Massimo Baistrocchi (August 17, 1942 – January 22, 2012) was an Italian writer, artist,

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

journalist and diplomat who served as Italy's Ambassador to Namibia from 2001 to 2004, as well as Ambassador to

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, and

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

Biography

Baistrocchi was born on August 17, 1942, in Karuizawa, Japan. He worked as journalist, and wrote articles for Italian and overseas

magazines A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

and other publications. His books and articles focused on numerous subjects, such as travel, culture and socio-economic issues. His books were often influenced by his diplomatic postings, including "Namibian Elegy," which included poems focusing on key Namibian geographical features, including the

Spitzkoppe The Spitzkoppe (from German language, German for "pointed dome"; also referred to as Spitzkop, Groot Spitzkop, or the "Matterhorn of Namibia") is a group of bald granite peaks or inselbergs located between Usakos and Swakopmund in the Nami ...

, the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch language, Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibi ...

, the

Fish River Canyon The Fish River Canyon (Afrikaans: ''Visrivier Canyon'' or'' Visrivier Kuil'', ) is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, and the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia.Matador Trips - 27 of the deepest c ...

and

Sossusvlei Sossusvlei (sometimes written Sossus Vlei) is a salt and clay pan surrounded by high red dunes, located in the southern part of the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. The name "Sossusvlei" is often used in an exten ...

. He held

art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is occasionally true, it is stated to be a "permanen ...

s around the world including Spain, Japan,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, and Hong Kong. He joined the

Ministry 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 relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

as a

press officer A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Duties ...

in 1970. He was appointed as Italian ambassador to

and

in May 1996, holding that diplomatic post until 2001. Massimo Baistrocchi was appointed Ambassador to

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

from 2001 to 2004. He was reportedly so fond of the country that he purchased a Namibian home. Baistrochhi returned to Italy following the end of his posting in Namibia, where he served as President of the Interministerial Commission for the Recovering of Works of Art. During the late 2000s, Baistrocchi was once again sent to Africa, serving first as Italy's ambassador to

and then as ambassador to

. He then retired from the diplomatic corp, but returned to their home in Windhoek, Namibia, once a year. Baistrocchi died from a heart attack in

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

, Namibia, on January 22, 2012, at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife, Adriana, and his daughter Allegra. An exhibition of his art was held at the National Art Gallery of Namibia on January 27, 2012, as a tribute.

References

External links

Massimo Baistrocchi official page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baistrocchi, Massimo 1942 births 2012 deaths Italian journalists Italian male journalists Italian male poets 20th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 21st-century Italian painters Ambassadors of Italy to Namibia Ambassadors of Italy to Ghana Ambassadors of Italy to Togo Ambassadors of Italy to Nigeria Ambassadors of Italy to Benin People from Windhoek 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian male artists 21st-century Italian male artists