Adriana Fucile Hopper
Adriana Fucile Hopper, was born on April 23, 1935 in Cairo, Egypt where she grew up in a distinguished Italian family on Zamalek island. She attended Italian schools there before getting a BA at the University of Pisa in Italy. She taught Italian at the University of Cairo before meeting Harry F. Hopper, Jr. during a tennis match in Cairo in 1960. She and Harry moved to Saudi Arabia and lived in the Aramco compound until 1964 when she moved with her family to Beirut, Lebanon. She received a master's in Archeology at the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a thesis on the Bronze Age. For over ten years she participated in archeological excavations in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Italy. She lived in Amman, Jordan, from 1976 until 1987 before moving with her family to Rome, Italy, and then in 1990 to Chevy Chase, Maryland. Adriana brought her expertise to Washington, serving as a docent at the National Gallery in Washington, DC for over 25 years.
Adriana was a scholar and native Italian speaker, also fluent in English, French and Arabic. She read Latin as well as ancient scripts and taught Foreign Service Officers Italian and French. She adored French literature and was passionate about history, archeology, and teaching. She had a strong sense of adventure for a woman of her generation, having traveled to and camped in some of the most remote archeological areas of the Middle East and Turkey.
She opened her house, heart, and table to all. She was an excellent cook, an avid swimmer, and lover of gardening. Most importantly, she was a loyal friend, a loving mother, and a nurturing grandmother. Adriana is survived by her three children, Edmund, Laurence and Albert and their wives; two step children, Nataly and Harry and his wife as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Adriana passed peacefully on December 19, 2023, in Chevy Chase, MD. Services private.