Italian Consulate to Close in Newark

Arrivederci, Newark.

The home state of Frank Sinatra, Tony Soprano and Frankie Valli is losing its Italian consulate.

The Italian government is shutting down the Newark office to help save money. It's scheduled to close in March. A smaller vice consulate offering limited services will remain open in Trenton.

The news has angered many Italians here, including U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell. Pascrell says he's talking to the Italian ambassador to the United States, asking him to look for alternatives to keep the office open.

Pascrell says the Newark consulate serves 17,000 people a year.

New Jersey has the nation's fourth highest number of Italian-Americans and second highest number of Italian immigrants.

The Italian Embassy in Washington did not return a request for comment.