The Definitive Closure of the U.S. Consulate

 

The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the definitive and imminent closure of Florence’s U.S. Consulate on Lungarno Vespucci together with several U.S. embassies.  The employees will be laid off and not be transferred to other diplomatic posts.  Several are planning to file lawsuits.

The American Consulate in Florence traces its origins back to May 29, 1794, in the port city of Livorno (then known as Leghorn), with Philip Felicchi appointed as consular general. At the time, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany did not formally recognise foreign consulates in Florence, so early American diplomatic activities in the city remained informal. This changed on May 15, 1819, when Giacomo Ombrosi, a Florentine native, was appointed Vice Consular Agent under the authority of the U.S Consulate in Livorno. Although not officially sanctioned by the Grand Duke, Ombrosi served with dedication until his death in 1852. In 1947, the U.S. government purchased Palazzo Canevaro, also known as Palazzo Calcagnini, a neoclassical landmark on Lungarno Amerigo Vespucci designed in 1857 by Giuseppe Poggi.