Born in Massa (Italy) on 6 February 1953.
Received his degree in International Relations from the “Université Libre de Bruxelles” in 1975 and in Political Science, with an international focus, at the Cesare Alfieri Faculty of the University of Florence in 1976.
Joined the Foreign Service on 4 May 1978.
Served with the Directorate General for Personnel from 1979 to 1981, dealing initially with legal and legislative issues and later with the transfer of personnel to foreign posts and the hiring of contract personnel.
Posted in 1981 to Teheran, where he was appointed Consul and remained until 1984. His responsibilities included assisting Italian technicians employed by Italian companies during the period of major instability resulting from the Iran-Iraq conflict and the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution.
From 1984 to 1987 he was posted as First Secretary to the Embassy of Italy in Ottawa, where he followed domestic policy as well as consular, cultural and scientific coordination. He also handled a well-known case of terrorism, in close contact with a number of Italian and Canadian ministries and the judiciary.
Returning to the Ministry in Rome in 1987, he was assigned to the Minister’s Cabinet, Office of Parliamentary Relations, where he monitored the passage of important legislation regarding the Foreign Ministry.
In 1989 he was assigned to create the Foreign Ministry’s Intelligence Unit, which he directed until 1992, following the Gulf War of 1991 and the crisis in Yugoslavia.
He was appointed in 1992 Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy in New Delhi, where he served until 1995.
Back in Rome, he served in the Press and Information Service, as Deputy Acting Head of Service.
In 1996 he was assigned to reopen the Italian Diplomatic Mission in Baghdad, where he remained as Head of Mission until 1999. Among his accomplishments there was the reopening of trade channels through the UN’s “Oil for Food” resolution (Italy became a top trade partner), monitoring the many political crises of the period until the bombardment in 1998, during which he ensured the Mission’s assistance to the Italian community and numerous journalists in loco.
In September 1999 he was appointed Deputy Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister, and he was renewed, following changes in Government, with two subsequent Prime Ministers until 2002.
In 2001, in addition to Deputy Diplomatic Advisor, he was appointed Prime Minister’s Representative in the Balkans, where he organised the Technical–Operational Unit and implemented the law for the reconstruction of the countries of the area.
Chef de Cabinet of the Foreign Minister from 2002 to 2004.
Appointed as Prime Minister’s Representative to the G8 Summit (Sherpa) at the end of 2004 and in charge of preparations for the Gleneagles and St. Petersburg Summits.
Appointed in 2005 as Head of the Italian Delegation to the joint inquiry with the US Authorities into the case of Mr. Nicola Calipari (MOVM), who was killed in Baghdad.
Appointed Director General for the Countries of the Mediterranean and Middle East on 6 November 2006.
Named Ambassador in February 2008.
Named Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York in July 2009.
Appointed Second Lieutenant in the Carabinieri Corps Reserves in 1979.
Awarded with the rank of “Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic” in 2006.