The new Italian ambassador to Kenya, Vincenzo Del Monaco, arrived in Nairobi today, replacing his predecessor, Roberto Natali (here is our farewell).

The diplomat will take up his post at the Embassy in Nairobi and will settle into the splendid residence owned by the Italian State in Muthaiga, but he will only officially take office after meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, to whom he will present his credentials.

Del Monaco has a degree in law from La Sapienza University in Rome. He is an expert in commercial law and attended ENA in Paris between 1998 and 2000. Between 2001 and 2005, he was second and then first commercial secretary at the Italian Embassy in Beijing.

He then worked at the European Union headquarters in Brussels before being appointed ambassador to Montenegro and then Armenia.

There, among other things, he published two books, one together with the artist Franz Cerami, entitled “Lettere Armene. Viaggio a Jerevan tra arte e diplomazia” (Editoriale Scientifica), which draws inspiration from their collaboration in the cultural field. The volume is considered an example of how diplomacy and culture can be a very effective combination and how a diplomat and an artist, while maintaining their diversity, have many convergences and points in common. In this book, Del Monaco recalls his adolescence in Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, where he studied at the French school and where, in Africa, he developed the idea of one day becoming a diplomat.

The second work, of which he is the creator and co-author, is entitled “Futuro e passato” (Future and Past), a testimony to the intensity of current relations between Italy and Armenia and between Italians and Armenians.

The work is presented as a catalogue and documentation of about thirty months of events and initiatives that have put the genius, creativity and beauty of Italy in the Armenian spotlight, contributing to bilateral relations. Del Monaco has gained extensive experience in European and multilateral relations, economic diplomacy, international cooperation and the management of missions in complex contexts.

Before being appointed to the Nairobi office, he played an important role in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

To the new Italian ambassador to Kenya, a heartfelt “Karibu” (Swahili for “Welcome”) and best wishes for his work from the portal for Italians in Kenya.