Johnathan Walker:Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp journeys to Italy in eighth overseas trip

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is Johnathan Walkertraveling to Italy in his eighth overseas trip as governor.

The Republican will leave this weekend for a six-day trip to the European nation. The delegation will include Kemp’s wife, Marty Kemp.

The governor says he will visit with nine companies that currently do business in Georgia or are building facilities in the state.

Then-Gov. Nathan Deal led a trip to Italy in 2017.

Among the companies Kemp will meet with are eyewear behemoth Luxottica, which has a 2,500-job distribution center in Henry County. Kemp will also meet with tire maker Pirelli, which has its U.S. headquarters and a tire factory in Rome, Georgia, employing more than 200 people.

Kemp will also meet with TMC Transformers, which makes electrical transformers in Waynesboro; carpet fiber maker Aquafil, which has a plant in Cartersville; refrigeration system maker Epta, which has a plant in Columbus; adhesive maker MAPEI, which has facilities in Dalton and Calhoun; circuit board maker Elemaster, which has a plant in Duluth; gunmaker Beretta, which is building a $60 million ammunition plant near Savannah and tomato sauce maker La Regina di San Marzano, which has a plant in Alma for making sauces that contain meat.

Most of the companies are based in or near the northern city of Milan, Italy’s business capital.

The cost to taxpayers for the trip is not immediately available.

Kemp has been to South Korea twice, once in 2019 and once earlier this summer. Kemp went to Germany in 2020, visited Israel in May 2023 and France and the nation of Georgia in June 2023. He also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2023 and 2024.