It has been a few busy weeks for the San Francisco Bay area, and so it was for the Italian and Italian-American community. San Francisco hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference, one of the largest gatherings of global leaders in San Francisco. More than 20,000 people attended the historic conference, including Heads of State and Dignitaries from over 20 member economies in Asia, the Pacific, North America, and South America. During this time, the Italian Ambassador to the US, Mariangela Zappia, paid her first visit to San Francisco, which took place on November 16th and 17th.
Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, Sergio Strozzi, managed the two-day agenda, with meetings covering the rapidly growing collaboration between Italy and the Bay Area, the promotion of Italian startups and innovative ecosystems in Silicon Valley, academic and scientific collaboration, supercomputing, emerging technologies and cultural promotion activities, including the Botticelli exhibition at the Legion of Honor.
As the first stop, Ambassador Zappia met with Italian physicist Federico Faggin, the man behind the first microprocessor, who worked at Olivetti and Fairchild Semiconductors, and founded ZiLOG – the first company dedicated to microprocessors – and Synaptics, a company that developed the first touchpads and touch screens. During their conversation, they focused on the role of “disruptive technologies,” and how to keep them in line with human and social dimensions; generative artificial intelligence, and the significant presence of Italian researchers and scientists in the tech industry in Silicon Valley.
The new Italian Innovation and Culture Hub in San Francisco, INNOVIT, was home to a roundtable called “Boosting the relations between Italy and Silicon Valley in the fields of innovation, technology and science.” In her opening speech, addressing guests such as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Apple, Dr. Luca Maestri, and the Director of Investments of NVIDIA, John Wesley, Ambassador Zappia underlined the novelty and importance of this project. A way to promote and support Italian innovation players such as startups, research centers, universities, and large technological companies. “Contamination” was the keyword, fostered by initiatives in different industries, like business, tech, science, and culture. During the conference, alongside a presentation made by INNOVIT Director, Mr Alberto Acito, representatives of the two Italian business associations in the Bay Area took the stage, Giacomo Marini, President of SVIEC (Silicon Valley Italian Executives Council), and Matteo Daste, founder of BAIA (Business Association Italy America), followed by the Co-President of the Bay Area Chapter of the ISSNAF (Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation), Professor Alessandro Ratti.
“Over 100 startups and innovative SMEs accelerated in 2023, more than a hundred events organized, over 4,000 guests—these numbers demonstrate the success of this Italian project,” Ambassador Zappia highlighted. “This commitment was one of the agreements made by the Italian Prime Minister and President Biden in their meeting in Washington at the end of July. With INNOVIT, Italy brings its excellence in the sectors of energy, biotech, fintech, digital, aerospace, robotics, cybersecurity, and the internet of things to Silicon Valley.”
The evening on the first day ended with the honor of Knight OMRI, granted by the President of the Republic, to Mr. Luca Maestri. Ambassador Zappia thanked Mr. Maestri for promoting investments with high educational and technological value, such as the creation of the Apple Developer Academy at the Federico II University of Naples, the support of educational and training programs for young people, and his participation as an INNOVIT Advisory Board member.
During her mission, Ambassador Zappia stressed the relevance of collaborations in the academic and scientific fields, in particular during her meetings at the University of California – Berkeley, in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This lab was first financed by the federal government, which includes cutting-edge structures such as the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, NERSC, and the Advanced Light Source, ALS, and 16 Nobel Prize winners among the scientists who worked there. The group explored together supercomputing, the application of particle accelerators for scientific research in different industries, as well as the excellent level of collaboration between Italy and the University of Berkeley, facilitated by the large presence of Italian scientists in the Californian university. The time in Berkeley concluded with a meeting at UC Berkeley SkyDeck, the university accelerator, where Director Caroline Winnett, Professor Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli, and the Head of SkyDeck Europe, George Panagiotakopoulos, presented the progress of SkyDeck Europe programs in Milan. Ambassador Zappia also met with three Italian startup founders, who are currently part of the SkyDeck-Berkeley acceleration program: Supplai, Plino, and Klaaryo.
The Italian and Italian American community of San Francisco and the Bay Area was also at the center of the visit, with a special meeting at the Consulate General on November 17th. The Ambassador paid her tribute, emphasizing the importance of the unity of the Italian community abroad, when it comes to both the integration and collaboration between historic Italian-American associations and those of expats, such as scientists and entrepreneurs in the most innovative industries.
“I really wanted to meet this community because, as institutions, we cannot have any success without you. When I look at the numbers, I can see how much commitment comes from these associations. Italy in Washington DC is among the few allies of the United States and this is also because of the footprint we have in this country. Very recently I was at the White House for Italian Heritage Month and the warm atmosphere proves how much the First Lady is attached to her roots,” Ambassador Zappia said. “It’s important to keep the parade and its symbols alive, by looking at the past as well as the present and the future. Italians come here and stay, not only is mobility continuing, but it also makes our relations stronger,” she concluded.
The visit concluded with a special pre-opening event of the “Botticelli Drawings” exhibition at the Fine Arts Museum and Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Curated by well-known expert Furio Rinaldi, the exhibit presents an unprecedented number of autograph works by the Florentine master, eleven paintings, and most of his drawings. Director of the Legion of Honor, Thomas Campbell, gave his greetings to Ambassador Zappia in his opening speech and highlighted the relevance of the great monographic retrospective on Botticelli in collaboration with major international – especially Italian – museum institutions. On the same note, Ambassador Zappia underlined the exceptional value of the exhibition in terms of both the works on display and the route and exhibition methods, congratulating the management and curator Rinaldi.
As the main representative of the community across different states, Consul General Sergio Strozzi shared his final thoughts: “These were intense days of work, meetings, and events related to many industries where relations between Italy, San Francisco, and the Bay Area came to life. Innovation and tech, startups and investments, energy and environmental sustainability, promotion of art and culture, Italian and Italian-American community. The so-called Sistema Italia of the North-West Coast welcomed the Ambassador and was able to share upcoming strategic projects: INNOVIT and the strengthening of Italian innovative ecosystems; American investments in Italy; academic and scientific collaboration; the multiple initiatives of the Italian community in the Bay Area; the unique Botticelli exhibition at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Ambassador Zappia’s visit was an extraordinary opportunity to show a more innovative and dynamic Italy in Silicon Valley to our American friends.”
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