Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has granted Italian citizenship to Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo – citing “special merits” – in acknowledgment of her role in promoting ties between Italy and the United States. Bartiromo, born and raised in New York to Italian immigrant families, was recommended for citizenship by Italy’s Interior and Foreign Affairs ministers.
The decision, approved by the Council of Ministers, now moves to the President of the Republic for final validation. According to the government, Bartiromo’s career of more than three decades has consistently highlighted Italian institutions and helped strengthen bilateral relations.
Maria Bartiromo is one of the most recognizable figures in American financial journalism. She started her career at CNN before moving to CNBC in 1993, where she became a trailblazer as the first reporter to broadcast live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Her on-air presence helped reshape business television, earning her the nickname “Money Honey.” In 2014 she joined Fox News, where she hosts programs focusing on politics, finance, and global affairs. Bartiromo has won two Emmy Awards and is widely regarded as a journalist who has combined expertise in economics with a direct, accessible reporting style. In recent years, she has also been noted for her conservative political stance and outspoken support of Donald Trump. Earlier in 2025, she was appointed to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Bartiromo’s ties to Italy are deep and personal. Her maternal grandparents, Rosalia and Pellegrino Monreale, emigrated from Agrigento in Sicily at the end of the 19th century. On her father’s side, her grandfather Carmine Bartiromo left Nocera Inferiore in Campania in 1903. She grew up in Brooklyn, where her family owned and operated an Italian restaurant called Rex Manor – a community gathering place that kept her connected to Italian traditions. After earning a degree in journalism and economics from New York University, she launched a career that would make her one of the most respected voices in financial reporting.
The granting of Italian citizenship under the category of “special merits” is both symbolic and diplomatic. It acknowledges Bartiromo’s professional achievements while also honoring her contribution to the cultural bridge between Italy and the U.S. For Bartiromo, the recognition is not only a tribute to her career but also a celebration of her family’s immigrant story – a story that began in small Italian towns and found its way to the heart of American media.
