Italy – Il Fatto Quotidiano, Sept. 23, 2025
The two Italian citizens imprisoned in Venezuela have met with an Italian diplomat. “They were found to be in good condition, although a little thinner.”
“They had strongly requested a consular visit, which has now been authorized, and this means that the conditions of their detention have slightly improved.”
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, announced that Italian aid worker Alberto Trentini and Turin-based businessman Mario Burlò, both detained in Caracas, have received a consular visit.
“The consular visit to Trentini and Burlò has just concluded. The two Italians detained in Venezuela were found to be in good condition, although a bit thinner. This is, in my view, a positive sign, as it is the first time our ambassador has been able to meet with these two Italians in prison,” Tajani told the press.
First Meeting in More Than Ten Months
Trentini, the humanitarian worker held without charges in El Rodeo I prison in Venezuela, has finally met with Italy’s ambassador to Caracas, Giovanni Umberto De Vito. Following authorization from Venezuelan authorities, the ambassador was able to assess the detention conditions of the 46-year-old from Veneto after more than ten months of imprisonment, silence, and waiting.
It is the first time since November 15, 2024, the day of his arrest in Guasdualito, that anyone has seen him outside the prison facility, looked him in the eyes, or heard him speak. As early as May 17, during Trentini’s first phone call to his mother Armanda Colusso, sources in Caracas had told Ilfattoquotidiano.it that the Venezuelan government intended to authorize a consular visit “as soon as possible.”
