Location Municipio I, Rome | Opened 1971 | |
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Address Via XX Settembre 80/a,
00187 Rome,
Italy Ambassador Jill Morris CMG (to Italy)
Sally Axworthy MBE (to Holy See) Similar Embassy of the United Kingdom, Embassy of the United Kingdom, Former British Consulat, British High Commission - Ottawa, Embassy of the United Kingdom | ||
The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Rome is the chief diplomatic mission of the United Kingdom in Italy, San Marino and the Holy See. It is located on Via XX Settembre in Municipio I. The current British Ambassador to Italy is Jill Morris. The British Embassy to the Holy See is located in the same compound. The current British Ambassador to the Holy See is Sally Axworthy.
History
The Embassy building at Rome’s Porta Pia was designed by the famous British architect Sir Basil Spence, and opened in 1971. It replaced a building on the same location bought by the British government in the 19th century, which had been severely damaged in a terrorist attack in 1946.
The Ambassador’s residence, in the San Giovanni area of Rome, was originally the property of an expatriate Russian princess, Zinaida Volkonskaya. It was made available to the British government by the Italian government after the bombing of the building at Porta Pia, and the offices were located there while the new Embassy was being planned and built. It was formally purchased by Britain in 1951.
Outside Rome, there is also a British Consulate-General in Milan, where the senior officer is known as the Consul-General. The Embassy also represents the British Overseas Territories in Italy.