Rome

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Rome) In a ceremony held at the Montecitorio Palace in Rome, seat of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, on Wednesday, received the Marisa Bellisario Golden Apple International Award in recognition of her humanitarian work, dedication to peace and lasting commitment to the rights of women and children around the world.

President Fini, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, grazie mille.

More than a century ago a travel writer lamented, “There is no looking at a building after seeing Italy!” Joining you here in this beautiful palace, I have to agree.

But it’s not just Italy’s architecture I love. This is a country where history lives and breathes, alongside cutting-edge innovation… and the only match for the landscape’s beauty is the warmth of Italians themselves.

Grazie mille, Milly!

Someone once said, “It’s not the glitz of the uniform that matters, it’s the spirit that shines within”. Well, nowhere is that light brighter or that spirit stronger than here in Italy, a country synonymous with world class football and world cup titles…where the Azzurri are masters of their art.

(IOF, By Paul Spencer Sochaczewski - ROME) Jordan's Queen Rania was awarded a prestigious Life Achievement Award in recognition of her "international patronage of the IOF and for her voluntary work for the international cause of osteoporosis."

Queen Rania is patron of IOF-International Osteoporosis Foundation. "We are very proud that our patron is given this award," notes Professor Pierre D. Delmas, president of the IOF.