The graduate students of Italian at NYU as well as members of the Italian American community bear a keen interest in political and economical changes in Italy since the fall of alignment ideologies and internal perspectives of European unification. La Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò is an independent forum for political discussion of European and Italian politics. Its location in Manhattan, and its independence from the Italian Government give it the unique position of being able to observe from within while remaining neutral. It offers the possibility to engage protagonists of the Italian and European political stage in a constructive setting unfettered domestic inter partisan tension.

La Casa Italiana has seen Antonio di Pietro, then district attorney of Milan, begin his foreign appearances by giving a speech explaining the phenomenon of political corruption in Italy and the strategy of the "Mani Pulite" (Clean Hands) operation. Gianfranco Fini introduced his project for building a modern Italian party on the right that would fit in the scheme of a modern Europe. Achille Occhetto and members of the Italian parliament commission to the United Nations discussed the leading trends of international policies affecting Italy today. The economists Marzano and Angius of Forza Italia and the Democratic Party of the Left, respectively, led a discussion on Italian national budget and job market, stimulated primarily by students of Economics and Administration.