Italian Ambassador to the United States Mariangela Zappia is visiting Chicago starting today and will be in Milwaukee tomorrow for the Republican Party convention.
During her mission to Chicago, assisted by Consul General Thomas Botzios, the Ambassador will meet with the city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson. She will then visit FermiLab, a laboratory specializing in particle physics and accelerator research that closely collaborates with Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and employs 40 Italian physicists and engineers, in addition to 150 Italian researchers conducting research at the facility.
The Ambassador will also visit the innovation, research, and development center of the Italian group Ferrero. She will preside over a meeting at the Italian Consulate General with the components of Sistema Italia [Italy’s institutional network] active in Chicago, including the Italian Cultural Institute, Italian Trade Agency (ICE) Office, Chamber of Commerce, scientific attaché, and the office for education and promotion of the Italian language. A meeting is also scheduled with representatives of the Italian community, Italian companies, cultural, academic, and scientific sector figures, and American interlocutors. In the Chicago area, Illinois, and the 11 states of the consular jurisdiction (including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri, and Iowa), there are one and a half million Italian-Americans and over thirty thousand Italian nationals, including a growing community of highly qualified professionals in universities, academia, economics, culture, arts, museums, and dining. There are numerous Italians in top positions in the scientific, medical, and research sectors, particularly in the two federal laboratories in Illinois (FermiLab and Argonne National Laboratory), and the presence of Italian doctors in the city’s main hospital facilities is very significant.
Trade between the State of Illinois and Italy in 2023 exceeded 4.5 billion dollars (up 15% from 2022) and that with the states in the area reached 9.5 billion, with a largely positive balance for Italy.
Over 100 Italian companies are present in the region, including major industrial groups that have made significant investments and established their production plants in the agri-food, shipbuilding, mechanical and automotive, paper, packaging, IT, and semiconductor sectors. Italian investments in the Midwest and those of local American groups in Italy active in the biomedical sector are also significant.
Starting from April 7, 2024, ITA Airways has launched a non-stop flight between Rome and Chicago.