Tardioli passed away while visiting her hometown of Foligno, in the central Italian region of Umbria.

According to local media, the ambassador lost her balance and fell from the balcony of her home, dying at the scene.

The tragic incident is being investigated by local authorities.

The Embassy of Italy in Australia described Tardioli as “an exquisite person, great diplomat [and] promoter of human rights” in a statement mourning the ambassador’s death.

The embassy has opened a “virtual book of condolences”, allowing people to leave an e-message via email.

Tributes have flooded in from all over Australia and the world in recent days.

“I am deeply saddened at news of the passing of Italy’s ambassador to Australia, Francesca Tardioli – a greatly respected diplomat who will be dearly missed. My thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time,” Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne wrote on Twitter.

Senator Francesco Giacobbe honoured Tardioli’s “great professionalism” in a message addressed to Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ambassador’s family.

“Today we mourn the loss of a tireless worker of whom we are all proud,” Giacobbe said.

“Italy has lost a faithful servant; we will miss her great sense of humanity and her sincere friendship.”

Tardioli will be remembered for her professionalism and dedication to representing Italy on the global stage.

The ambassador had expressed her enthusiasm and passion for her work in an interview with the editor of Il Globo and La Fiamma, Dario Nelli, upon her arrival in Australia in October 2019.

“I commit to carrying on the partnership between the two countries,” she said.

“Italy and Australia are connected by their people and shared values in an ever-changing world.

“There’s great interest and commitment on my part to work in this direction, and I believe that the Italian community in this wonderful part of the world has and will continue to actively contribute to this.

“I greet all Italians living in Australia – those who have their Italian citizenship and those who don’t, but who have Italian origins and carry a little ‘Italianness’ in them (there are more than 1 million of you).

“These next four years of work will be wonderful.”

The Italian community in Melbourne will come together on Saturday, February 26, to honour Tardioli during a memorial mass at St Brigid’s Church in Fitzroy North.

A successful diplomatic career built on devotion

Tardioli was born in 1965 in Foligno, Umbria, and graduated from the University of Perugia with a degree in political science.

She embarked on her diplomatic career as soon as she completed her studies.

Tardioli had worked in many places around the world, including Tirana, Nuremberg, Riyadh and Tripoli, before moving to Australia.

She held many positions at NATO in Brussels, as well as the Deputy Political Director and Principal Director for the United Nations and Human Rights, a division of the Directorate General for Political Affairs and Security.

Tardioli was appointed Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic in 2014.

The dedicated diplomat arrived in Australia in 2019, during a highly delicate moment in relations between Rome and Canberra, and took on the task of strengthening ties.

Tardioli’s job was made even more difficult by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic several months after her appointment.