The Permanent Delegation of Italy to the International Organizations (UNESCO and OECD) is located on the first and second floors of a prestigious XVIII-century hôtel particulier in the Saint Germain district (VII arrondissement), between rue de Varenne, rue de Grenelle and rue du Bac.
The Hôtel de Galliffet takes its name from one of its owners and was built by French architect Legrand between 1776 and 1792. From 1794 to 1821 it hosted the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Eminent historical figures like Napoleon, Madame de Staël, Talleyrand and Chateaubriand used to visit its parlors.
Italy rented the building for a few years before acquiring it in 1909. From 1894 to 1938 its premises hosted the Italian Embassy in Paris. In 1898 it underwent restoration works and was equipped with today’s grand stairway and the twelve ionic columns that support a dome in between mythological bas-reliefs.
After the Italian Embassy was moved to the nearby Hôtel de La Rochefoucauld Doudeauville in rue de Varenne, the Italian Consulate moved to the Hôtel de Galliffet until 1962. Ever since, it has hosted the Permanent Delegation of Italy to the OECD (which in 2014 was renamed Permanent Delegation of Italy to the International Organizations, together with the Permanent Delegation of Italy to UNESCO, the Italian Institute for Culture and the Military Attachés.
