Almost 250 people gathered at Villa Aurelia on Monday, September 24 to celebrate what promises to be a magical year. The sound of old and new friends laughing and clinking glasses of prosecco mingled with the voices of happy children playing in the gardens as the sun set on the Gianicolo hill.
President Adele Chatfield-Taylor (1984 Fellow) and director Christopher S. Celenza (1994 Fellow) were honored to introduce the 2012–13 Rome Prize winners, the Residents, the Affiliated Fellows, the Visiting Artists and Scholars, and the Advisors to the distinguished guests. American Ambassador and Mrs. David Thorne, Ambassador and Mrs. Ferdinando Salleo were among them. A palpable energy was felt through the community who was already busy sharing knowledge and inspiring one another two weeks into the program.
The reception included remarks from Kimberly Bowes (2006 Fellow), the new Andrew W. Mellon Professor and Sebastian Hierl newly appointed Drue Heinz Librarian of the Arthur & Janet C. Ross Library. Valentina Moncada di Paternò, McKim Medal Gala chair, invited participation in the Gala on May 27, 2013, which, like in the past, will support Italian Affiliated Fellows; Elizabeth Minchilli, chair of the Friends of the Academy in Italy described the history and the many activities of this growing group of enthusiastic supporters.