“Experiencing Italian American heritage was enlightening, and we understood the importance of being there”. These are the words of Medical Tourism Italy general manager Ivana Trajkovic, and sales & communication manager Emilie Rigaud, who had the opportunity to go to the U.S. to attend NIAF’s 49^th Anniversary Washington Gala and speak at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York. “We can only be grateful towards We the Italians, with a special mention for Mr. Mucci, who was supportive and introduced us to everybody he could” they continued.

Their trip to the United States had a dense agenda, filled with events and appointments. The first day in Washington D.C. was to taste the environment. On the 25^th of October, they were invited to the Italian Embassy, where they were introduced to the ambassador, Mrs. Zappia, and all the consuls. “It was a true honor to meet these important people, to talk about MTI at the embassy,” they said “There, and during our talk at the Italian Cultural Institute, we found everybody extremely interested in the dynamics of our job and what we offer to patients, especially from the U.S.” At the embassy, they also met Mr. Rocca, the president of the Lazio region, nominated by NIAF as next year’s region of honor.

The day after, it was the turn of the NIAF Anniversary Gala in Washington, “we met the president of NIAF, Mr. Allegrini, and we continued our conversations with some of the people from the day before. It was a true honor to be a sponsor of this event. Our logo was projected in that room, and it was seen by such amazing people, it gave us indescribable pride. It told us that all the hard work and energy we put into this project was well spent and that we were going in the right direction. We congratulate the whole organization for the graceful event and all this year’s honorees”. This year’s region of honor was Friuli Venezia Giulia, and, at the event, they had interesting interactions with President Fedriga.

At the Italian Cultural Institute, they had the chance to speak to a very interested public “The first thing that caught our eye was the beauty inside that building, a reminder of the bond between our countries. We were also impressed by the interest the public has shown. They were asking questions, eager to know more about an Italian excellence not usually seen, healthcare. We are grateful to Mr. Mucci and Mrs. Mannarino for putting together the event”.

Between the events, while in D.C. and, later, in New York, they took the opportunity to meet patients and their families who were interested in the MTI’s services. This gave them additional confirmation of the importance of being present in the territory. It will allow patients from all over the U.S. to have direct, more personal contact, and the company to develop its network with clinics and rehabilitation centers throughout the country. Soon, MTI will invest in opening offices in the United States.