Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she’s bringing her children to a climate summit she and the governor are attending in Italy this week on the taxpayers’ dime.
Wu’s office sent an itinerary Monday of the mayor’s six-day trip, which begins Tuesday and includes mention of a stop her two sons will be partaking in that ties back to their family’s Italian heritage. Her husband’s mother is Italian-American.
“While in Italy,” her office states, Wu will “meet with the mayor of Rome and visit towns with ties to Boston’s heritage and that of her own family.
“The mayor will visit Sulmona, a town with strong ties through immigration to Boston’s North End; and attend a commemorative event in Coreno Ausonio, where her children will see the hometown that their great-great-grandparents emigrated from,” the statement continued.
The mayor shares two elementary-aged sons with her husband, Conor Pewarski. The statement didn’t specify whether Wu’s husband would be attending as well, as part of a trip that stretches until at least next Sunday, per the itinerary, and that her office said last week is being paid for by public funds.
A spokesperson for Wu, Ricardo Patrón, previously said the City of Boston plans to cover the mayor’s flights to and from Italy and her hotel stays.
“She’s going in her official capacity as mayor,” Patrón said last week. “It’s a work trip for her so we are using public dollars.
The mayor is also traveling with Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the city’s Green New Deal director, and a communications staff member.
The trip largely centers around a climate summit at the Vatican, hosted by Pope Francis, where as one of the day’s speakers, Wu plans to “showcase Boston as a champion on climate action, while learning from other global leaders on best practices,” a press statement sent with the itinerary states.
Wu will be speaking about one of her major initiatives, Boston’s Green New Deal, which is aimed at ensuring the city’s work “supports the climate, livability and opportunity” of its neighborhoods for residents, her office said.
“As the climate crisis takes on growing urgency across the globe, communities must come together to take collective action for a safer, brighter future,” Wu said in a statement. “I’m honored to represent Boston at this important convening, and look forward to shining a spotlight on our community’s work and also bringing home solutions from innovative cities around the world.”
The summit is scheduled to stretch over several days this week, with the city’s mayor set to give remarks for a Thursday afternoon discussion called “governance, energy” as part of a session on “best practice in governance,” and co-chair a Friday afternoon session on “financing resiliency.”
Wu will attend a private audience with Pope Francis on Thursday morning.
Two students from Boston Public Schools’ BCLA-McCormack will also be attending the Vatican, as part of the eight young people from around the world to participate in a Friday summit session.
Gov. Healey touted the Vatican trip last week as a way to strengthen the state’s economic and diplomatic ties to Italy, which is Massachusetts’ tenth largest trading partner, according to Healey’s office.
Both the governor and mayor’s office have said the total cost of the trip will not be known until its conclusion.
A trade trip Healey took to Ireland last year cost roughly $83,000, which was largely covered by state funds and some private dollars.
