NEWS - FLORENCE
Hot dogs, coca-cola, and ribollita?
DayIn what has now become an annual tradition, “The Friends of the American Community” put together a huge party in Florence to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day this past weekend. The event’s goal is to provide an arena for Americans to honour their traditions while abroad, as well as to share them with the Italian community of which they are a part.
Although the party, held at the beautiful park of Villa Demidoff just outside of Florence, was strictly invitation only, several hundred, if not a thousand, people did attend the event. Under the watchful eye of the statue of a giant, the park’s most notable monument, American and Italian officials and heads of state, dressed in formal attire and surrounded by security agents, mingled with more casually-dressed American students; expatriate groups from the Florence area, such as the Church of St. James and the Tuscan-American Association; and Florentines in some way connected to the American community.
In the strikingly Florentine surroundings of the Medici Villa and its park, a truly American-style festival was set up: complete with several smoking grills barbequing hamburgers and hot dogs, tables full of chips imported form the U.S., bands playing classic American rock, and youngsters equipped with red, white, and blue sparklers. In honour of the surroundings, typical Florentine side-dishes, like ribollita and beans, as well as local wines were also served. An Italian Bersaglieri military unit also trotted through the crowds playing traditional military tunes on their brass instruments.
During the most official part of an otherwise relaxed event, the U.S. Consul General of Florence, William W. McIlhenny, gave a short welcoming speech to a portion of the attending crowds. He was accompanied by the President of the Province of Florence, Matteo Renzi, the Mayor of Vaglia (where the park is located) Fabio Pieri, and two surprise guests, U.S. Congressmen Bill Young (R–Florida) and John Sweeney (R–New York), who both happened to be visiting Italy on vacation.
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