L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano L orenzo Ortona c a m e t o C a l i f o r n i a t o serve as Consul General of Italy in San Francisco five years a g o , b r i n g i n g h i s w i f e , journalist Sheila Pierce, and his two children, Sofia and Luca along. The time for a goodbye just arrived and we had our last conversation to h e a r a b o u t h i s j o y f u l moments, accomplishments, and things he'll never forget. It was January 2016 when his mandate started in the San Francisco Bay Area a n d s o m e a d d i t i o n a l territories, including Alaska, H a w a i i , I d a h o , M o n t a n a , Oregon, Utah, Washington S t a t e . A s s o o n a s h i s diplomatic career kicked off i n 2 0 0 2 , C o n s u l O r t o n a covered relevant tasks both in Italy and outside of the c o u n t r y : h e w a s s o o n appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Undersecretary o f S t a t e a t t h e F o r e i g n A f f a i r s M i n i s t r y ; t h e n a s member of the crisis unit of t h e M i n i s t r y o f F o r e i g n A f f a i r s ; a s H e a d o f t h e E c o n o m i c , S c i e n t i f i c a n d Commercial Office in Israel and, before moving to the Bay Area, as Chief of Staff of the Directorate General of the EU at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. D u r i n g h i s t i m e i n California, Consul Ortona has been fully engaged and involved in a community he immediately fell in love with and that loved him back. He left a mark on all levels, by touching many projects with high economic, strategic, scientific, cultural, and local impact. It doesn't come by surprise that, during his last weeks, Consul Ortona and his family said arrivederci to many people from the Italian a n d I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n community. Some goodbyes turned very emotional, some others were a celebration of all accomplishments that make both Consul Ortona and the community proud of being Italian. Consul Ortona, this is t h e l a s t i n t e r v i e w f o r L ' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o before your trip back to Italy. What has come to your mind in the last few days? T h e s e h a v e b e e n v e r y intense days, however it's i m p o r t a n t f o r m e t o remember that I leave after facing eighteen months of a global pandemic. First thing that comes to mind is how San Francisco and California h a n d l e d t h e c r i s i s . I a m p r o u d o f h o w l o c a l institutions in the Bay Area managed to convey the right message around the risk of C o v i d , h o w t h e y k e p t t h e pandemic under control and, thanks to the vaccination program, they allowed us to go back to a normal life. I was fortunate to witness the care and the attention the local government put into the matter. In March last year, I got a call from the Mayor office asking to share data about Italy. The same t h i n g h a p p e n e d w i t h t h e o f f i c e o f t h e C a l i f o r n i a governor. That showed how much they cared and they wanted to get the pandemic under control. I leave this country with gratitude for what was done during this difficult time and with the hope that also Europe and Italy will be in a good shape soon. Since you took office SERENA PERFETTO in the beginning 2016, m a n y t h i n g s h a v e changed. How would you s u m m a r i z e y o u r e x p e r i e n c e a s C o n s u l G e n e r a l i n S a n Francisco? This requires almost three a n s w e r s i n o n e . F r o m a community perspective, I was happy to see Italians and I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n s c o m e together and grow: they all want to help one another and they worked with me and my staff to give support to those in need. From a city perspective, when I first arrived in San F r a n c i s c o , t h e c i t y w a s growing at an exponential s p e e d , a t l e a s t u n t i l t h e beginning of 2020. On one h a n d , t h a t r e s u l t e d i n housing issues because of the number of people willing to live and do business here; on t h e o t h e r h a n d , t e c h companies, once recognized as the best in the world, were questioned because of their involvement in elections and other social issues. Following t h e p a n d e m i c , t h i n g s a r e changing again: there's an opportunity to remodel the city with community-centric solutions. San Francisco will always be at the forefront of c h a n g e a n d w i l l b e e v e n more protagonist in shaping t h e f u t u r e o f a p o s t - pandemic world. Maybe, the city can regain the space lost o v e r t i m e a n d g i v e i t t o artists for instance, while other cities in the US follow its model and become part of the tech ecosystem. I am sure there are a few things or moments o f t h i s m a n d a t e t h a t you'll always consider special. Can you name a few? I t i s v e r y d i f f i c u l t , i t ' d p o s s i b l y t a k e a b o o k ! However, I won't hide that, at the top of the list, there is the visit of the Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio M a t t a r e l l a , i n O c t o b e r 2019. After forty years, we had the honor to welcome an Italian President back to the area. He chose to visit San F r a n c i s c o a f t e r b e i n g i n Washington DC and I was g l a d t o s e e , f o r i n s t a n c e , Italian-Americans feel close to Italy again because of this appearance. On the other hand, more than 500 people, members of the Italian tech and scientific community, j o i n e d t h e P r e s i d e n t i n Stanford. Not only did the visit seal the work of the last two years, but it also pushed everyone to do more. That is why the soft opening of the new Italian Innovation and Culture Hub is another event to remember. We were able to secure the space and to f i n a l l y g e t t h e I t a l i a n c o m m u n i t y o n t h e m a p t h r o u g h t h e c o v e r a g e o f President Mattarella's visit to Consul General Lorenzo Ortona presenting President Sergio Mattarella during his visit in San Francisco. (photo courtesy of Lorenzo Ortona) Consul General Lorenzo Ortona says goodbye to the community he loves and that loves him back SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY Continued to page 30

• Cover