Italy consulate in Bengaluru plans to process 30,000 visas per year

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio's visit to Bengaluru on May 5 marked not only the relaunch of the multi-faceted India-Italy bilateral partnership but also affirmed the European nation's growing ties with the Karnataka's capital.

During the first mission to India by an Italian Foreign Minister since 2012, Di Maio inaugurated the newly established office of the Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru, besides visiting the Chief Minister, an Italian startup and important scientific establishments in the city.

The Minister, accompanied by Vincenzo de Luca, Ambassador of Italy to India, and Alfonso Tagliaferri, Consul General of Italy in Bengaluru, visited the Indian Space Research Organisation. The high-level delegation comprised the Minister’s Chief and Deputy Chief of Cabinet, Luca Sabbatucci and Gabriella Biondi, and the President of ASI (Italian Space Agency), Giorgio Saccoccia. They also met a few young Italian entrepreneurs at the headquarters of the Italian-Indian startup Even Healthcare.

Their day-long visit ended with a visit to the Indian Institute of Science, which has been engaged in a long-standing scientific collaboration program – co-financed by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs – with Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, an Italian research centre of excellence.

Alfonso Tagliaferri, Consul General, is no stranger to India. Speaking to DH, a day after the inauguration of the consulate, Alfonso said the idea of wanting to start a consulate in Bengaluru was discussed with Italian Ambassador de Luca as early as 2020, when Covid was in its first wave.

"I was posted in Kolkata for a month for a short mission, to fill the gap between two Consul Generals, and then in March 2020 Covid started and the lockdown happened. I was stuck in Kolkata for five months. That's when I fell in love with the country and we started discussions on opening a new office here, in the South. It wasn’t difficult to convince headquarters, given the importance of Bangalore as the heart of Indian scientific and technological development, and in less than two years we are opening in Bengaluru. The Consulate General will cover the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu with Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh," Tagliaferri told DH.

The Consulate will be a point of reference for the Italian community in south-east India, and it will promote Indian-Italian ties at all levels: economic, scientific, cultural, touristic. "We will start with processing around 30,000 visas a year, and we will work to increase this number. Bengaluru is also an educational hub, so in the Consulate we will host ‘Uni Italia’, which is a university link, that will be useful for Indian students who wish to study in Italy," added Alfonso.

The office of the Consul General of Italy will be located on Richmond road near Trinity circle. "We have just zeroed in on a rented space. We have to now start our operations, hire personnel, and we will be able to make it a fully operational space only by the beginning of 2023," Alfonso told DH.

"But we have already started meeting our counterparts and working towards promoting bilateral relations at all levels," he added. The Consulate will also host the local branch of the Indo-Italian Chamber of commerce and of the Italian trade agency, making it a real Italian hub, or “Casa Italia”, for South-East India.

Who is Alfonso?

The 42-year-old diplomat, Alfonso is a native of Rome. He graduated in law, holds a masters degree in international affairs and he’s writing a PhD in protection of cultural heritage. He plays the drums and began learning to play the tabla when he was in Kolkata. He holds a deep interest in Indian culture, cinema and has a keen ear for Carnatic and Hindustani music. "I am committed to bring Italian culture, music and cinema to Bengaluru and South East India. We will host a first exhibition of Italian design in Bengaluru at the beginning of September. And much more will come!”, he assured.