Italian Ambassador Marco Peronaci hosted a gathering at Villa Firenze to mark Beretta turning 500 years old, with attendees from business, government, and the Italian-American community.

Bartolomeo Beretta founded the firm in 1526 in Gardone Val Trompia, Italy. Ugo Gussalli Beretta opened Beretta USA in Accokeek, Maryland, in 1977, after which the company supplied the M9 pistol to the U.S. Armed Forces in 1985 and later added manufacturing in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Beretta Holding, created in 1995, now includes Benelli USA, Burris, and Norma Precision among U.S. operations that employ about 700 people and have drawn more than 150 million dollars in investment since 2020. The evening included heritage firearms displays, anniversary collaborations, and a photographic book by Massimo Sestini.