The Italian government has tapped veteran diplomat Marco Peronaci to serve as the country's next ambassador to the United States. Currently Italy’s Permanent Representative to NATO in Brussels, Peronaci will relocate to Washington at a pivotal moment for transatlantic relations. He will take over from Mariangela Zappia, who is set to conclude her term at the end of June.

Born in 1965 in Pavia, Lombardy, Peronaci brings with him nearly four decades of diplomatic service. He earned a degree in Political Science with honors from La Sapienza University in Rome in 1987, followed by a master’s in International Relations from SIOI, a key training ground for Italy’s foreign service. He entered the diplomatic corps in 1988 and completed his military service the following year in the Italian Air Force.

His international career began in 1991 as deputy head of mission at the Italian Embassy in Uganda, with concurrent accreditation to Rwanda and Burundi. In 1993, he was posted to Tokyo, where he handled press, political, and cultural affairs. After returning to Rome in 1998, he led the Asia Desk in the Foreign Ministry’s Political Affairs Directorate.

In 2002, Peronaci was appointed spokesperson and political advisor at the Italian Embassy in Paris. Four years later, he moved to Brussels as First Counselor at Italy’s Permanent Representation to the European Union, a post he held until 2009 before being recalled to Rome as diplomatic advisor to the Minister of Justice.

He returned to Brussels in 2012, this time as Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU, with the rank of Ambassador. In 2015, he was again called back to Rome to advise the Minister of the Interior, a role he held until 2017. He subsequently led the Foreign Ministry’s press and institutional communication office and later served as Italy’s Special Envoy for Brexit. In 2020, he was named Italy’s ambassador to the EU’s Political and Security Committee before assuming his current post at NATO.

Fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Japanese, Peronaci is also a published author on international affairs and holds the honor of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

His appointment signals continuity and a strategic approach to Italy’s presence in Washington, particularly as global tensions and alliance dynamics continue to evolve. Diplomatic sources indicate that the official accreditation process is underway, with Peronaci expected to begin his mission later this year.