Jill Biden visits great-grandparents' village in Sicily

(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 4 - United States First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday visited the village in Sicily from which her great-grandparents left for America at the turn of the 1900s.
    "It's beautiful, it's incredible, thank you for such a warm welcome, I would never have imagined it. As first lady I have managed to bring together the entire Italian-American community", Biden said this in her speech from a stage in the square in Gesso, a village in the municipality of Messina.
    The US first lady mentioned a local gastronomic specialty, "braciole alla messinese" (Messina-style pork chops) which, she revealed, "I had the opportunity to serve together with gnocchi at the White House".
    "The value of loyalty, hard work and the spirit of generosity that my great-grandparents brought to America - added Jill Biden - are still alive. I feel the warmth of home here today".
    At the US air force base at nearby Sigonella, earlier, Biden commented on her arrival in Italy with the phrase "I left the best for last" and saying that for her it was "the honor of my life" to serve as first lady. (ANSA).