Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Source: Italian Foreign Ministry)
The innocent go free.
That’s what happens when America’s military takes out a communist dictator.
Under orders of President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro, was removed from his residence in Caracas and taken to a jail in Brooklyn, by way of the U.S. Armed Forces on January 3.
Grano macinato is the best way to describe Italy’s advantageous moment.
Italy has capitalized on America’s military triumph to obtain the release of four Italian nationals who were unjustly held in Venezuelan prisons. They are: Luigi Gasperin, Biagio Pilieri, Alberto Trentini, and Mario Burlo.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (Source: Italian Foreign Ministry)
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Adio Venezuela
The Italian government provided details of the four men released:
Luigi Gasperin, a 77-year-old Italian businessman, was freed earlier during a wave of releases after America took out Maduro. Gasperien had been detained since August 2025 on charges related to alleged explosives possession — charges Italian officials characterized as politically questionable.
Biagio Pilieri, a prominent Italian Venezuelan politician and journalist, was freed after 16 months of incarceration. Pilieri, long involved in Venezuela’s political scene and a critic of the Maduro government, had been held in El Helicoide prison—a modern marvel of penology—following his arrest in August 2024.
On January 12, 2026, Alberto Trentini and Mario Burlo were released from El Rodeo I, a maximum security prison in Caracas, famous for its filth and violence. The two Italians—seen malnourished and thin—were taken to the Italian Embassy in Venezuela's capital to receive care before repatriation to Italy aboard a government flight. Trentini, a Venetian humanitarian worker had been employed by the NGO Humanity & Inclusion when he was arrested by authorities in Venezuela. The Silver Spring, Maryland based non-profit was strangely silent over his release with no mention of it on their web site. Trentini had been detained for over 420 days without formal charges while working in southern Venezuela. Meanwhile, Burlo, a Turin entrepreneur, had been held since late 2024 under unclear circumstances.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the news with “joy and satisfaction” and expressed gratitude to Venezuelan interim authorities for their cooperation. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the man credited with closing off dual citizenship to Americans, stressed that all Italians of sole citizenship are now freed from Venezuela detention, while dozens of dual citizens remain in jail.
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Venezuela’s Newfound Cooperation
The prisoner releases are part of a broader initiative announced on January 8, 2026, when Venezuelan authorities pledged to free a “significant number” of inmates — including foreign nationals and political prisoners — in a gesture of goodwill. This, of course, happened after the U.S. military raided the presidential residence and removed Venezuela's dictator with incredible efficiency. Before U.S. involvement, the Italian government called repeatedly for the release of its nationals, but, with little effect. Now, that Maduro is gone from the tryannical scene, progress can be made in the release of Italian Venezuelans and others unjustly detained. Venezuelan interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, has sought to demonstrate reform and openness through these releases in hopes the U.S. doesn't do to her what they did to Maduro.
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Benvenuti in Italia!
In Italy, the releases have been broadly welcomed across political lines. Government officials highlighted the success of sustained quiet diplomacy, while acknowledging the actions of America's military...in silence. Families of the freed Italians expressed deep relief and joy after months — or, for some, over a year — of uncertainty and hardship. Officials have reiterated that efforts will continue to secure the freedom of remaining Italian Venezuelan dual nationals still held in detention.
Editor’s Note: The photo of the Venezuela prison is “El Helicoide, Caracas,” by Jesús Rincón, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC By-SA 4.0. Photo of Nicolas Maduro was by Ricardo Stuckert, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC By-SA 4.0. The web site for Italy's Foreign Ministry is https://www.esteri.it/en/
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