People often speak of a “brain drain” in dramatic tones, as though emigration were nothing but a loss, often experienced as a deep, lacerating wound. That is not the case. Traveling, discovering the world, is probably the greatest driver of both personal and professional growth. The reasons that lead people to leave their home country are many: from a simple desire to explore something new to the search for fresh professional opportunities. It is right; it is part of life.

The most beautiful moment is when, after a period abroad rich in experience, one returns home. Perhaps after a period of education or the first professional experiences, or, as happens in many cases, upon retirement.

One’s true home is always where one was born. This holds even more true for us Italians. Italy is an extraordinary country, loved throughout the world for its unique qualities. It is a mosaic of diverse cultures across every region, from North to South. It is the thread that binds Italians around the world: professionals, artists, creatives, entrepreneurs who, far from their homeland, continue to embody its spirit and reinvent it every day.

It is that invisible thread that runs from Rome to Tokyo, from Naples to Los Angeles. It is a deep fabric, woven from talent, vision, culture, and adaptability.

Italians abroad are not simply what Italy has temporarily lost; they are also what Italy has become elsewhere, ambassadors of an identity that does not end at geographical borders, but instead evolves through contact with other cultures. In the great global capitals, Italians hold key positions across a wide range of sectors: from finance to technology, from scientific research to design, from cuisine to contemporary art.

What stands out is their distinctiveness, the Made in Italy approach, in the broadest sense of doing things the Italian way, combining rigor and imagination, discipline and intuition, tradition and innovation. It is a stylistic hallmark that the world continues to seek, appreciate, and often imitate.

I want to emphasize this point, because we are imitated all over the world, starting with fashion, a synonym for elegance and timeless style. The success of Made in Italy is the result of a layered culture, rooted in history yet capable of adapting to the present.

Fashion, design, food and wine, automotive, high-end craftsmanship: each sector tells a story of excellence born from attention to detail, aesthetic sensibility, and a distinctive relationship with tradition. Precisely in an age dominated by speed and standardization, Italy is still able to offer the value of quality and uniqueness.

This, Italians abroad carry with them a cultural heritage that goes beyond technical skills: the ability to interpret complexity, to build relationships, and to find innovative solutions even in challenging contexts. It is a mindset shaped by a history deeply rooted in tradition.

There is also a less visible but equally decisive aspect: the network. Italians around the world, despite their dispersion, tend to recognize one another, collaborate, and build communities. This is not about insular identity, but rather a form of professional and cultural solidarity that often becomes a key to success.

The world looks to Italy with a mix of fascination and respect, not only for its past, but for its ability to continue creating value in the present. Italians abroad are proof that this heritage is highly dynamic.

The real challenge, rather, is to transform this global presence into a strategic resource for our country as well. It is necessary to encourage the return of skills and to promote policies that recognize and enhance this widespread wealth.

And to those who leave our country with that sense of distance, with the desire to assimilate into the place where they arrive, a famous quote by Indro Montanelli comes to mind: “There is almost nothing I like about Italy. But what little I am, I feel I am as an Italian; and if I were no longer Italian, I would be nothing at all.”

Yet this is a sentiment we sometimes express while living in Italy. Abroad, the perspective changes, because Italy is always, unmistakably, the great Italy.

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