In the industrial heart of the United States, where Italian identity is intertwined with the automotive past and the future of innovation, the Consul of Italy in Detroit, Allegra Baistrocchi, has built in four years a diplomatic network made of human relations, culture and reputation. Speaking on the Portraits podcast of ilNewyorkese hosted by Claudio Brachino, Baistrocchi recounted the experience of her tenure in a consular district that covers five U.S. states: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
“AIRE members number about 23,000, but the Italian-descendant community is up to two and a half million. Most are concentrated between Michigan and Ohio, but the other states are also growing.”
Precisely for this reason, one of the latest acts of its Consulate was the opening of an honorary office in Tennessee to facilitate access to services for an increasingly active but distant community from its headquarters in Detroit.
Baistrocchi stresses that the most stimulating part of his work is not the bureaucratic part, although fundamental, but the cultural and economic promotion of Italy: “We have increased passport issuance by 70 percent, eliminated the backlog in citizenship, and achieved significant numbers on visas as well.”
Detroit, known for its industrial vocation, surprised the Consul by the enthusiasm with which it welcomed innovative Italian cultural initiatives: “In almost four years-I arrived in September 2021-we have organized more than 160 events, always aimed at different audiences. I am very convinced of the need to democratize access to events: they should not only be aimed at ‘Italics’ – a term I much prefer to ‘Italian-descendants’ – but also at Friends of Italy, at all those who love Italy, even if they have no direct ties with our country. The goal is always the same: to tell the story of Italy today.”
A profoundly different Italy from the stereotypes ingrained for too long in the U.S. “Everyone loves our food, wine, art, architecture, but few really know contemporary Italy. When I talk about aerospace, for example, many look at me as if I were a Martian. Yet we are the third country in the world to have launched a satellite into space. This is not well known. That’s why we try to do events that are fun but also informative, to offer content worth knowing and sharing.”
Economically, the diplomatic mission has also brought tangible results. “Our trade interchange with Michigan is worth $3.5 billion, which is growing steadily. Eighty percent is still automotive, but we are working to diversify, increasing the Italian presence especially in the sustainability and energy sectors. Since I arrived, the interchange has increased by 19 percent over 2019.”
Particularly significant is the renewed Italian presence in Stellantis, with Antonio Filosa at the helm: “This is an important return that will also have repercussions for Italian industry, with six billion investments announced for procurement in our country.”
Baistrocchi is now preparing to leave his post, but the balance is more than positive. “I am returning to Rome after eight years abroad. I have lived in 15 countries in my life, but Italy remains the best place to live. And I say this as someone who is used to dealing with different realities. In Italy, however, there is often a lack of perception of how special our country is. There is a much more positive perception of Italy abroad than among Italians themselves.”
Also confirming all the good that has been done in these four years are the many awards and recognitions received: among them, the Consul likes to mention the Spirit of Detroit, awarded to her by the city, and the Reputation Research Award for improving the perception of Italy in Michigan by 21.7 percent.
Among the many projects followed, Baistrocchi enthusiastically recalls the second edition of The Perfect Pitch for Italian startups and the future collaboration with the Sustainable Urban Development Summit. Not forgetting cultural events, such as Caravaggio’s Tableaux Vivants and the Italian Bowl, the final of the Italian American football championship that was held, for the first time, in the U.S. “Sport is also diplomacy. And our diplomacy must always speak many languages: culture, business, technology, art. Only in this way can we really tell who we are.”
The article Detroit, America’s gateway to Italy: Allegra Baistrocchi’s vision comes from TheNewyorker.
