This year marks the bicentennial of U.S. diplomatic presence in Florence, making it the second oldest continuous U.S. diplomatic establishment in Italy—after Naples, where we set up shop in 1796. The terminology “diplomatic presence” is chosen deliberately, as over the last 200 years we have had many faces and roles. There have been 46 principal officers (who held different titles, such as commercial agent, consul or consul general) who have presided from at least eight buildings around Florence.

From 1865 to 1871, the U.S. Embassy to the Kingdom of Italy was in Florence alongside the Consulate. We were closed three and a half years during World War Two, but reopened our doors less than four months after the Liberation and soon thereafter moved into our current location on lungarno Vespucci.