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Rome prepares for Trump visit

High security and protests as Trump arrives in Rome.

Rome is employing tight security measures ahead of the visit by US president Donald Trump who will land in Fiumicino airport at 18.30 on Tuesday 23 May with his entourage which includes his wife Melania and the secretary of state Rex Tillerson, along with a large US delegation.

Several areas of the capital will be in lock-down, particularly around the Parioli residence of the US ambassador to Italy, Villa Taverna, where Trump will stay overnight as a guest of Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Kelly Degnan.

The president's list of appointments on 24 May begins with a visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis at 08.30.

At 11.30 Trump will be welcomed by the Italian president Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale followed by a 12.30 meeting with Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni at Villa Taverna.

An anti-Trump protest, organised by the American Expats for Positive Change (AEPC Italy) and Women's March Rome, is scheduled at 19.30 on 23 May in Piazza Bologna. The #RomeResists protest will call for greater rights for immigrants, women and the environment, as well as democracy, human rights, healthcare, freedom of religion and press. The US embassy expects the demonstration to be peaceful and predicts about 100 people will show up.

Although Trump has nominated ambassadors to the US embassy to Italy and the US embassy to the Vatican, both nominations require senate approval, and both embassies are currently headed up by their respective chargé d'affaires. In January of this year Trump named financier Lewis Eisenberg to represent Washington in Italy and San Marino, while on 19 May the US president nominated Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker and Trump ally Newt Gingrich, to serve as ambassador to the Holy See.

Trump arrives in Rome as part of his first overseas trip as US president. In addition to Italy and the Vatican, the trip includes visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Belgium. Trump will attend the 28th NATO summit in Brussels on 25 May before participating in the G7 summit meeting in Taormina, Sicily, the following day.

For full details of Rome's road closures and public transport diversions, which begin at 07.00 on 23 May, see the Muoversi a Roma website.

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