Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker On any weekday at Pisillo, between about noon and one-thirty, it’s hard to move, and even think, amid the scrum of union reps, bankers, and City Hall workers baying orders to a background of solid nineties Eurodance hits (think “Rhythm of the Night”). They choose their bread, baked fresh every day in Bensonhurst: huge, fluffy focaccia, chewy sfilatino, and fourteen-inch loaves strewn with sesame seeds that burst in the mouth like the serrated beat of an Italo-disco classic. The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden Bill de Blasio is a 52-year-old Italian-American and on Tuesday he was elected mayor of New York with over 73 per cent of the vote And why is he causing such a stir in Sant'Agata de' Goti The mountain village in the Benevento region was the hometown of De Blasio's grandather he emigrated to America in search of a better life almost a century ago The town came out in strong support of the mayoral candidate with posters 'Forza Bill!' plastered across the town “It is obvious that he hasn't forgotten his roots He has brought prestige to our town." "We consider him a fellow citizen here,” a spokesman for the town council said De Blasio is even going to be granted honorary citizenship "His choice to name his children Chiara and Dante shows his link with Italy He really is a son of this land," he added On Tuesday night an election party was held in the town's former cinema to follow the results live from across the Atlantic The victory was celebrated with local Falanghina spumante and fireworks The festivities are set to continue through the week How has De Blasio retained links to his Italian heritage During his time as a junior staffer for New York City’s first African-American mayor De Blasio would bring his mother’s eggplant parmesan and Italian bread into the office to feed the campaign staff He also frequently holidays in Italy with his wife and children he made sure to thank his Italian family and friends in Rome Who else did De Blasio receive support from De Blasio earned praise from President Barrack Obama for his commitment to an economy which helps even the poorest New Yorkers and received endorsement from other famous faces including actors Alec Baldwin and Susan Sarandon His family has also been crucial to the campaign De Blasio is married to African-American writer and political speechwriter Chirlane McCray who played an important part in the campaign through public speeches and Twitter it was his 16-year-old son son Dante who stole the show with his impressive afro after starring in one of De Blasio's ad campaigns de Blasio thanked his wife and “stylish” children  What have been De Blasio's political achievements so far He began his career in public service as a junior staffer for New York City’s first African-American mayor After working as campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's 2000 race for Senate he spent eight years on the City Council and in 2009 was elected Public Advocate He was named 'Italian of the Year' by IL which also tipped him to become New York mayor The first Democrat-elected mayor in 24 years he has promised a programme of progressive change with the slogan “no New Yorker will be left behind.” He referred to the inequality of New York as “a tale of two cities” due to the gulf between the rich and poor and his policies champion the rights of the middle and working classes His signature proposal is to raise taxes on the highest-earning New Yorkers and increase access to early childhood education De Blasio spoke of how New York has been synonymous with opportunity for many immigrants and expressed a desire to make this the case once more He has already put plans in place for helping immigrants with free language lessons and tackling discrimination at work Please log in here to leave a comment .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Dean Balsamini | balsamini@siadvance.comTownspeople wave a U.S flag and hold up placards of Bill de Blasio in Sant'Agata de' Goti The southern Italian town of de Blasio's maternal grandfather is cheering his landslide victory in New York City's mayoral election and inviting him to receive honorary citizenship in a ceremony says he hopes he'll see de Blasio soon in the Apennine mountain town of some 11,000 The New York mayor-elect traces his grandfather's roots on his maternal side to the town which is about 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Naples ROME -- The votes don't need to be counted in Italy Bill de Blasio is a hit from the Big Apple to the Big Boot The southern Italian town of Bill de Blasio's maternal grandfather is cheering his landslide victory in New York City's mayoral election and inviting him to receive honorary citizenship in a ceremony The New York mayor-elect traces his grandfather's roots to the town Townspeople early Wednesday followed the election coverage from New York on a big TV screen and popped open a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate and de Blasio campaign banners hung from balconies and were plastered on storefronts Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices \n m_gallery = \"mayor-elect_bill_de_blasio\";\n m_gallery_id = \"13724243\";\n m_gallery_title = \"Mayor-elect de Blasio announces transition team\";\n m_gallery_blog_id = \"4499\";\n m_gallery_creation_date = \"Wednesday 3:43 PM\";\n m_gallery_permalink = \"http://photos.silive.com/4499/gallery/mayor-elect_bill_de_blasio/index.html\";\n m_gallery_json = \"https://blog.silive.com/photogallery/4499/13724243.json\";\n m_gallery_pagetype = \"embed\";\n m_gallery_type = \"photo\";\n <\/script>\n Gallery: Mayor-elect de Blasio announces transition team at the Parish of San Tommaso d'Aquino in Contrada San Tommaso a Sant'Agata de'Goti the initiative will take place Evenings under the stars dancing and Sunday 14 August an amazing show for children will be held It is also advisable to visit the medieval village of the city which is a historical jewel of the dominions of the Samnites and the Normans we earn a commission from qualifying purchases through ticketing links This commission does not entail any additional price for the user.