L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 4 T h e f i r s t o f f i c i a l visit of H.E. the I t a l i a n A m b a s - s a d o r t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , Marco Peronaci, marked a s i g n i f i c a n t m o m e n t f o r Italy's diplomatic efforts on the West Coast, while reaf- f i r m i n g t h e c o h e s i o n a n d strength of the Italian insti- tutional network across the U n i t e d S t a t e s . T h e v i s i t began in Northern Califor- nia, in San Francisco, with m e e t i n g s w i t h t h e c i t y ' s mayor Daniel Lurie and G o v e r n o r G a v i n N e w - som, before continuing on to Los Angeles. "Ambassador Peronaci's first official mission to Cali- fornia marked a significant milestone in strengthening the presence and coordina- tion of the Italian System on the West Coast, made possi- ble by close collaboration among all institutional part- ners", commented General Consul Raffaella Valen- tini. "The Los Angeles pro- gram concretely highlighted the various dimensions of our work: scientific diplo- macy, with visits to Caltech and NASA JPL in Pasadena and discussions with Italian r e s e a r c h e r s a n d l e a d e r s active in the aerospace and innovation sectors; cultural diplomacy, with a visit to t h e A c a d e m y M u s e u m o f Motion Pictures and a sub- s e q u e n t r e c e p t i o n a t t h e Italian Cultural Institute with the local academic, cul- tural, and creative commu- nity; the institutional and community dimension, with m e e t i n g s w i t h t h e C i t y Council, the Italian-Ameri- c a n c o m m u n i t y o f S a n P e d r o , a n d a v i s i t t o t h e Italian American Museum o f L o s A n g e l e s ; a n d e c o - nomic diplomacy, with an e v e n i n g e v e n t h o s t e d b y Bulgari attended by local institutions, the business community, and the Italy- America Chamber of Com- merce West, strengthening the dialogue between Italy a n d e c o n o m i c a c t o r s i n Southern California. This visit confirms the effective- ness of coordinated action by the Italian System, capa- ble of integrating institu- tions, culture, science, and the economy into a unified, results-oriented vision." A m b a s s a d o r P e r - o n a c i , w e l c o m e t o S o u t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a . The city of Los Angeles is a bridge for innova- tion, start-ups, and the space economy, areas in which Italy is particu- larly strong. Collabora- tion with NASA is a key element of the relation- ship between Italy and the United States. What policies are you pursu- ing in these sectors? One of the very first visits I made in the United States was to NASA in Houston, Texas, and today I also visit- ed JPL in Pasadena. I came here with the intention of visiting the aerospace dis- trict. We also went to Cal- tech, where we met many Italian researchers, scien- tists, and aerospace engi- neers. We spoke extensively a b o u t s p a c e , e s p e c i a l l y because we recently signed a l e t t e r o f i n t e n t w i t h NASA's new leadership to strengthen collaboration. Italy was the first country to s i g n a n a g r e e m e n t w i t h N A S A a n d , a s y o u k n o w , P r e s i d e n t T r u m p h a s a n n o u n c e d t h e g o a l o f returning to the Moon soon and establishing a perma- nent presence there. Ital- ians will make a concrete c o n t r i b u t i o n , a s w e a r e involved in building lunar h a b i t a t i o n m o d u l e s . I n addition, we also have an a g r e e m e n t w i t h P r a d a t o refine the astronauts' uni- forms: highly technological equipment that must also be beautiful. So, if you look up at the sky, you will see a g r e a t d e a l o f I t a l y a n d America together. This is also the year of Italian cuisine: many sectors are performing well in the United States d e s p i t e t a r i f f s . H o w would you describe the current situation? This is the year in which M e d i t e r r a n e a n c u i s i n e became part of humanity's heritage, and we have orga- nized very important events despite the difficulties relat- ed to tariffs, including those on pasta. I must say, howev- er, that we are overcoming these challenges. Certainly, tariff policies are not some- thing we welcome, but we have seen that by working w e l l a n d c o m m u n i c a t i n g our perspectives and needs to American authorities, it is possible to find solutions. I n t h e e n d , t h i s y e a r ' s impact has not halted our exports, which have grown b y m o r e t h a n 5 % , w h i l e other countries have record- ed declines. Our companies c o n t i n u e t o d e m o n s t r a t e resilience and an ability to secure new opportunities. This is because our products A m b a s s a d o r M a r c o P e r o n a c i i n C a l i f o r n i a : between Hollywood, NASA, and Italian diplomacy SILVIA NITTOLI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 From left to right: Giosafat Riganò, Director of ICE (Italian Trade Agency); Consul Lorenza Errighi; Consul General in Los Angeles, Raffaella Valentini; Italian Ambassador to the United States Marco Peronaci; Emanuele Amendola, Director of IIC LA; and Francesca Mauri, Deputy Trade Commissioner of the ICE Office in Los Angeles (Photo: Veronica Maffei)

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