Filippo Anfuso (1 January 1901 – 13 December 1963) was an Italian writer,

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

politician.

Biography

Anfuso was born in

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

. His writing career started with a volume of short stories and poetry that he published in 1917. Anfuso subsequently joined as a reporter with the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio in his attempt to seize

Fiume Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a po ...

for Italy (1919–1921). Anfuso returned to write for '' La Nazione'' and ''

La Stampa (English: "The Press") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin with an average circulation of 87,143 copies in May 2023. Distributed in Italy and other European nations, it is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. Until the late 1970 ...

'', reporting from various foreign countries. A friend of

Galeazzo Ciano Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari ( , ; 18 March 1903 – 11 January 1944), was an Italian diplomat and politician who served as Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister in the government of his father-in-law ...

, the two passed the exam for a career in

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

at the same time (in 1925). Anfuso was appointed to the Italian Consulate in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

(1927) and then to the missions in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

(1929),

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(1931), the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(1932), and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

(1934). In 1936, Anfuso was seconded to

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

's side during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

and was decorated for merit. In 1938, after

was appointed

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

, Anfuso became Ministry head of staff. Stefano Baldi (27 May 2007)
Scheda biografica Filippo Anfuso
. Retrieved 9 December 2021. In 1942, he became Minister in charge of the Italian Legation in Budapest. In 1943, after Mussolini had escaped to

Northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

with

Nazi German Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

backing, Anfuso served as a

for the newly-founded

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic (, ; RSI; , ), known prior to December 1943 as the National Republican State of Italy (; SNRI), but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò (, ), was a List of World War II puppet states#Germany, German puppe ...

and represented it in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. As ambassador in Berlin, he took care of the problems related to the presence in Germany of thousands of Italian servicemen deported after the 1943 armistice. His role in trying to protect some

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

persecuted by the Nazis was mentioned during the Eichmann trial held in Israel in 1961. In 1945, he replaced the deceased Serafino Mazzolini as

undersecretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

for the Republic's Foreign Affairs Ministry. On 12 March 1945, the Rome High Court of Justice tried Anfuso and condemned him to death in absentia. He was found guilty of having co-operated with the Germans after the armistice on 8 September 1944, and was sentenced to be shot in the back."Monarchist AIM In Italy; FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT". 13 June ''The Times'' (London, England) Issue: 52647. After the war ended in Italy's defeat, Anfuso had made his way to France but was soon recognised and arrested there. He spent two years in prison, and after having been fully cleared by the French courts, he then exiled himself to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

. Anfuso requested and received a new trial. In 1949, the

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

Court of Assizes completely exonerated him."Signor Filippo Anfuso". 16 December 1963 ''The Times'' (London, England) Issue: 55885. In 1950, he returned to Italy, returned to journalism and published several books. Having adhered to the neo-fascist

Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement (, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national conservatism. In 1972, the Itali ...

, he represented it in the

Italian Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies () is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the upper house being the Senate of the Republic (Italy), Senate of the Republic. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform ...

. Anfuso died on 13 December 1963, aged 62, while he was speaking on the floor in the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament () is the national parliament of the Italy, Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1848–1861), the Parliament of the Kingd ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Family

On 13 April 1944, in Berlin, Germany, Anfuso married Kornélia "Nelli" Tasnady-Szüts (died 1995, Rome). In 1948, they had a daughter, Carmelina (died 2000, Rome, without issue), and, in 1951, a son, Francesco (died 1968, Abruzzi).

Works

* 1949, ''Du Palais de Venise au Lac de Garde'', Calmann-Levy, Paris * 1950, ''Roma, Berlino, Salò (1936-1945)'', Garzanti, Milano, 1950 * 1951, ''L'innocenza del mezzogiorno e altri racconti'', Garzanti * 1951, ''Rom-Berlin im diplomatischen Spiegel'', Pohl, München, Essen, Hamburg * 1952, ''Die beiden Gefreiten - Ihr Spiel um Deutschland und Italien'', Pohl, München * 1957, ''Da Palazzo Venezia al lago di Garda 1936-1945'', Cappelli, Bologna, 1957 * 1959, ''Da Jalta alla luna'', Tipografia Tambone, Roma, 1959 * 1962, ''Fino a quando?'', Edizioni del Borghese, Milano, 1962 * 1964, ''Discorsi ai sordi'', Ediltaroma, Roma, 1964

References

Sources

*Albanese, Matteo, & Pablo del Hierro (2016) ''Transnational Fascism in the Twentieth Century: Spain, Italy and the Global Neo-Fascist Network''. (Bloomsbury Publishing). . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anfuso, Filippo 1901 births 1963 deaths Politicians from Catania Italian Social Movement politicians Corpo Truppe Volontarie personnel Deputies of Legislature II of Italy Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Deputies of Legislature IV of Italy People of the Italian Social Republic Writers from Catania Journalists from Catania Italian male journalists Italian male poets Italian male short story writers 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian short story writers 20th-century Italian diplomats Exiled Italian politicians 20th-century Italian journalists 20th-century Italian male writers People sentenced to death in absentia