Ep. 4 - Lorenzo Ortona, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco Artwork

Letters to Italy

Letters to Italy by Sara Marinelli is an eighth-part series about the impact of Covid-19 on Italian immigrants in the Bay Area. How did Italian expats feel when they received news of their country being the epicenter of the pandemic in the Western world, and how did it affect their distant relationship to home? At the intersection of personal memoir and documentary, each episode features conversations with an Italian expat to hear how the pandemic reshaped their life in the U.S., and how they tried to remain connected to Italy in a time of crisis and forced separation. Conversations bring up questions of belonging, resilience, community, and how to transform challenges into possibilities.

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Letters to Italy

Ep. 4 - Lorenzo Ortona, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco

June 04, 2021 • Lorenzo Ortona, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco • Season 1 • Episode 4

The fourth episode of "Letters to Italy" by Sara Marinelli features Lorenzo Ortona, Consul General of Italy in San Francisco.

Lorenzo Ortona recalls some of the most difficult moments the Italian diaspora on the West Coast went through when Italy was first hit by the pandemic, as well as the challenges that he and his team faced in support of the community.

As Lorenzo's mandate is set to end this June, he also considers some of the highlights of five years in office in the vast Consulate’s jurisdiction, and the legacy he leaves to the people he served and with whom he established strong and long-lasting relationships.

His is not only a letter to Italy, but also a message goodbye to the Italian community here.

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Episode notes

In expressing his gratitude toward all the people who have supported him in many endeveaors during his tenure, Lorenzo Ortona would like to remember his friend Jeff Capaccio, founderand chairman of SVIEC, Silicon Valley Italian Executive Council, who passed away suddenly in March 2021.

Producer/Editor: Sara Marinelli
Intro and outro music: “Hopeful Motivation” - James Yan
Website for Sara Marinelli: www.saramarinelli.com
Website for the Italian Consulate of San Francisco: www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it

This series was made possible thanks to the support of COMITES of San Francisco and the Italian Consulate of San Francisco, with funding from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.