news worldnews europe italy 8472379 ----- # Tuscan aristocrat campaigns to save Britain's historic Florence consulate ## A Tuscan aristocrat and friend of Prince Charles plans to appeal to the royal family to help save Britain's historic consulate in Florence from closure. ![Tuscan aristocrat campaigns to save Britain's historic Florence consulate ][1] Bona de' Frescobaldi will raise the issue of the closure of Britain's consulate in Florence with Prince Charles, according to Italian news reports Photo: REX/ALAMY [![Nick Squires][2]][3] By [Nick Squires][4], Rome 4:54PM BST 25 Apr 2011 Florentine high society was dismayed by the announcement that the consulate, which dates back to 1456, will close at the end of the year as part of the Foreign Office's efforts to cut costs and reorganise its diplomatic missions abroad. Bona de' Frescobaldi, a marchioness and a member of one of Florence's most prominent noble families, intends to raise the issue when she meets Prince Charles at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday, according to Italian news reports. She and her husband, the Marquis Vittorio de' Frescobaldi, are among a handful of Italians who have been invited to the event. Prince Charles stayed with them on several occasions as his relationship with Princess Diana foundered. The historic consulate, on the banks of the Arno River, has been a focal point for Tuscany's expatriate British population for centuries, from the days of the Grand Tour to the era of well-heeled Edwardian tourists portrayed in E M Forster's A Room with a View. ## Related Articles * [British consulate downsizes diplomatic residence for flats][5] 26 Sep 2010 Today an estimated 15,000 British citizens live either part-time or permanently in Tuscany, many of them in the area of rolling hills dubbed Chiantishire. Under the plan announced by the FCO, the consulate will close and its full- time diplomats will be replaced by an honorary consul. Enrico Rossi, the president of Tuscany's regional government, has called on the British government to "rethink" the closure, which is due to happen by the end of the year. He said Florence had been linked to Britain for more than three centuries, through cultural and economic exchanges. The closure of the consulate, and the downgrading of Britain's diplomatic representation in another historic Italian city, Venice, is part a reorganisation at the Foreign Office which will divert more resources to countries such as China, India and Russia at the expense of Europe and Latin America. The Florence consulate's responsibilities will be transferred to the Consulate General in Milan. [X][6] Share & bookmark Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz [What are these?][7] * Share: [Share][6] [ ][8] [ ][9] [Tweet][10] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8472379/Tuscan- aristocrat-campaigns-to-save-Britains-historic-Florence-consulate.html Telegraph ## [Italy][11] * ### [News »][12] * ### [World News »][13] * ### [Europe »][14] * ### [Nick Squires »][3] In news [![Sicily's Mount Etna bursts into life once again, sending ash and lava into the air and molten rock flowing down it's slopes. ][15] ][16] ### [Mount Etna spews lava][16] [![Pope John Paul II in pictures][17] ][18] ### [Pope John Paul II][18] [![Silvio Berlusconi and the 'bunga bunga' parties in pictures][19] ][20] ### [Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' parties][20] [![Silvio Berlusconi has ridiculed claims by Italian prosecutors that he paid 33 women for sex in a matter of months][21] ][22] ### [Silvio Berlusconi's women][22] [![Amanda Knox truth may never be known][23] ][24] ### [Trailer for Amanda Knox film released][24] [X][6] Share & bookmark Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz [What are these?][7] Share: * [ ][6] * [ ][8] * [ ][9] * [Tweet][10] * Advertisement ![][25] Advertisement [Follow The Telegraph on Social Media »][26] Like Telegraph.co.uk on Facebook Advertisement sponsored features Loading News Most Viewed * TODAY * PAST WEEK * PAST MONTH 1. [3.5 minutes of terror: Air France crash dropped at 10,000 feet a minute][27] 2. [Royal wedding: a peek into royal couple's honeymoon paradise][28] 3. [Councils spend 100m on taxpayer-funded credit cards][29] 4. [Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge wreck reveals secrets of the real Pirate of the Caribbean][30] 5. [President Obama’s top ten insults against Britain – 2011 edition][31] 1. [O'Bama? Oh puh-lease!][32] 2. [Rapture: the end was not nigh, after all][33] 3. [Cannes 2011: Peter Fonda encourages his grandchildren to take up arms against President Barack Obama][34] 4. [Apocalypse not right now: 'Rapture' end of world fails to materialise][35] 5. [Michelle Obama fights to control summer dress in windy London][36] 1. [Joe Biden opens his mouth about US Navy SEALs][37] 2. [Royal wedding live][38] 3. [Italians evacuate Rome over 'big one' fears][39] 4. [Osama bin Laden dead: Blackout during raid on bin Laden compound][40] 5. [Kate Middleton's family take action over nude pictures 'betrayal'][41] [EDITOR'S CHOICE »][42] ### [Gil Scott-Heron: 'A voice for Shakespeare'][43] [![Gil Scott-Heron][44]][43] Composer, musician, poet and author whose writing provided a vivid commentary on the black American experience. ### [Beekeeping diary: the new colonies arrive][45] ### [Spectacular light show dazzles Sydney][46] ### [WS Gilbert: a knight for our times][47] ### [The Telegraph's Matt is Hay Festival star][48] Advertisement Classified Advertising * [World Travel][49] * [Property][50] * [Shopping][51] Loading var puffs_8120657 = new Array();