A trio of photos display some of Villa Firenze’s most delicate moldings, antiques, flowing drapes, and the large dining room set with crystal china where the Ambassador and his wife graciously entertain 50,000 guests a year.
As he describes his life’s work, the Ambassador reveals a subtle understanding of the difference between international relations and international relationships. “When two countries have a relationship that is as deep as our two countries, there can be a tendency to take for granted our knowledge of each other, which can get in the way of our curiosity and our drive to learn more about the other. But we must keep improving our knowledge, and not be content to rely on what we have learned up to that point, and I hope to continue to read, and to learn, until the last day of my life. In many ways a relationship is like a garden, and you have to tend to it so that it will grow.”
