
capital infusion!)

"We're excited to finally cover the area of the United States with
the highest concentration of Italians outside of Italy," continues
Pazzaglia.

virtualitalia.com began as a modest Web site with limited resources
and has evolved into a major information source, as its growth to 12
volunteers and 300% increase in traffic in the past year attest.
Pazzaglia states, "Italian culture is a bit like religion. Once you
experience it, you can't wait to spread the word! Our coverage of San
Francisco, Los Angeles, and now New York is just the beginning. We're
planning to add several other cities in the coming months."

About virtualitalia.com
virtualitalia.com, which was founded in 1998 by 25-year-old Laura
Pazzaglia, is now a leading Web portal for all things Italian. Today
this Web site is supported by a virtual network of 12 volunteers.
With thousands of daily visitors, primarily from North America and
Italy, virtualitalia.com provides information on Italian arts,
dining, sports, genealogy, travel and more. Some of the
virtualitalia.com community offerings include online forums, free
email, and live chat.