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Jill Biden's Marilyn moment: Wind in Rome catches First Lady off-guard as she heads to Naples for tour of American military school

  First Lady   Jill Biden   arrived in Naples,   Italy   Monday afternoon to tour a DOD-funded school, splitting off from husband, President...

 First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Naples, Italy Monday afternoon to tour a DOD-funded school, splitting off from husband, President Joe Biden, who traveled to Scotland to participate in the COP26 climate summit. 

Biden arrived at the military airport, Mario De Bernardi, outside of Rome, wearing a white dress and dark pink blazer. She paired her outfit with a matching pink face mask, a blue scarf and taupe boots. 

She spent several minutes on the breezy tarmac greeting military personnel and hugging staff who accompanied her on the G20 trip to Rome, before taking off for Naples. 

After touching down and greeting staff she headed for the American-run Naples Middle School where she watched students in a robotics class and tried her hand at making ravioli during a culinary lesson.  

First Lady Jill Biden arrives in Naples, Italy on Monday, to tour an American military school operated by the Department of Defense after a packed weekend in Rome

First Lady Jill Biden walked out on a breezy tarmac at the airport outside of Rome Monday

First Lady Jill Biden walked out on a breezy tarmac at the airport outside of Rome Monday 

She waved to the cameras as she walked towards the plane in Rome for the flight to Naples are attending events on the sidelines of the G20 summit

She waved to the cameras as she walked towards the plane in Rome for the flight to Naples are attending events on the sidelines of the G20 summit


'I'm used to Italian cooking,' Biden said walking into the cooking class, mentioning both her Italian grandfather and grandmother while making ravioli with some students. 

'I love coming to Italy,' she said putting on a green apron, as the instructor asked about her trip so far. 

'I do need help,' a student said, beckoning Biden over to the ravioli station.

Biden spoke of her grandmother, noting 'She would cook the noodles and then they would hang in her kitchen.'

FLOTUS brushed the ravioli dough and then cut the noodles out.

'So what are you putting inside of here?' she asked. 'And do you have any herbs in there?'

A student told her four cheeses - and said he didn't know about the herbs.

She and a female student modeled their ravioli for the cameras.

'I used to make homemade pasta all the time for dinner,' Biden also noted.

She watched as the female student pressed dough through a machine.

They held up the whole baking sheet of ravioli and walked over to the pool.

'Do you have a meal together?' Biden asked the students about what they did when the food was cooked. 'Sometimes,' the female student answered.

'So will you go home and make it for your parents?' she asked the male student.

'Probably not,' he replied to her. 'It's too much.'

'What do you mean it's too much?' she said.

'Wouldn't it be great to surprise your parents to a meal after work?' she encouraged him.

The instructor then presented FLOTUS with a chef's pin that the students get for their lettermen's jackets.

'Looks like your doughnuts came out beautifully,' she said. 'Take them over to the press.'

'Really they're wonderful right?' Biden said, after a pink-haired student shyly walked the plate of sweets over to the pool.

'Nice to meet all of you!' Biden said asking the students what grades they are in. 'Thanks for letting me into your kitchen.'   

In a robotics class of 7th and 8th graders, she introduced herself to the instructor.

'I'm a fellow colleague, teacher,' she said. 

She thanked them for making a green and white sign welcoming her.

Three students explained to her the robots they made.  

'So did you build the entire robot?' Biden asked. 'That's pretty impressive.' 

'We didn't have anything like this,' Biden added.

The first robot followed a black track, while a second stayed within the black lines - like a Roomba. Both were made by female students. 

It's sort of like training a dog, Biden noted.

'Sometimes that's life,' she noted when a third student's robot malfunctioned.

'So tell me about the competitions you do?' Biden asked the third student, a boy. 'What kind of prizes do you win? How long have you been interested in robotics?' she also asked.

Biden also looked around and noticed that a majority in the class were males. She asked if that was a trend. The teacher said some of his classes skewed more female and some more male.

'Are you hoping this will turn into a job of some sort?' she asked the students.

One of the girls said she wanted to work at Google.

'That would be an interesting job right?' 

For her last night in Rome, Biden made a surprise trip to the Borghese Gallery in Rome Sunday, after spending a final lunch with the G20 spouses. 

FLOTUS, dressed casually in an olive jacket over a cream top, leather pants and black over-the-knee boots, paired with a blue scarf and a black face mask, roamed through the grand galleries looking at classic sculptures and paintings and modern pieces by British artist Damien Hirst.     

'It took your breath away, didn't it?' she said after the tour. 

Museum director Francesca Cappelletti played tour guide, as tourists who recognized her were heard excitedly saying, 'first lady!' 

'Is that all from one piece of marble?' FLOTUS asked about a grand female nude sculpture, Antonio Canova's Portrait of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix, which dates back to 1805-1808.

The First Lady waves at students as she walks into a robotics class at the American-run Naples Middle School

The First Lady waves at students as she walks into a robotics class at the American-run Naples Middle School

Biden watches as one of the students explains their robotics curriculum during the visit after her busy weekend in Rome

Biden watches as one of the students explains their robotics curriculum during the visit after her busy weekend in Rome 

Jill speaks to one of the students in a Naples Middle School football jersey before her tour

The First Lady then tried her hand at cooking and showed off the dough she made to make ravioli

The First Lady then tried her hand at cooking and showed off the dough she made to make ravioli 

She put on a green apron as she got stuck into the culinary class during the tour of Naples Middle School

She put on a green apron as she got stuck into the culinary class during the tour of Naples Middle School 

Biden covers the pasta with a brush while a student watches over her

Biden covers the pasta with a brush while a student watches over her 

She marveled at some busts that dated back to the 18th century that were a unique brown color and spent several minutes admiring a large sculpture of two humans and a three-headed dog. 

Biden was able to see several of the museums prized Berninis, and admired hieroglyphics in a room that included a modern interpretation of King Tut's mask by Hirst. 

In the next room she said 'it's bright, right?' when looking at the painting, 'boy with a basket of fruit' by Caravaggio. 

As she exited she gave an 'of course' when asked if she had fun with the other G20 spouses, who she lunched with earlier Sunday at the Capitoline Museums.

There she greeted Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's wife Maria Cappello, the host of partner events, at the top of the stairs on the Piazza del Capidigolio. 

For the fancier affair, she wore her black boots with a green floral dress.  

She was captured holding court with Spain's Begona Sanchez and Joachim Sauer, the husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel

On Monday, she'll split off from President Joe Biden - who's headed to Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 climate summit - and head south to Naples instead, where she'll visit a DOD-funded high school.  

At the G20, Biden spent time with both French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, as the U.S. tried to repair relations with its oldest ally after the submarine row.    

First Lady Jill Biden (right) walks through the Borghese Gallery and Museum in Rome Sunday night with director Francesca Cappelletti (left). Here she takes in Antonio Canova's Portrait of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix

First Lady Jill Biden (right) walks through the Borghese Gallery and Museum in Rome Sunday night with director Francesca Cappelletti (left). Here she takes in Antonio Canova's Portrait of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix

The trip hadn't been on Biden's schedule. For the tour she dressed casually in an olive jacket over a cream top, leather pants and black over-the-knee boots, paired with a blue scarf and a black face mask

The trip hadn't been on Biden's schedule. For the tour she dressed casually in an olive jacket over a cream top, leather pants and black over-the-knee boots, paired with a blue scarf and a black face mask

Biden marveled at one of several of the museum's Berninis, an influential Italian sculptor

Biden marveled at one of several of the museum's Berninis, an influential Italian sculptor 

'Is that all from one piece of marble?' FLOTUS asked about a grand female nude sculpture, Antonio Canova's Portrait of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix

'Is that all from one piece of marble?' FLOTUS asked about a grand female nude sculpture, Antonio Canova's Portrait of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix


First Lady Jill Biden (right) is spotted on a balcony speaking with Begona Sanchez (left), wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, at the farewell luncheon for G20 spouses on Sunday

First Lady Jill Biden (right) is spotted on a balcony speaking with Begona Sanchez (left), wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, at the farewell luncheon for G20 spouses on Sunday 


First Lady Jill Biden (center left) speaks with Begona Sanchez (left), wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, at a farewell event for G20 spouses held Sunday afternoon at the Capitoline Museums in Rome

First Lady Jill Biden (center left) speaks with Begona Sanchez (left), wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, at a farewell event for G20 spouses held Sunday afternoon at the Capitoline Museums in Rome 

From left: Joachim Sauer, husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Begona Sanchez, wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, First Lady Jill Biden, Fabiola Yanez, partner of Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez and Kim Jung-sook, wife of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in

From left: Joachim Sauer, husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Begona Sanchez, wife of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, First Lady Jill Biden, Fabiola Yanez, partner of Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez and Kim Jung-sook, wife of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in 

First Lady Jill Biden (center) speaks with Joachim Sauer (left), husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's wife Maria Cappello (right)

First Lady Jill Biden (center) speaks with Joachim Sauer (left), husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's wife Maria Cappello (right)  

First Lady Jill Biden speaks to a group of young women as she departs Sunday's farewell luncheon for G20 spouses

First Lady Jill Biden speaks to a group of young women as she departs Sunday's farewell luncheon for G20 spouses 

First Lady Jill Biden is seen greeting Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's wife Maria Cappello on the stairs of the Piazza del Capidigolio

First Lady Jill Biden is seen greeting Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's wife Maria Cappello on the stairs of the Piazza del Capidigolio


 She stunned in a sparkly lilac fitted dress by Ralph Lauren at Saturday night's G20 dinner, which took place at the 16th century Quirinale Palace in Rome. 

The leaders and spouses were split up at the dinner, which was hosted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. 

So Dr. Biden sat next to the French president, while President Joe Biden was seated next to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.  

Dr. Biden and President Macron previously bonded when they represented their respective countries at the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics in July. 

The first lady and the French president watched several sporting events together after the ceremony.    

At dinner Saturday, the G20 leaders and their spouses were served a menu of marinated salmon, risotto with pumpkin and white truffle, roasted artichoke, seabass and vegetables. 

First Lady Jill Biden (center left) wore a sparkly lilac fitted dress by Ralph Lauren at Saturday night's G20 dinner. Here she poses with (from left) Maria Serenella Cappello, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, President Joe Biden, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and daughter Laura Mattarella

First Lady Jill Biden (center left) wore a sparkly lilac fitted dress by Ralph Lauren at Saturday night's G20 dinner. Here she poses with (from left) Maria Serenella Cappello, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, President Joe Biden, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and daughter Laura Mattarella

Jill Biden (upper left) was seated at the G20 dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, who she spent time with in July when they both represented their countries at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games

Jill Biden (upper left) was seated at the G20 dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, who she spent time with in July when they both represented their countries at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games 

President Joe Biden (third from right) was seated next to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) during an official dinner at the G20 Saturday night in Rome

President Joe Biden (third from right) was seated next to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) during an official dinner at the G20 Saturday night in Rome 

Earlier Saturday, Jill Biden joined the other G20 spouses Saturday for a private lunch at Villa Doria Pamphilj, looking friendly with U.K. Prime Minister's Boris Johnson's wife Carrie as they walked through the grounds.  

Biden and Johnson, who bonded at the G7 in Cornwall, England in June, walked side-by-side, Biden in a brown blazer and camel dress, Johnson in a bright red Zara blazer and floral dress, as they concluded taking a group picture, according to the first lady's spokesman.  

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife Begona walked nearby. 

A number of the spouses were seen touring Rome's Colosseum on Saturday, however the American first lady didn't attend.   

On Friday, Biden spent time sipping Chardonnay at a restaurant in downtown Rome with French First Lady Brigitte Macron.  

First Lady Jill Biden (fifth from left) joined other G20 spouses for a closed-door luncheon at Villa Doria Pamphilj on Saturday

First Lady Jill Biden (fifth from left) joined other G20 spouses for a closed-door luncheon at Villa Doria Pamphilj on Saturday 

First Lady Jill Biden was spotted chatting with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife Carrie (in red blazer) after a spouse luncheon at Villa Doria Pamphilj on Saturday. The two spouses walked behind Olga Khromchenko, a member of the Russian delegation

First Lady Jill Biden was spotted chatting with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife Carrie (in red blazer) after a spouse luncheon at Villa Doria Pamphilj on Saturday. The two spouses walked behind Olga Khromchenko, a member of the Russian delegation  

The G20 spouses walked around the grounds of Villa Doria Pamphilj on Saturday, where they took a group photo

The G20 spouses walked around the grounds of Villa Doria Pamphilj on Saturday, where they took a group photo 

First Lady Jill Biden is seen walking into a spouses luncheon Saturday at Villa Doria Pamphilj, a villa surrounded by Rome's largest public park

First Lady Jill Biden is seen walking into a spouses luncheon Saturday at Villa Doria Pamphilj, a villa surrounded by Rome's largest public park 

Dr. Biden wasn't photographed among the G20 spouses who visited the Colosseum on Saturday including Carrie Johnson (center in red), Italian prime minister's wife Serenella Cappello (sixth from right) and French First Lady Brigitte Macron (fourth from right)

Dr. Biden wasn't photographed among the G20 spouses who visited the Colosseum on Saturday including Carrie Johnson (center in red), Italian prime minister's wife Serenella Cappello (sixth from right) and French First Lady Brigitte Macron (fourth from right) 

Carrie Johnson is photographed taking in the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday with other partners of G20 leaders

Carrie Johnson is photographed taking in the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday with other partners of G20 leaders 

Carrie Johnson (left) and Brigitte Macron (right) speak at the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday

Carrie Johnson (left) and Brigitte Macron (right) speak at the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday 

(From left) Brigitte Macron, Carrie Johnson and Italian prime minister's wife Serenella Cappello at the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday

(From left) Brigitte Macron, Carrie Johnson and Italian prime minister's wife Serenella Cappello at the Colosseum in Rome on Saturday 

The two first ladies were practically twinning, as the petite blondes both wore navy suits paired with navy heels.   

Both petite blondes wore navy suits paired with navy heels. 

They got together at a restaurant called Il Marchese, ahead of their husbands' first meeting since France was blindsided by Australia pulling out of a submarine deal to join a security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom.

Afterward, Biden, 70, standing alongside Macron, 68, said the time spent together was 'wonderful.' 

'It's nice, two friends together, just like sisters,' she cooed. 

The two women sipped Chardonnay and ate small bites. 

When asked about what they ate and drank, Biden played coy.

'Well,' she said, pausing. 'Practically nothing.'  

'It's nice, two friends together, just like sisters,' First Lady Jill Biden (right) said after sipping Chardonnay with French First Lady Brigitte Macron (left) at Il Marchese in Rome

'It's nice, two friends together, just like sisters,' First Lady Jill Biden (right) said after sipping Chardonnay with French First Lady Brigitte Macron (left) at Il Marchese in Rome 


Dr. Jill Biden
Brigitte Macron

First Lady Jill Biden (left) and French First Lady Brigitte Macron (right) both sported navy suits and heels for their get-together at Il Marchese, which happened as President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron held a bilateral meeting in Rome early evening Friday 

Biden waves at reporters staged outside Il Marchese, a restaurant located near the Tiber river in Rome

Biden waves at reporters staged outside Il Marchese, a restaurant located near the Tiber river in Rome 

The French first lady arrived after Biden. She and the American first lady spent time together at spouses events in June at the G7

The French first lady arrived after Biden. She and the American first lady spent time together at spouses events in June at the G7 

French First Lady Brigitte Macron (left) and First Lady Jill Biden (right) spoke with reporters after spending time together - while their husbands met - at a restaurant in Rome on the sidelines of the G20

French First Lady Brigitte Macron (left) and First Lady Jill Biden (right) spoke with reporters after spending time together - while their husbands met - at a restaurant in Rome on the sidelines of the G20 

Jill Biden's meeting with First Lady Macron is part of the first lady's packed schedule over four days in Italy.

Jill Biden's meeting with First Lady Macron is part of the first lady's packed schedule over four days in Italy.

Biden, whose family is from Italy, spoke glowingly about this year's G20's host country. 

'We've come here so many times. I love Italy, Brigitte loves Italy. Who would not love Italy? There's nothing that we couldn't love about it right?' she said. 

The Bidens, after the death of son Beau in 2015, even spent Thanksgiving in Rome, staying at the U.S. ambassador's residence, CNN reported Friday.  

As she arrived at the restaurant, located on a narrow street near the Tiber river, Biden was asked about her earlier meeting with Pope Francis she attended alongside President Joe Biden

'It was wonderful, he was wonderful,' she told the reporters staged outside the restaurant's door. 

Macron, who arrived second, nodded in affirmation when asked if she was excited to meet with Dr. Biden.  


First Lady Jill Biden (right), arriving in Rome early Friday morning alongside President Joe Biden (right), has her own packed schedule while in Italy through Monday

First Lady Jill Biden (right), arriving in Rome early Friday morning alongside President Joe Biden (right), has her own packed schedule while in Italy through Monday 

First Lady Jill Biden (center) speaks to children's theater performers at a G7 event alongside Carrie Johnson (left), the wife of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Brigitte Macron (right), who she'll meet with in Rome Friday afternoon

First Lady Jill Biden (center) speaks to children's theater performers at a G7 event alongside Carrie Johnson (left), the wife of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Brigitte Macron (right), who she'll meet with in Rome Friday afternoon 

First Lady Jill Biden (second from right) and Brigitte Macron (right) stand side-by-side at a spouses event in June, which was part of the G7 in Cornwall

First Lady Jill Biden (second from right) and Brigitte Macron (right) stand side-by-side at a spouses event in June, which was part of the G7 in Cornwall 

She and Macron had spent time together at a spouses event at the G7 in Cornwall in June, which marked the Bidens' first overseas trip since the president was sworn-in in January.   

Earlier Friday, Biden had tea with Cappello at the Chigi Palace, while President Biden met with the Italian prime minister. 

After a weekend of private spouse events, the first lady will do a solo trip to Naval Support Activity Naples on Monday, where about 8,500 U.S. troops work.  

There, the first lady will visit Naples Middle High School, which is a school operated through the Department of Defense, meeting with high school students and teachers and then delivering a speech. 

The event will marry Biden's 'Joining Forces' initiative, which she started with former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2011 and restarted earlier this year, and her career as an English teacher. 

Joining Forces provides support to military members, veterans and their families.      

First Lady Jill Biden (center right) speaks with Uberto Vanni d'Archirafi (center left), the Senior Official of the Diplomatic Protocol of the Italian Republic, on the tarmac at Rome Fiumicino International Airport early Friday morning

First Lady Jill Biden (center right) speaks with Uberto Vanni d'Archirafi (center left), the Senior Official of the Diplomatic Protocol of the Italian Republic, on the tarmac at Rome Fiumicino International Airport early Friday morning 

First Lady Jill Biden (left) ushers President Joe Biden (right) toward the Beast as they arrive in Rome, Italy to participate in G20 events through Sunday

First Lady Jill Biden (left) ushers President Joe Biden (right) toward the Beast as they arrive in Rome, Italy to participate in G20 events through Sunday  


First Lady Jill Biden (center) hugs Sarb Edmund (second from left) the 89th Airlift Wing Senior/Training Protocol Specialist, as she and President Joe Biden depart for Rome from Joint Base Andrews Thursday

First Lady Jill Biden (center) hugs Sarb Edmund (second from left) the 89th Airlift Wing Senior/Training Protocol Specialist, as she and President Joe Biden depart for Rome from Joint Base Andrews Thursday 


First Lady Jill Biden (right) and President Joe Biden left for Rome early Thursday afternoon. They will split up Monday with the president traveling to Scotland for COP26 and the first lady heading to Naples to visit a Defense Department-funded high school at a U.S. base

First Lady Jill Biden (right) and President Joe Biden left for Rome early Thursday afternoon. They will split up Monday with the president traveling to Scotland for COP26 and the first lady heading to Naples to visit a Defense Department-funded high school at a U.S. base 


Biden continues to teach community college classes - making her the first, first lady to ever hold an outside job. 

Biden had a similarly busy schedule on her first solo trip abroad - representing the United States at the opening of the Tokyo summer Olympics. 

There, the first lady held court with then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko, watched the Olympics with French President Emmanuel Macron, attended an event with heads of delegations at Tokyo's Imperial Palace and hosted an Olympics watch party for American diplomats at the ambassador's residence in Tokyo. 

She stopped in Alaska and Hawaii to do COVID-19 vaccine advocacy.

In Honolulu, FLOTUS also attended a barbecue for military members and their families as part of Joining Forces.  

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