Two decades after its inception, the Urbino Award marked a significant milestone this year, honoring Susan Glasser of The New Yorker and Peter Baker of The New York Times as its latest laureates.

“It's just a great honor. And so many wonderful journalists have preceded us in this honor. You know, it can't be that it's 20 years already. But Peter and I are just delighted to accept,” Glasser said in an interview.

Hosted by Italian Ambassador Marco Peronaci at Villa Firenze last month, the anniversary event brought Washington’s press core and diplomatic circles together to honor 20 years of transatlantic cultural and media connections.

The prestigious Italian prize reaffirmed outstanding storytelling, this year’s embodied by two of the most influential political reporters in the American media landscape.

“It is especially important today when journalism is facing such challenges, to recognize the need and importance of an independent media,” Baker said. “I think it's our job to continue to report freely and fairly.”

The journalism duo shared their profession on the frontline before their personal life. They recalled spending their honeymoon in Venice and going back to Italy multiple times.

Established in 2006, the Urbino Award was named after the historic Renaissance city in the Marche region where it is based. The prize honors journalists whose dedication to truth, deep analysis, and integrity mirrors the intellectual rigor of Renaissance humanism. Each year, the official announcement takes place at the Italian Ambassador's residence in Washington, followed by a formal ceremony held in the historic setting of Urbino's Ducal Palace.

“I’m very happy and proud to be here again with the founders of the Urbino Award. It was one of my first events that I held in this residence when I landed in Washington 12 months ago,” Ambassador Peronaci told La Stampa Usa. “I think it boosted enormously my knowledge of this country, and also the knowledge that Italians have of America through the fantastic writing and the work of all the journalists and brilliant professionals who received this prize.”

Over its 20-year history, the Urbino Award has built a distinguished tradition of celebrating top-level American journalists. The evening at Villa Firenze included several past honorees, such as Wolf Blitzer, Helene Cooper, Diane Rehm, Sebastian Rotella, Michael Weisskopf, and last year’s winner, Steve Clemons, who hosted a Q&A with Glasser.

The event reinforced the enduring partnership between Italy and the United States, celebrating journalism as a fundamental pillar of democratic discourse on both sides of the Atlantic.