ABRUZZO → U.S.
A story spanning generations
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Alec Ross’s great-grandparents left Campo di Giove and Cansano, in the province of L’Aquila, and emigrated to the United States.
Generations later, Ross worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and, during the Obama administration, served as Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Today, his connection with Italy continues through his work, teaching, and new book, The Italian Dream. Riprendersi il futuro.
Alec Ross. Photo: Wikimedia Commons — Public Domain.
ROOTS & FUTURE
When a migration story continues in the present
The American story of Alec Ross’s family begins in Abruzzo. His great-grandparents left Campo di Giove and Cansano for the United States, where the generations that followed built a new family path.
Ross became an author, entrepreneur, and technology-policy expert. During Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, he coordinated the Technology & Media Policy Committee and served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. He later became Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
His relationship with Italy is not only genealogical. Today Ross teaches at Bologna Business School and spends part of the year in Italy.
From that perspective came The Italian Dream. Riprendersi il futuro, published by Feltrinelli in May 2026. The book explores tensions in contemporary Italy — innovation and tradition, trust and distrust, short- and long-term thinking, optimism and pessimism — and asks how history, culture, and creativity can help build a shared vision of the future.
For Abruzzo Connections, this trajectory shows how roots can become more than memory. Generations after a departure, they can lead to curiosity, return, skills, ideas, and a renewed relationship with Abruzzo and with Italy today. There is no single way to return to one’s roots; that variety is precisely what can create new connections.
THE BOOK
The Italian Dream: reclaiming the future
Published by Feltrinelli on May 26, 2026, The Italian Dream. Riprendersi il futuro begins with a question: why does a country so admired beyond its borders struggle to imagine its own future?
Ross looks beyond nostalgia, connecting tradition and innovation, culture and human capital, identity and the ability to build for the future. For Abruzzo Connections, the meeting point is clear: a family story that began with a departure from Abruzzo becomes, generations later, a renewed relationship with Italy.
The Italian Dream
Alec Ross
Riprendersi il futuro
Feltrinelli, 2026
A personal and civic journey through contemporary Italy and the possibility of building a new vision of the future.
The book is referenced here as an editorial resource. Abruzzo Connections is not affiliated with Feltrinelli or Alec Ross.
SOURCES
This story was prepared using public sources, including:
ANSA — From Abruzzo to the White House, Alec Ross’s Italian Dream
Alec Ross — official biography
Bologna Business School — Alec Ross
Feltrinelli Editore — The Italian Dream
Images
Opening image: view of Cansano (AQ), one of the two Abruzzo towns from which Alec Ross’s great-grandparents emigrated. Archival image selected via Beautiful.ai.
Portrait of Alec Ross: Alec Ross at Berkman
Wikimedia Commons — Public Domain.
Updates or corrections to biographical information may be submitted to Abruzzo Connections.
ROOTS & RELATIONSHIPS
Stories that continue beyond departure
Discover more stories keeping the connection between Abruzzo and the world alive.
ABRUZZO CONNECTIONS
From Roots to Relationships
A digital space to connect Abruzzo, Abruzzese communities around the world, stories, territories, experiences, and local know-how.
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THE PROJECT
Abruzzo Connections was created as part of the “Radici che Uniscono” project, promoted by the Association of Abruzzese People in Paraguay and carried out with the support of CRAM – Regional Council of Abruzzese Communities Abroad / Abruzzo Region. CUP: C74H25000280009.
Photo credits: Marco Cirulli, Daniele Mauro, Angelo Ninni, Onayer Rosa Garrido, and Giampaolo Di Biase
© 2026 Associazione degli Abruzzesi in Paraguay — Abruzzo Connections.
All rights reserved, except for materials credited to their respective authors and rights holders.
All rights reserved, except for materials credited to their respective authors and rights holders.