Ambassador
Born in 1942 in Zara, Ludovico Ortona entered the diplomatic career in 1967 after obtaining a degree in Law. He obtained his first assignments abroad as Secretary of Legation in Mexico, Consul in Montreal and subsequently transferred to Geneva to the Permanent Representation to International Organizations. Once back in Rome he began working for a period at the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Presidency of the Council and from there he was transferred to Washington as Councilor for Press and Information. In 1985 he was appointed Head of the Press Office at the Presidency of the Republic with President Francesco Cossiga, with whom he collaborated for the entire seven-year mandate and later appointed Extraordinary Envoy and Plenipotentiary Minister. He was Ambassador to Lisbon from 1992 to 1995 and to Tehran from 1995. Returning to Rome in 2000, as Director General for the Americas, he became Ambassador to Paris in 2005, giving him the honor of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic Italian. Upon completing his assignment in March 2009, he was awarded the insignia of Commander of the Legion of Honor by Prime Minister Francois Fillon. From 2010 to 2013 he received presidential positions at multiple institutions:
President at Arcus S.p.A., a company whose mission is the support and financing of projects concerning cultural assets and activities also in their connection with infrastructures;
President of the Italian Parks and Gardens Association, established with the aim of protecting, conserving, recovering, valorising and promoting the heritage of parks and gardens throughout Italy;
President of the Friends of the Museums of Rome Association;
On 17 September 2012 he was appointed Sole Director of Arcus S.p.A.
On 27 May 2013 he was appointed Vice President of the Institut Européen des Jardins et Paysages of Bénouville.
On 13 June 2013 he received the honor of Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic.
Finally, since 16 December 2013 he has assumed the Presidency of the Nuovi Mecenati Foundation, a Franco-Italian foundation for contemporary creation supported by the French Embassy in Italy.