Sergio Romano (writer)
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Sergio Romano (born 7 July 1929) is an Italian diplomat, writer, journalist, and historian. He is a columnist for the newspaper ''
Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
''. Romano is also a former Italian
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
to Moscow.


Biography

Born in
Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...
, he grew up between
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
and
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
in a middle-class business family. He graduated from the ''
liceo classico The ''liceo classico'' or ''ginnasio'' () is the oldest public secondary education in Italy, secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 196 ...
'' Cesare Beccaria of Milan, then began working as a journalist. In 1952, he obtained a degree in
Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
at the
University of Milan The University of Milan (; ), officially abbreviated as UNIMI, or colloquially referred to as La Statale ("the State niversity), is a public university, public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Eu ...
, but he never finished his studies in
Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
at the
University of Genoa The University of Genoa () is a public research university. It is one of the largest universities in Italy and it is located in the city of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. The original university was fou ...
before graduation. He travelled to European capitals (
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
) recently emerged from the war, which directed him to a diplomatic career. He joined the
Foreign Ministry 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 re ...
in 1954, and after four years spent in Rome he was assigned to the seat in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, where he remained until 1964. He returned to
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, ...
to assist in the Cabinet Minister Saragat; when the latter was elected
President of the Republic The President of the Republic is a title used for heads of state and/or heads of government in countries having republican form of government. Designation In most cases the president of a republic is elected, either: * by direct universal s ...
he followed him to the
Quirinal Palace The Quirinal Palace ( ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, the main official residence of the President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporziano, an estate on the outs ...
, assigned to the General Secretariat of the Presidency. From 1968 to 1977, he was in Paris and, after being general manager of cultural relations and Ambassador to NATO (1983–85), he concluded his diplomatic career in
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, in the then
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He talks about this experience in the book ''Memoirs of a Conservative'' (2002), concise portrait of the bureaucratic class and Italian diplomacy (and not only) in the era of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. He became a commentator for a number of Italian newspapers and magazines (''
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 ...
'', ''
Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'', ''Limes'', ''Il Mulino''), the editor of a historical series for the publisher Corbaccio. He has also taught at the
University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
,
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, the
University of Pavia The University of Pavia (, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; ) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest un ...
,
University of Sassari The University of Sassari (, UniSS) is a public university located in Sassari, Italy. It was founded in 1562 and is organized in 13 departments. The University of Sassari earned first place in the rankings for the best “medium-sized” Italian ...
and
Bocconi University Bocconi University or Università Bocconi (formally known in Italian language, Italian as ''Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi'' – Luigi Bocconi Commercial University) is a private university in Milan, Italy. The university is consistently ...
in
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. He is also President of the General Prize Committee of the Balzan Foundation and a member of the Scientific Committee for the magazine ''Geopolitica''. In 1993, he won the "Pisa National Literary Prize" in the non-fiction section. In 2010, he won the prize "È giornalismo",Article on ''Brescia Oggi''
/ref> when he affirmed that he had been ambassador for years without having a bachelor's degree in Political Science but only in Law (to enter the diplomatic service in Italy is required a degree in Political Sciences or in Law or in Economics). In 2010, he spoke at the 2010 Ambrosetti Forum.


Honours

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 1st Class / Knight Grand Cross – 27 December 1987


Publications

*1977 – Histoire de l'Italie du Risorgimento à nos jours (Editions du Seuil; ed. it. Storia d'Italia dal Risorgimento ai giorni nostri, Mondadori, 1978) *1977 – "La quarta sponda. La guerra di Libia, 1911/1912", Casa Editrice
Bompiani Bompiani is an Italian publishing house based in Milan. It was founded in 1929 by Valentino Bompiani. In 1990, Bompiani became part of the RCS MediaGroup. It was sold in 2015 to the Giunti Group. It is widely regarded as one of the leading liter ...
, 1977, p. 270 *1979 – "Giuseppe Volpi. Industria e finanza tra Giolitti e Mussolini", 1979 *1989 – La Russia in bilico ( Il Mulino) *1991 – La politica estera italiana (1860-1985), scritto con Richard J.B. Bosworth (Il Mulino, ) *1991 – Disegno di storia d'Europa dal 1789 al 1989 ( Longanesi, ) *1992 – I falsi protocolli. Il "complotto ebraico" dalla Russia di Nicola II a oggi ( Corbaccio, ) *1993 – L'Italia scappata di mano (Longanesi, ) *1993 – Viaggi intorno alla Russia (
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 ...
, ) *1994 – Tra due Repubbliche. L'anno di Berlusconi e le prospettive dell'Italia (
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In ...
, ) *1994 – FINIS ITALIAE – Declino e morte dell'ideologia risorgimentale – Perché gli italiani si disprezzano (All'insegna del pesce d'oro, ) *1995 – Lo scambio ineguale. Italia e Stati Uniti da Wilson a Clinton (Laterza, ) *1995 – La storia sul comodino. Personaggi, viaggi, memorie ( Greco e Greco, ) *1995 – Storia d'Italia dall'Unità ai nostri giorni *1995 – Cinquant'anni di storia mondiale. La pace e le guerre da Yalta ai giorni nostri (Longanesi, ) *1995 – I falsi protocolli. Il "complotto ebraico" dalla Russia di Nicola II ai nostri giorni (Nuova edizione con l'aggiunta di un capitolo sugli ''ebrei invisibili dell'Europa centrorientale''), Editrice
TEA Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
, Milano (ed. 2008: ) *1996 – Le Italie parallele. Perché l'Italia non riesce a diventare un paese moderno (Longanesi, ) *1996 – Passando a Nord-Ovest, scritto con Aldo A. Mola (Bastogi, ) *1997 – Lettera a un amico ebreo (
TEA Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
, ) *1997 – Giuseppe Volpi. Industria e finanza tra Giolitti e Mussolini ( Marsilio, ) *1998 – Confessioni di un revisionista (Ponte alle Grazie, ) *1998 – Storia d'Italia dal Risorgimento ai nostri giorni (TEA, ) *1999 – Attraverso il secolo ( Libri Scheiwiller, ) *2000 – Giolitti (Bompiani, ) *2000 – L'Italia negli anni della Guerra Fredda. Dal piano Marshall alla caduta del Muro (Ponte alle Grazie, ) *2000 – Mussolini (biografia per immagini) (Longanesi, ) *2000 – I luoghi della Storia (Rizzoli, ) *2000 – Crispi (Bompiani, ; ristampa) *2001 – I volti della storia. I protagonisti e le questioni aperte del nostro passato (Rizzoli, ) *2001 – La pace perduta 1989-2001 (Longanesi, ) *2002 – Lettera a un amico ebreo. Edizione ampliata (Longanesi, ) *2002 – Memorie di un conservatore (TEA, ) *2002 – Guida alla politica estera italiana. Da Badoglio a Berlusconi (Rizzoli, ) *2003 – I confini della storia (Rizzoli, ) *2003 – Il rischio americano (Longanesi, ) *2004 – Giovanni Gentile. Un filosofo al potere negli anni del Regime (Rizzoli, ) *2004 – Anatomia del terrore. Colloquio con Guido Olimpio (Rizzoli, ) *2004 – Europa, storia di un'idea. Dall'impero all'unione (Longanesi, ) *2005 – La quarta sponda: La guerra di Libia 1911-1912 (Longanesi, ; ristampa 1ª edizione Bompiani 1977) *2005 – Libera Chiesa. Libero Stato? (Longanesi, ) *2007 – Saremo moderni? Diario di un anno (Longanesi, ) *2007 – Con gli occhi dell'Islam (Longanesi, ) *2008 – I falsi protocolli (Editore TEA collana TEA storica) *2009 – Indro Montanelli. I conti con me stesso. Diari 1957-1978'' (Rizzoli, ) *2009 – Storia di Francia, dalla comune a Sarkozy (Longanesi, ) *2011 – L'Italia disunita (Longanesi, ) *2012 – with Beda Romano – La Chiesa contro. Dalla sessualità all'eutanasia tutti i no all'Europa moderna (Longanesi,)


See also

*
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ( or ''MAECI'') is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign ministry of the government of the Italian Republic. It is also known as the Farnesina as a metonym from its headquarters, th ...
*
Foreign relations of Italy The foreign relations of the Italian Republic are the Italian government's external relations with the outside world. Located in Europe, Italy has been considered a major Western power since its unification in 1860. Its main allies are the NA ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romano, Sergio 1929 births Living people People from Vicenza 20th-century Italian historians Italian columnists Italian male non-fiction writers Ambassadors of Italy to the Soviet Union Permanent representatives of Italy to NATO University of Milan alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 21st-century Italian historians