On May 15, Italian Ambassador to the United States Claudio Bisogniero [2] conferred the honor of “Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic” to Princess Giulia Ghirardi Borghese, Ambassador of San Marino to the Bahamas.

The Princess is awarded the rank of Knight by decree of President Giorgio Napolitano for her life-long commitment to the promotion of Italian culture and arts in the world.

Borghese has always been an active supporter of Italian cultural institutions around the world, particularly in Mexico and in the United States, and now in the Bahamas, given her current diplomatic mission to the country.

Borghese received the appointment as Knight after organizing a one year-long exhibition, titled “Paintings from the Accademia Carrara [3],” which took place in the Embassy of Italy to the United States in the year of the 150th Anniversary of the Unity of Italy.

The investiture of Princess Borghese took place in the Consulate General [4] of Italy to New York, in the presence of close friends and family. Deputy Consul General Laura Aghilarre greeted the guests on behalf of Consul General Natalia Quintavalle, on an official visit to Connecticut with Italian Minister of Justice Paola Severino.

Honoring Borghese, Ambassador Bisogniero commented on how intense her dedication to the promotion of Italian culture and arts has always been, and noted how her contribution to the promotion of the Italian artistic heritage was never limited to the ancient glories, but always focused on making contemporary Italian artists such as Guttuso and De Chirico known worldwide.

“Princess Borghese did so many important things for Italy, and even for this very building: she in fact contributed to the restoration of the Italian Cultural Institute [5], where one of the exhibition spaces, the one that normally hosts photographic exhibitions, is dedicated to her name,” the Ambassador commented.

In his remarks, Bisogniero auspicated that the Princess will be actively involved in the works for 2013, the Year of Italian Culture in the United States.

“I am very happy and honored to receive this decoration, especially since I haven’t been in Italy in a very long time,” Princess Borghese told i-Italy.

“I truly believe that culture is the most efficient means to promote integration and peace in the world,” she added.