by Ennio Bassi
Florance – With a touching and effective maternal letter, Kerry Kennedy, daughter of the late Bob and President of the international center dedicated to human rights that bears her father’s name, invited Americans to return to Italy and rediscover the pleasures and beauties of the “bel paese”. Kerry’s letter, rich in humanity and written from the heart, demonstrates her deep and genuine attachment to Italy. After all, it is in our country, starting from the headquarters in Florence, that the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Italy, thanks to the work of its President Stefano Lucchini, has proved to be one of the most active at the international level.
“Dear Mariah, Michaela, dear family and friends, come back to Italy!”, so begins Kerry Kennedy’s impassioned open letter to friends and relatives, anticipated in full by Corriere della Sera, one of the main Italian newspapers. “I know we are all tired of Covid, and anxious to get out our passports – writes the RFK President – If you are vaccinated, Italy is a far safer place than the subways or many American states. Consider getting on one of the many Covid Free flights (those who have been vaccinated and show a negative test carried out in the 48 hours prior to departure and upon arrival in Italy are subjected to a rapid swab in order to avoid quarantine precautionary). The most beautiful thing about Italy are the Italians. We have a lot to learn from them about how to combine dedication to work with family care and leisure. Get ready to be invited to lunch, dinner, a weekend getaway, a tour of their favorite places, a family wedding and more: extending invitations is for Italians a national sport and no one is left out.”
Very sweet and frank words of someone who knows well the Italian hospitality but above all of someone who knows well that for our country the recovery of the international tourism, especially the one of American origin, is a decisive factor to restart the flywheel of the domestic economy. So much so that Kerry dwells on it, listing in her recommendations all the Italian excellences, from art to culture, from fashion to natural beauty to our famous cuisine.
“Take your children to Rome, the most interactive museum of art and history in the world,” writes Kerry, “in Italy everything is art, everything is history. You can also enjoy them outdoors, for example by walking the Via Francigena. Florence is surrounded by trails, which will allow you to take a different hike every day without changing hotel rooms. But if you want to go further, nothing beats the Italian Alps: it will be impossible to use all the adjectives available to describe their beauty, magnificence, grandeur. Summer is the season when the different types of tomatoes are finally ripe: you can enjoy them on pizza, with various pasta formats or even as a jam.”
For Italy, nothing could have worked better than this “letter of recommendation,” which also dwells extensively on the strong multi-religious matrix of Italy, a country that is the center of world Catholicism but also a place of fraternal welcome for Jews and Muslims. Kerry Kennedy, as we said, wrote it from the heart but also based on precise indicators regarding her country and the center that bears her father’s name. “The greatest gift to America are the nearly 18 million Americans of Italian descent,” she writes, “It is time to return to this magical country, and show our love and generosity to the place that has given us so much.
Then there is the activism of the Italian section of the RFK which, with its President Lucchini, has demonstrated its ability to optimally manage a non-profit organization created in 1968 by the friends and family of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, to carry on his moral legacy and realize his dream of a more just and peaceful world. Lucchini and his staff, even in the midst of the pandemic, from the beautiful Florentine headquarters built in the former prison of Le Murate, have created a series of humanitarian initiatives and continued to train activists, students and teachers from around the world on human rights issues. In 2020, in order to face the Covid19 emergency, the structure – just to give an example – was destined to the Italian Red Cross – Florence Committee for the assistance to doctors and nurses involved in the pandemic, as well as for the distribution of food and basic necessities. In short, Robert F. Kennedy’s legacy in Italy has put down good roots and his daughter Kerry’s love for the beautiful country is very deep and well reciprocated.
(Associated Medias) – Tutti i diritti sono riservati