233 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
233 lines
5.8 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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worldnews
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europe
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italy
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8472379
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-----
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# Tuscan aristocrat campaigns to save Britain's historic Florence consulate
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## A Tuscan aristocrat and friend of Prince Charles plans to appeal to the
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royal family to help save Britain's historic consulate in Florence from
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closure.
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![Tuscan aristocrat campaigns to save Britain's historic Florence consulate
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][1]
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Bona de' Frescobaldi will raise the issue of the closure of Britain's
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consulate in Florence with Prince Charles, according to Italian news reports
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Photo: REX/ALAMY
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[![Nick Squires][2]][3]
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By [Nick Squires][4], Rome 4:54PM BST 25 Apr 2011
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Florentine high society was dismayed by the announcement that the consulate,
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which dates back to 1456, will close at the end of the year as part of the
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Foreign Office's efforts to cut costs and reorganise its diplomatic missions
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abroad.
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Bona de' Frescobaldi, a marchioness and a member of one of Florence's most
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prominent noble families, intends to raise the issue when she meets Prince
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Charles at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday,
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according to Italian news reports.
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She and her husband, the Marquis Vittorio de' Frescobaldi, are among a handful
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of Italians who have been invited to the event.
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Prince Charles stayed with them on several occasions as his relationship with
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Princess Diana foundered.
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The historic consulate, on the banks of the Arno River, has been a focal point
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for Tuscany's expatriate British population for centuries, from the days of
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the Grand Tour to the era of well-heeled Edwardian tourists portrayed in E M
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Forster's A Room with a View.
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## Related Articles
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* [British consulate downsizes diplomatic residence for flats][5]
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26 Sep 2010
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Today an estimated 15,000 British citizens live either part-time or
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permanently in Tuscany, many of them in the area of rolling hills dubbed
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Chiantishire.
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Under the plan announced by the FCO, the consulate will close and its full-
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time diplomats will be replaced by an honorary consul.
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Enrico Rossi, the president of Tuscany's regional government, has called on
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the British government to "rethink" the closure, which is due to happen by the
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end of the year.
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He said Florence had been linked to Britain for more than three centuries,
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through cultural and economic exchanges.
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The closure of the consulate, and the downgrading of Britain's diplomatic
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representation in another historic Italian city, Venice, is part a
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reorganisation at the Foreign Office which will divert more resources to
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countries such as China, India and Russia at the expense of Europe and Latin
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America.
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The Florence consulate's responsibilities will be transferred to the Consulate
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General in Milan.
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[X][6] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][7]
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* Share: [Share][6] [ ][8] [ ][9]
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[Tweet][10]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8472379/Tuscan-
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aristocrat-campaigns-to-save-Britains-historic-Florence-consulate.html
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Telegraph
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## [Italy][11]
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* ### [News »][12]
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* ### [World News »][13]
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* ### [Europe »][14]
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* ### [Nick Squires »][3]
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In news
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### [Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' parties][20]
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[X][6] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][7]
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Share:
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* [ ][6]
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* [ ][8]
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* [ ][9]
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* [Tweet][10]
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* Advertisement
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![][25]
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Advertisement
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[Follow The Telegraph on Social Media »][26]
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