Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom visited the American Academy as part of a trip to Rome that included an audience with Pope Francis. During their visit, the Newsoms toured the Academy, including the Janet & Arthur C. Ross Library and the grounds, lunching with the community at the long table. Several current Rome Prize Fellows hailing from California were especially glad to take selfies with their home state governor.
California’s first couple also took to the time to visit the Rome Sustainable Food Project’s kitchen garden, or orto. The RSFP, which was founded sixteen years ago under the guidance of the California chef Alice Waters, focuses on sustainable food practices and education. Newsom and Siebel Newsom learned about the kitchen’s work promoting farm-to-table, seasonal eating, and slow food—issues that resonate with the State of California’s focus on sustainability and the environment.
The gubernatorial visit celebrated cultural exchange between the United States and Italy and reinforced the Academy’s role as a representative of American arts, humanities, and culture in Europe.
