Embassy of the United Kingdom, Rome


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 a separate building within 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 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.