Britain's Foreign Office has said it sorry for an online form that asks Italians resident in the UK if they are "Italian, Neapolitan or Sicilian" - 155 years after the unification of Italy.
Italian Ambassador to Britain Pasquale Terracciano told Adnkronos he was "satisfied" with the government's apology for the form which parents of schoolchildren in parts of England and Wales were asked to complete.
"It was an error due rather to ignorance and carelessness on the part of a few education authorities rather than a real wish to discriminate," Terracciano stated.
The British government has said it is asking for the form to be changed, he said.
"It is important to avoid misunderstandings that can arise in this delicate post-Brexit period," said Terracciano, referring to Britain's decision to leave the European Union in a referendum on 23 June.
Terracciano said he had received a "telephone call" from the Foreign Office ahead of a formal written apology after the embassy lodged a complaint about the form on Tuesday.
Italy has been a unified country since 17 March, 1861, the Italian embassy had pointed out to the British government.
