The Welcome Day celebration is our signature event for the students of the U.S. Institutions here in Florence. The lead up is Open Day, in which the U.S.-based universities open their doors to the public for two days on September 24 and 25.
Organized months in advance, Welcome Day will be held on September 26 at 5:30pm in the Salone de' Cinquecento. An important part of Welcome Day is the formal greetings by the U.S. Consul and the major of Florence. It is a formal welcome on behalf of the City and an important acknowledgement of the American students studying here.
We confer two honors: one to an outstanding American and the other to an outstanding Italian. This year the awards will go to Ellen Toscano, director of Villa La Pietra, and Eugenio Alphandery, of the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa maria Novella.
Also new this year is a special award for Zubin Mehta, honoring his outstanding work at the new opera house, in the city of Florence and in the world of music. New this year during the event is a musical performance.
