Originally Posted by
mecabq
Also, as a note, colleagues have told me that in general Syria will only grant a visa in one's country of residence. So, for example, they won't give a visa in Jordan. So you might be limited to either the U.S. or Italy.
FWIW, I got a visa to visit Syria from their mission in Jordan last year. In contrast to the torture the illiterates who work at American embassies around the world put applicants through, it was an easy process. Polite consular staff, 1/2 day turnaround and no idiotic questions with racist undertones.