- He was born in Naples on 16 September 1933.
- He graduated in Law.
- His background was in the Italian Catholic Action Movement, and he was an activist in the Christian Democratic Party of which he was the Political Deputy Secretary from 1984 to 1989.
- He held a number of government posts: in the 3rd Andreotti Government he was Under-Secretary for the Budget and Economic Planning; once again under Andreotti from 1978 to 1979 he was Minister for Labour and Social Security, a post that he held once again in the 1st Cossiga Government, subsequently serving as Minister of Community Policies in the 2nd Cossiga Government and the Forlani Government.
- He was later made Minister for Cultural and Environmental Heritage under Spadolini and again Minister for Labour and Social Security under Fanfani.
- In the 1st Craxi Government he was Minister without Portfolio for Civil Protection, and resigned on 26 March 1984 from this post. In the 6th Andreotti Government he replaced the Minister of Home Affairs, Gava, who had resigned on health grounds on 15 October 1990. He was subsequently reappointed in the 7th Andreotti Government.
- In the first Amato Government, he resigned as Minister for Foreign Affairs on 28 July 1992 because of the new policy adopted by the DC making parliamentary office incompatible with ministerial office.