Obama to Italian Prime Minister: ‘I Consider Myself an Honorary Italian’

“Today is an opportunity for me to return the incredible hospitality that Matteo and the Italian people showed me last year in Rome, one of the great cities of the world. Italy, of course, is one of our closest and strongest allies, and any time Italians and Americans get together it’s also a chance to celebrate the deep bonds of history and friendship and family. As I said before, I’m not lucky enough to have any Italian ancestry that I know of, but I consider myself an honorary Italian because I love all things Italian. The United States would not be what we are or who we are without the contributions of generations of Italian-Americans.”