We were so proud to gather last night to solemnly celebrate the Italian National Day, together with our American and foreign friends. It is now 79 years since our people voted to establish a Republic, shaping Italy’s comeback to democracy, rule of law and respect of fundamental human rights.
Seldom, if ever, has the urge to reaffirm these unperishable values been more important. What kind of future do we envision for our children and prepare for the next generations? For the engulfing uncertainties all around us, we know where to look for answers and find inspiration.
Our unwavering beacon is and will always be the republican values enshrined in our Constitution. They make us a Nation, a community of hearts and minds, whose destiny and trajectory lie in our own hands and in our capacity to bond unrelentingly with our friends and allies. This is the choice our forefathers made in the aftermath of World War 2, and this is the choice we symbolically renew every year when we celebrate the Italian National Day.
Unity, solidarity, culture, humanity, commitment to the well-being of our people, public-spiritedness and generosity vis-à-vis our friends and our partners, Europa: this is the well-established approach dear to us, this is the sempiternal set of values we acknowledge as Italians. And let’s say this aloud. These values are the very source of the amazing soft power the World recognizes us. And all our nationals abroad contribute to this. In every walk of life here in Miami, in Florida, and the whole south-eastern United States our community lives up to the best expectations of our American hosts, facilitating mutual understanding and building trust between our Peoples.
Thank you for being so successful at carving out your place in this beautiful country!
More than 65.000 Italian residents prosper here. We are the second largest Italian community in the US and we are giving a huge boost to bilateral relations between the US and Italy. Florida is the fourth largest market for Italy in the US and is home to more than 400 Italian companies. Several thousand US workers are employed by Italian companies, our investments here are booming, and new strategic, industrial and manufacturing eco-systems are seeing the light.
There are conjunctural risks. Of course. But we know that together we have the strength to face any challenge and the willingness to do much more and our institutions, both here and back home, stand ready to assist and help all along, thanks to an ever more effective and mutually rewarding collaboration with our American counterparts. Loyalty, like-minded generosity, and commitment to sharing values do pay back. Always.
We believe in the greater good that we are capable of achieving when we act together, as a community, engaging our friends and partners. This is what made in Italy is all about. This is more important than ever. This is also what our sponsors tonight showed us with their generosity: supporting each other is a deliberate choice that brings benefits to us all. Thank you for caring! Your deeds speak louder than many words!
VIVA L’ITALIA!!!
