Winding up our #Together200 bicentennial year, this month we return to our roots and reflect upon the reason a consulate was established here in 1819: art. What kept James Ombrosi, our first consular agent, on the run was the rapidly expanding number of American artists and art lovers who began traveling to Florence in […]
November is a meaningful month for Americans. Every year on the 11th we gather together to thank all those who have served in the Armed Forces for their sacrifices in defense of our common values. On the fourth Thursday of the month we celebrate the most important of family holidays: Thanksgiving. But November is important […]
This month, our #Together200 theme is conservation and environmental responsibility. As guests in Italy, the U.S. Consulate tries to have as small a footprint as possible. We are very proud to say that in 2018, the beautiful Palazzo Canevaro, our consulate building, was granted LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. This means that […]
Every July 4, Americans around the globe celebrate in grand style the anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. On that date 243 years ago, 56 brave men from 13 American colonies took the bold step, which, as Abraham Lincoln put it 87 years later, “brought forth…a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and […]
If you’ve been following our monthly column, you’ll know by now that the spirit of #Together200 can be found in almost every sector and aspect of daily life. Fashion is no exception. The United States remains one of the top export markets for Tuscan fashion and leather products, and American buyers and consumers are avid […]
You’ll find evidence of the shared history of the United States and Tuscany in every corner of Florence, even in your neighborhood gelato shop. Wine too is a thread that has connected our two countries since even before the establishment of the Consulate in Florence in 1819. Naturally, it all goes back to Thomas Jefferson […]
The spirit of #Insieme200 (“#Together200”) is present everywhere in our daily lives, even in the neighborhood gelateria. One of the first known American recipes for a gelato-like dessert was scrawled out by none other than Thomas Jefferson. One can imagine that he got the idea for this from his good friend Filippo Mazzei, who perhaps […]
Florence’s first U.S. Consul assumed office in 1823, his name was Giacomo Ombrosi and, curiously, he wasn’t American. Michele Amedei, a scholar and art historian specializing in the link among American artists in Tuscany in the first half of the 19th century, details his research. The Florentine: What can you tell us about Giacomo Ombrosi? […]
This year marks the bicentennial of U.S. diplomatic presence in Florence, making it the second oldest continuous U.S. diplomatic establishment in Italy—after Naples, where we set up shop in 1796. The terminology “diplomatic presence” is chosen deliberately, as over the last 200 years we have had many faces and roles. There have been 46 principal […]
