As of 29 July 2024, Antonio Bartoli is Ambassador of Italy to India and Nepal.
Since the early 2020, he has headed the Office for Relations with Parliament at the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
As Ambassador in Tbilisi (2014-2019), he promoted political dialogue (very first visit of the President of the Italian Republic to Georgia), business and trade (in particular in the infrastructure, energy and hospitality segments), scientific and cultural cooperation (several exhibitions from Roman mosaics to contemporary art, including focuses on Michelangelo, Bernini and De Chirico; tenfold increase in the number of students learning Italian language; innovation award; artists’ residencies; joint research projects).
As spokesperson and head of press, culture and public affairs at the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC, in 2013 he coordinated the Year of Italian Culture in the US (300 events in 60 cities).
In 2012, he worked at the US State Department for a year, handling the economic dossiers of the Middle East and North Africa.
At the Italian Embassy in Beijing, fulfilling the duties of Cultural Counsellor (2004-2006), he organised the Year of Italy in China and led the Italian Cultural Institute. As Political Counsellor (2006-2008), he dealt with China’s foreign and home affairs in the critical pre-Olympic Game time.
As Consul General (minister plenipotentiary) in Toulouse (2000-2004), he promoted an intense calendar of economic and cultural initiatives in a geographical area equal to a quarter of France in dimension.
In his previously held positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1997 to 2000, he was posted at the General Directorate for Personnel, becoming then Deputy Chief Secretary to three Under Secretaries (with responsibility for the UN, the Middle East and Asia); from 2008 to 2011, he served at the Cabinet of the Minister.
Before entering the diplomatic career, he worked as professional journalist from 1991 to 1997. Being a member of the Order of Journalists and the Parliamentary Press Association, he covered politics and economics.
After graduating in economics from LUISS University in Rome, he joined the former Alitalia to study a McKinsey project to redesign the company’s organisational structure getting then promoted to the role of marketing director assistant.
He was a scholar at the Corriere della Sera School of Journalism, he studied at the LSE Summer School and he was awarded a master’s degree in international relations at Sciences Po after presenting a thesis on ‘asymmetric warfare’. He is co-author of the book ‘Carriere Internazionali’ (‘International Careers’) for Il Sole 24 Ore.
He is married to Ester with whom he has five daughters.