JEDDAH: Outgoing Italian Consul General Elisabetta Martini has described her four-year term in the Kingdom as one of dramatic change. During her time in Jeddah, Martini oversaw the consulate’s move to a new headquarters, and organized hundreds of business and cultural functions that “reached out to all layers of Saudi society.” More than 70,000 visas were issued by the consulate in the same period. “Jeddah is a city full of potential — a potential hub for the entire region,” Martini told a farewell hosted by the Italian Cultural Club on Sunday. “But what makes the city really beautiful is the people,” she said. “In my four years, we had more than 100 cultural, promotional and commercial events, and we also had a lot of gatherings for the business community,” Martini told Arab News. “We issued more than 70,000 visas. We had very high numbers, but what I want to underline is that the best thing was the community, how the community embraced me,” she said. “That gave me confidence to keep on working on what I was doing and to do better every time. I had the chance to witness the changes.” The diplomat’s farewell featured the Italian national anthem sung by the Italian International School of Jeddah choir, and a jazz performance led by Paolo Damiani, director of the Accademia di S. Cecilia jazz department. Martini said that during her time as consul general she tried to show that “diplomats are people like any other.” The Italian envoy will start her new term in Moscow on Jan. 3.