The history of Italian immigrants in Panama begins from 1510, when several Italian citizens decided to emigrate to Panama City founded by Pedrarias Davila. From 1520 some Genovese merchants ruled the commerce of Old Panama on the Pacific Ocean for a century. Between 1596 and 1597 already there were 11 Italians in Panama, for naturalization and the right to stay in Panama. According to a census around 1607, Panama City had 548 inhabitants, of whom 53 were foreigners and of these 18 were Italians, 6 of which were domiciled by the composition of foreigners. After de independence, the Italian presence continued to emphasize immigrants such as Agostino Codazzi and Napoleone Garella, who in the nineteenth century and at different times, performed studies that recommended Panama as the ideal for the construction of an interoceanic canal. Meanwhile, in 1844, Garella was the first engineer assigned by the French government to find a route for the construction of the Canal and in his studies recommended the route of the isthmus of Panama over the routes suggested by the isthmus of Tehuantepec and Nicaragua. During the isthmus canal project and construction continued to arrive eminent Italians from scientists, artists, priests and merchants, to craftsmen and laborers. They founded families whose descendants were quickly integrated the dynamic process of formation of the Panamanian nationality. One was elected President of Panama in 1949 and 1960: Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón was the President of Panama in 1949 and later from 1960 to 1964. He belonged to the Liberal Party. In the 1920s even his father was president. The wave of Italian immigration occurred around 1880. With the construction of the Canal by the Universal Panama Canal Company came the arrival of up to 2,000 Italians. Two years later in 1882, at the initiative of Mr. Oreste Badio, a prominent member of the Italian colony, was promoved the creation of the "Italian Benevolent Society" in order to help the countrymen affected by disease or who need some kind of help. With the presence of 37 members. To this migration belongs the ancestors of another Panamanian president: Nicolás Ardito Barletta Vallarino was President of Panama from October 11, 1984, to September 28, 1985. The President Barletta Vallarino belonged to the Democratic Revolutionary Party. Ricardo Martinelli served as president from 2009 through 2014, during which time the Panamanian economy grew robustly and steadily. His achievements were even lauded by The Economist: "Though it lies in Central America, the poorest and most violent region in the West, the country’s 3.6m citizens are now richer than most Latin Americans." Indeed, Martinelli - during his five-year presidential mandate - promoted a huge urban development of Panama city, with the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers in Latin America. Another Italo-Panamanian, Alberto Motta, has successfully created companies in Panama and with a "Fundacion" is helping the poorest Panamanians. Actually there it is an agreement/treaty between the Italian and Panamanian governments, that facilitates since 1966 the Italian immigration to Panama for investments In 2017 the Italians residents are nearly 3900, while about 10% of Panama inhabitants are white. In other words: of the total population of Panama that was of about 4 million in that year, approximately 400,000 are white and the descendants of Italians are nearly 100,000.
