The city of Gioia Tauro, located on the west coast of Calabria in southern Italy, is projected to inaugurate a Moroccan Consulate on November 30, according to news reports. The new diplomatic mission will serve the needs of approximately 15,000 Moroccans living in the region.
Approved by a municipal resolution No.122-2024, this decision marks a milestone that Mayor Alessia Scarcella describes as “historic.” “It reaffirms Gioia Tauro’s international significance as a strategic port city,” she said.
Scarcella noted that thanks to its port—the busiest in Italy for cargo traffic and the eighth largest in Europe—the city had hosted numerous foreign consulates in the 19th century, including those of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The inauguration ceremony is expected to bring together several prominent figures from both sides, including the Moroccan Ambassador to Italy, Youssef Balla, Undersecretary of State for the Interior Wanda Ferro, and the Vice President of the Calabria Region, Filippo Pietropaolo, among others.
It is also projected to attract a large regional delegation, including mayors, councilors, parliamentarians, and consuls. By hosting this new consulate, Gioia Tauro, located between Naples to the north and Sicily to the south, reinforces its strategic role in Mediterranean international relations.