Raffaele Guariglia
Raffaele Guariglia, Baron di Vituso (February 19, 1889 – April 25, 1970) was an Italian diplomat best known for a brief stint as Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Badoglio government during World War II.
Born in Naples into a noble family, he earned a law degree from the University of Naples in 1908 and joined the Italian Foreign Service in 1909. In the first two decades of his career he held sub-ambassadorial posts in cities like Paris, London, St. Petersburg, and Brussels.
Guariglia rose to ambassador in 1932, serving as Italy’s envoy to Spain. He then worked in Buenos Aires (1935) and Paris (1937). In Paris he formed a close connection with Helène de Portes, the partner of French politician Paul Reynaud, who would later influence Franco-Italian relations as France faced Germany’s aggression.
By 1943 he was Italy’s ambassador to neutral Turkey. After Mussolini’s fall, Prime Minister Pietro Badoglio appointed Guariglia as Foreign Minister on July 30, 1943, in the hope of steering Italy toward a more independent line from Germany. He began indirect talks with the Western Allies, but German forces controlled much of Italy and demanded Italy’s unconditional surrender.
The armistice with the Allies was signed on September 3, 1943. Six days later German troops occupied most of the peninsula. Badoglio’s government fled to Brindisi; Guariglia stayed in Rome and sought refuge in the Spanish Embassy, protected by Francisco Franco’s government. He remained de jure Foreign Minister until February 11, 1944, when Badoglio dismissed him from abroad.
A supporter of the Savoy monarchy, Guariglia could not serve in the cabinet after King Umberto II’s abdication in 1946. He led the Italian Monarchist Union and served as a monarchist member of the Senate for Salerno from 1948 to 1953. He died in Rome in 1970 at the age of 81.
Honors included Grand Officer of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1935) and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:58 (CET).