Italian Republic

A National Mission after Unification

The Kingdom of Italy entered diplomatic relations with the United States in 1861 by continuing an existing representative's work. Giuseppe Bertinatti, previously accredited for the Kingdom of Sardinia, was accepted as Italy's representative after unification. Washington had dealt separately with several Italian states before that change. The embassy's own roster begins its national succession with Bertinatti, initially a minister resident, and records his subsequent promotion to envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. [1] [2]

The mission's protection of Italians abroad could turn a local crisis into an intergovernmental dispute. After the New Orleans prison killings of March 1891, Minister Saverio Fava transmitted the Italian consul's report and demanded action over the failure to protect Italian subjects. Rome recalled him on leave when satisfaction did not follow. His departure did not close the legation: Fava explicitly left Marquis Imperiali in charge. Secretary of State James G. Blaine disputed Italy's account of the negotiations and rejected a promise of punishment before trial, while acknowledging indemnity in principle. [3] [4] [5]

Fava later became Italy's first ambassador in Washington when the mission was elevated in 1893. The embassy continued under the monarchy until Italy's declaration of war on the United States on 11 December 1941 severed relations. Relations were restored on 16 October 1944, before the monarchy ended, and Alberto Tarchiani headed the renewed Washington representation in 1945. [1] [2]

From the Kingdom to the Republic

The mission’s nineteenth century history belongs to the Kingdom of Italy, the state formed under the House of Savoy in 1861. Before unification, Washington maintained separate relations with Sardinia, the Two Sicilies, and the Papal States. The republic succeeded the monarchy in 1946 and inherited a diplomatic service whose history included both national unification and the rupture caused by Mussolini’s war. [1]

The republic’s foreign policy took a new institutional direction with founding membership in NATO in 1949. Its Washington embassy subsequently represented a treaty ally and a government involved in Mediterranean and European affairs. A July 2023 leaders’ statement illustrates the wider work: support for Ukraine, consultation over North Africa and the Balkans, economic cooperation, and educational and cultural exchanges. [8] [9]

Offices, Residence, and Public Rooms

Italy's later Washington estate divided official residence from embassy offices. The government acquired Villa Firenze in 1976, and the house became the ambassador's official residence in 1977, inaugurated by Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. [6]

The present embassy on Whitehaven Street opened in 2000 after an architectural competition held in 1992. Piero Sartogo, Nathalie Grenon, and Susanna Nobili designed it around an atrium intended to serve as a meeting place for the Italian community. Its public functions were built into the accommodation: a 128 seat auditorium, meeting rooms, and spaces displaying ancient and contemporary art accompany the diplomatic offices. [7]

Related Reading

• Italy and the United States