Ten years ago, the British embassy to the Holy See seemed as if it was on its way out. The ambassador arrived in Rome via Ryanair with no one to meet him. He had to take the infamous number 64 bus to the Vatican. Then, much to the chagrin of the Holy See, the offices of Britain’s embassy to the Vatican were merged with the British embassy to Italy.
But in the past decade, thanks largely to the hard work of the previous ambassador, Francis Campbell, and his successor, Nigel Baker, a lot has changed. Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See now lives across the street from the Quirinale Palace, the Italian president’s residence. His penthouse in the Palazzo Pallavicini was built in the 17th century and rests atop the Quirinale Hill. The ruins of the baths of Constantine lie buried in its soil and, from the rooftop terrace, you can see across the entire city, from the Castelli Romani mountains, where Rome’s legendary founder Romulus is said to have been born, to the exquisite St Peter’s Basilica.
