Most of us have been in the proverbial right place at the right time at least once in our lives. Mario Bartoli, Italy’s new consul general in Chicago, has made a career of it.

During nearly a quarter-century in the Italian diplomatic corps, Bartoli has played a role in easing tensions between North and South Korea, worked with local authorities to secure the release of two hostages seized by terrorists in the Philippines, helped organize a groundbreaking Italy-Africa summit, and participated in the Pan-European effort to uphold the principles of democracy and human rights in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.