His Excellency Dr Dario Item

His Excellency Dr Dario Item, Earl of Rothes, combines an international legal career with diplomatic service for Antigua and Barbuda. A citizen of Switzerland and Antigua and Barbuda, he serves as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Spain, with concurrent non-resident accreditation to Monaco and Liechtenstein, and as Permanent Representative to UN Tourism.

A legal career with an international perspective

Born in Naples on 28 June 1972 and educated initially in Lugano, Dr Item pursued studies at the University of Geneva and the Italian universities of Parma, Teramo, Genoa and Ferrara. His academic background encompasses law, political science, trust law, criminal sciences and international financial crime. He obtained his law degree in 1996 and a degree in political science in 2004, followed by postgraduate studies in trust law in 2005 and in legal psychology and the psychopathology of criminal conduct in 2006. He completed a doctorate in criminal law in 2009 and an LLM in international financial crime in 2012.

He qualified for legal practice in the Canton of Ticino in 1998, passed the notarial examination in 1999 and obtained his Italian legal qualification in Rome in 2001. His work has included criminal law, trusts, banking and financial matters, as well as diplomatic and consular law. In 2015, he moved to London and opened a branch of his law firm. He practised as a notary until 2015 and has continued his international legal work as an attorney.

Research and professional study have accompanied his practice. His publications address subjects including trusts, criminal law, financial offences and the legal responsibilities arising in complex financial relationships. They include work on asset-protection trusts, trust law in Jusletter, money laundering and legal privilege and criminal-law research at the University of Parma.

Representing Antigua and Barbuda

Dr Item entered the country’s diplomatic service as Consul General in 2016 and was appointed to lead its mission in Madrid in 2018. His accreditation with Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dates from 21 June 2018. He presented his credentials in Liechtenstein on 13 December 2018, to His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain on 16 January 2019, and to His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco on 28 February 2019.

Following Antigua and Barbuda’s admission to the World Tourism Organization in December 2021, he presented his credentials as Permanent Representative on 21 January 2022. The organisation now operates under the name UN Tourism. In this role, he represents the country in the international dialogue on tourism, an industry central to its economy and its connections with the wider world.

From Madrid, his responsibilities bring together bilateral diplomacy, cultural and institutional engagement, tourism cooperation and the promotion of commercial relationships.

Dr Item speaks Italian, French, German, English and Spanish.

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