Ambassador Umberto Vattani is Honorary President of Venice International University. He served as President of VIU from 2001 to 2026, guiding the consortium through a period of significant growth in its membership, international reach and engagement with the wider worlds of diplomacy, culture, science and civil society.
Born in Skopje, Macedonia, on 5 December 1938, Ambassador Vattani studied in France, Great Britain and the United States, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. He graduated in Law in 1960 and in Political Sciences in 1962 from the University of Rome, La Sapienza. After a period at the Bank of Italy’s Department for Research and International Economics, he entered the Italian Diplomatic Service in 1963.
His diplomatic career included assignments with the Italian Mission to the United Nations in New York, the Italian Mission to the OECD in Paris and the Italian Embassy in London. From 1975 to 1978, he served as Deputy Head of Cabinet to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and subsequently as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. He later returned to London as Deputy Head of Mission before being appointed Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister and Personal Representative (Sherpa) for the G7 Summits from 1988 to 1992.
From 1992 to 1996, Ambassador Vattani served as Italian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. He was Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2001 and subsequently served as Italy’s Permanent Representative to the European Union in Brussels from 2001 to 2004. In January 2004, he was appointed Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a second term. From 2005 to 2011, he served as President of the Italian Trade Commission (ICE).
Throughout his career, Ambassador Vattani has maintained a strong commitment to international dialogue and to building connections between countries, institutions and cultures. His activities have extended beyond diplomacy into higher education, cultural exchange and international cooperation. He is President of the Italy-Japan Foundation and has held a number of academic and institutional positions internationally, including as a Member of the Board of Trustees and Honorary Professor of Tongji University in Shanghai, and Honorary Member of the Academic Senate of Freie Universität Berlin.
Ambassador Vattani has received several distinctions in recognition of his international and institutional contributions. He is an Honorary Citizen of the City of Skopje, an Ehrenbürger of the University of Bonn, and has been recognised by institutions in Europe and Asia for his contribution to international relations and academic cooperation.
At Venice International University, his presidency saw the consortium grow from six member institutions to 23 universities and research institutions across 14 countries and four continents. During these years, VIU also expanded its engagement beyond its academic programmes, creating opportunities for dialogue among universities and with actors from diplomacy, science, culture, the arts and civil society.
From 1 October 2026, Ambassador Vattani serves as Honorary President of Venice International University, continuing to contribute to VIU’s cultural, scientific and strategic initiatives and to its relations with international partners and institutions.
