Lorenzo Ortona came to California to serve as Consul General of Italy in San Francisco five years ago, bringing his wife, journalist Sheila Pierce, and his two children, Sofia and Luca along. The time for a goodbye just arrived and we had our last conversation to hear about his joyful moments, accomplishments, and things he’ll never forget.

It was January 2016 when his mandate started in the San Francisco Bay Area and some additional territories, including Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington State.