Farewell tour visit of George W. Bush to Europe: Visit to Rome
Jun 20th, 2008 by Danne75
As a part of his farewell tour visits to major European countries, George W. Bush, incumbent president of the United States, has visited also Italy. His visit lasted two days from 11th till 13th June.
Air Force One, the plane that transports the American president came from Berlin and landed to Ciampino airport at 16:10 on the 11th June 2008.
Bush stayed at his residence in Italy in Villa Taverna .
When he came out from the doors of Boeing 747 with the colors white and blue, stars on the tail, George W. Bush has greeted with waving turned towards photographers and tv operators. Near by the ladder of the aircraft there were present many officials to greet the President, like an American ambassador in Rome- Ronald Empty P., with the ambassadors to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon and to the Fao Rome, Gaddi Vasquez;
and from Italian part there were the ambassador in Washington, Giovanni Castellaneta and the head of the diplomatic Cerimoniale of the Republic, ambassador Leonardo Visconti di Modrone. For the secretariat of State of the Vatican, the greetings came from the nunzio apostolic, monsignor Peter Paul Prabhu, and from the head of the protocol, monsignor Fortunatus Nwachuwu. Bush had a few minutes chat and then he entered into the special black armored limousine that that waited for him a few meters from Air Force One. 
A long corteo, escorted from Italian and American security forses has left the airport of Ciampino and headed to the residence of the US embassy in Parioli. Approximately half hour before the arrival presidential airplane, another one landed to Ciampino Airport, Boeing 757 that follows the travel of the USA President in Europe.
The President Bush has met Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, the President of Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano and the Pope during his stay in Italy.
Bush thanked and praised Italy, historical ally of the United States and current Italian Prime Minister is a good friend of his American collegue, for continuous efforts in the operation in Afghanistan, like the deployment of more then 2000 soldiers of the NATO-led mission in the country. Berlusconi is also believed to support the efforts of the United States within the United Nations Security Council to put more pressure on Iran in order to stop the nuclear programme, in order to enter into the Group of Five that deals with this issue, thus becoming the Group 5+1. Bush expressed his interest in consideration of this possibility.
As planned George Bush visited the Vatican, expressing his personal appraisal of the Pope Benedict XVI. He walked accompanied by the Pontefice in the Vatican gardens.
George Bush has also visited the Quirinal Palace, where he met Giorgio Napolitano, the President of Italian Republic. "Wonderful" was his comment when he saw the doors openning wide and showing him historical rooms of the Palace: il Salone dei Corazzieri and la Cappella Paolina.
On the 13th June Bush has left Rome, continuing his farewell tour to France.
There are strong historical ties between Italy and the United States, which lie in political, economic, social and cultural interests of both nations. Hopefully, this will influence more on the growth of the tourist flows to Bel Paese from the American Continent.