The Embassy of Sweden in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

is Sweden's diplomatic mission in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The Swedish embassy in Rome dates back to the 1450s and is thus the oldest in the world. was sent to Rome because the Swedish government wanted to improve the relationship with the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. Today, the embassy is also a representation at the UN agencies in Rome:

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

(FAO),

World Food Programme The World Food Programme (WFP) is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide. It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals. Founded in 1961 ...

(WFP) and the

International Fund for Agricultural Development The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to address poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. It is the on ...

(IFAD). The ambassador has a

dual accreditation Dual accreditation is the practice in diplomacy of a country granting two separate responsibilities to a single diplomat. One prominent form of dual accreditation is for a diplomat to serve as the ambassador to two countries concurrently. For examp ...

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

History

The Swedish legation in Rome has very old roots. Already in the 1400s, Sweden dispatched a delegate to protect its interests at the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

, the highest administrative body of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In March 1956 an agreement was reached between the Swedish and Italian governments on the mutual elevation of the respective countries' legations to embassies. In connection with this, on 2 March the Swedish government appointed the then envoy, Baron Johan Beck-Friis, as Sweden's ambassador in Rome. Today, the Embassy of Sweden covers Italy and

. The embassy is also responsible for Sweden's relations with the UN bodies based in Rome –

(FAO),

(WFP) and

(IFAD).

Staff and tasks

At the embassy, the staff is organized into several key departments and positions: *Ambassador's Office: Includes the Ambassador, an assistant to the ambassador, and administrative and protocol officers who handle administrative tasks and translations. *Political Section: Overseen by a Minister Counsellor who is the Deputy Head of Mission and Section Chief. This section also includes Counsellors, political issue officers, and an intern. *UN Section: Includes a Minister Counsellor who is the Deputy Permanent Representative to the

(FAO), a Counsellor who is the Deputy Permanent Representative to the

(WFP) and the

(IFAD), as well as program officers and an intern. *Business, Culture, and Communication Section: Managed by a Counsellor who is the Section Chief. This section includes officers for communication, promotion, and culture, a business officer, and an intern. *Consular, Administrative, and Migration Section: Headed by a Counsellor who is the Administrative Chief. This section also includes a Third Secretary who is an archivist and Deputy Section Chief, a Treasurer, administrative officers for property matters, several consular officers, a migration officer, a migration assistant, and an administrative assistant/driver. *Defence Section: Led by an officer who is the Defence Attaché and Section Chief, supported by an assistant to the Defence Attaché. * Business Sweden Office: Includes a Trade Secretary managing trade-related activities.

Buildings

Chancery

From 1894, the

chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

was located at Palazzo Capranica, via

Teatro Valle The ''Teatro Valle'' (literally Valley Theater) is a theatre and former opera house in Rome, Italy. It was built in 1726 for the Capranica family. In the middle of the 19th century, it switched from staging opera and theatre to only performances ...

16. In 1922, it was located at 3 Piazza Galeno and between 1923 and 1928 at Via di Villa Patrizi 3 in the Quarter of

Nomentano Nomentano is the 5th ''Quarters of Rome, quartiere'' of Rome (Italy), identified by the initials Q. V. The name derives from the ancient road Via Nomentana. It belongs to the Municipio II. History Nomentano is among the first 15 quarters of th ...

. In 1929 it moved around the corner to Viale del Policlinico 131 where it remained until 1931. In 1932, the chancery moved back to Via di Villa Patrizi 3 where it remained until 1944. Between 1945 and 1947, it was located at Viale Michele Bianchi 12 GA. From 1948 to 1967, the chancery was located at Viale del Policlinico 129 A. The chancery is located at Piazza Rio de Janeiro 3 and was designed in the years 1965–66 and completed in 1967. Inin north-ea April 1977, Sweden purchased the property from the

Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions or PIME (; ) is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to missionary activities in: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, Ind ...

(PIME) through the

National Property Board of Sweden The National Property Board of Sweden (, SFV) is a Swedish State administrative authority, organised under the Ministry of Finance. SFV is responsible for managing a portion of the real property assets owned by the State. The portfolio consists ...

's predecessor the National Board of Public Building (''Byggnadsstyrelsen''). PIME, an organisation that dates back over 150 years, also owned the villa that previously stood on the same plot. Not far from

Villa Borghese Villa Borghese is a landscape garden in Rome, containing a number of buildings, museums (see Galleria Borghese) and attractions. It is the third-largest public park in Rome (80 hectares or 197.7 acres), after the ones of the Villa Doria Pamphil ...

lies the Piazza Rio de Janeiro st Rome. With its modernist facade, the property stands apart from the surrounding buildings in the area, which are older and more classical in nature. File:Roma - Ambasciata di Svezia in Italia.jpg, Piazza Rio de Janeiro 3
(1968–present)

Residence

The ambassador's residence is centrally located at Via di Villa Patrizi 5. The property is 1,500 square meters and is situated in a well-maintained lush green garden surrounded by high walls and gates. The house was built in 1896, and the architect was Luigi Rolland. The Swedish state purchased the property on 18 April 1922. The purchase price of 1 million

Italian lira The lira ( , ; : lire, , ) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was introduced by the Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different s ...

. In connection with the purchase, the architect was commissioned to draw up plans for renovation, but his proposal was not implemented. The building has been renovated and reconstructed several times. Among other things, a garage, a new entrance, and a greenhouse have been added. In 2008-2009, the

carried out a project aiming to return to a more authentic plaster façade. The new façade now blends into the surrounding architecture. Today, the

Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

is the tenant. Between at least 1945 and 1949, Via di Villa Patrizi 3 was used as residence before relocating to number 5 on the same street from 1950.

References

External links

* {{Diplomatic missions in Italy

Italy–Sweden relations

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...