L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano things for Italians in need. On the other hand, I have m e e t i n g s t o s u p p o r t o u r d i p l o m a t i c e f f o r t s a n d i n t e r e s t s . E v e r y d a y i s different and that's one of the best parts of this job. J u s t a f e w d a y s a g o f o r e x a m p l e , w e g a v e I t a l i a n citizenship through marriage to some couples during an intimate ceremony at the C o n s u l a t e . I t w a s a n emotional moment. You took office exactly two months ago. What has your priority been? My team and I have been working hard on all consular s e r v i c e s , t r y i n g t o g e t a s much as possible done to a d d r e s s t h e c o m m u n i t y ' s needs and requests. I have to a d m i t i t i s n o t e a s y , considering we are in a post- Covid era, with a backlog to clear. How are you getting to know our community of I t a l i a n s a n d I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n s i n t h e B a y Area? Every day, I get to meet more and more members of the Italian and the Italian- A m e r i c a n c o m m u n i t i e s , a l o n g s i d e w o r k m e e t i n g s w i t h I t a l i a n c o m p a n i e s , s c h o o l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , members of the academic w o r l d , a n d C o n s u l s f r o m other countries. With Covid-19, many events were canceled or went virtual in the last y e a r . D i d y o u g e t t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o a t t e n d any in-person events so far? I w a s l u c k y e n o u g h t o attend some amazing events, l i k e t h e o p e n i n g o f t h e Refettorio Francescano and t h e s o f t o p e n i n g o f t h e I t a l i a n I n n o v a t i o n a n d Culture Hub. I was also able t o w a t c h R o b e r t o B o l l e ' s performance at the Festival Napa Valley, to attend the reopening of SFIAC at the Athletic Club, and the San F r a n c i s c o G i a n t s I t a l i a n H e r i t a g e N i g h t a t A T & T Park. I was also proud to see the current exhibit of Italian Immigration at the Museo Italo-Americano and the one on Pompeii at the Legion of Honor. What's on the agenda for the next few months? The official opening of the I t a l i a n I n n o v a t i o n a n d Culture Hub is taking lots of my time and energy. This is people. We are working to expand our team so that we can reduce the backlog and promptly address all their requests. How do you envision t h e r e l a t i o n s w i t h t h e local communities? I ' d l i k e t o i n v e s t e v e n more in all communities of I t a l i a n s a n d I t a l i a n - Americans, it is important to keep this connection with the past. The contributions of Italians to the beauty and growth of San Francisco are well known and I am sure t h a t i t s o p e n n e s s c o m e s from Italian genes. Italy and I t a l i a n s a r e o p e n t o t h e Mediterranean and the rest of the world, we strive to p r o m o t e c o n n e c t i o n s between people, we teach a n d l e a r n f r o m o t h e r s - - that's what makes us similar to Americans from this part of the country. W h a t ' s t h e p r o j e c t t h a t y o u ' r e l o o k i n g forward to? I ' m l o o k i n g f o r w a r d t o seeing more activities at the Refettorio Francescano, an I t a l i a n p r o j e c t t h a t w e n t g l o b a l t h a n k s t o C h e f Bottura. The whole concept of helping people in need is e x t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t , especially with the pandemic a n d i n a c i t y l i k e S a n F r a n c i s c o , w h e r e h o m e l e s s n e s s i s a r e a l emergency. Additionally, I cannot wait to spend my first Italian Heritage Month in t h e B a y w i t h m y f a m i l y . O c t o b e r w i l l b e a g r e a t moment to acknowledge the h e r i t a g e o f t h e I t a l i a n community and the impact on values like inclusion and g o i n g t o b e t h e f i r s t h u b l a u n c h e d b y t h e I t a l i a n Government abroad. It will be a place for Italian startups that want to know Silicon V a l l e y a n d g e t i n s i d e i t s e c o s y s t e m . I t ' l l a t t r a c t venture capital and operate a s a n i n c u b a t o r , w i t h trainings and workshops. All this while the IIC runs its own programming focusing on Italian culture, language, and more. One of my other priorities is to improve the s e r v i c e s w e o f f e r t o o u r c i t i z e n s h e r e . W e w e n t through a difficult time, had to work limited hours and with a few people at a given time. Now, with everyone traveling again, we are facing a great number of requests for visas and passports. Our consular network includes t w e n t y - s e v e n t h o u s a n d solidarity. I t l o o k s l i k e C o n s u l Strozzi is already fully i m m e r s e d i n t o American life… I l o v e w a l k i n g a r o u n d North Beach and the Castro, t h e v i b e o f b o t h t h e s e n e i g h b o r h o o d s m a k e s a d i f f e r e n c e . I l o v e O c e a n beach, even during those f o g g y d a y s . W e d o m i s s R o m e , o u r f a m i l y a n d f r i e n d s , h o w e v e r S a n F r a n c i s c o a n d i t s h i l l s started to remind us of "i colli romani" and we like the f o o d m a d e b y I t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t s . I t a l y o v e r a l l feels less far than what's on the map. If we get to know as m a n y p e o p l e a s p o s s i b l e a m o n g t h e t w e n t y - s e v e n thousand Italians from the network, we may feel less homesick for Italy. Consul General Strozzi with some couples who got their citizenship through marriage at the Italian Consulate I find San Francisco an exciting city. I love its architecture, culture and people. I love when someone asks me "How are you?". It shows the spirit of the city and of all San Franciscans Continued from page 30 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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