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Abstract: A study of the figure of Vich, ambassador of Ferdinand the Catholic (1507-1516) and Charles V (1516-1519) to Rome can help better describe the relations between the Monarquía Católica and the papacy in the complex circumstances at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Furthermore, complex links among social, political and cultural identities and between national and factional sentiments emerge when considering the relationships among the Spanish community resident in Rome, the élite of the motherland and the representatives of the crown. The diplomatic appointment became an occasion for difficult mediation between antagonist forces while the ambassador's fortunes were based on his ability to maintain a network of favoritism, alliances and friendships both in Rome and in Spain. Vich's was the sole embassy in the entire early Modern Age to survive a change of dynasty: this allows us to grasp the dialectics between the protection of peculiarities, localism and autonomy and the search on various levels of a common representativeness and image, all basics for a succesful diplomatic mission and for the survival of the power groups between Spain and Italy.