An italian palazzo in Germany. The Embassy in Berlin

Plans for the new Italian Embassy in Berlin got under way in 1938, construction started in 1939 and it was completed in 1943 - yet its official opening as a diplomatic mission took place only in 2003. The length of time that separates these dates gives an idea of the complexity of this long and fascinating history. In his plans for the reconstruction of Berlin, the capital of the Reich, Albert Speer gave particular importance to the Italian diplomatic mission. It was to be located in the Tiergarten district and its facades were inspired by the buildings of Rome. But the devastation of the war, the move of the capital to Bonn, and in 1961 the building of the Wall meant that the Embassy only began to serve its true purpose in 2003. This book reveals the historical, political and artistic background to this story. It listens to the people of the early days, and illustrates the Embassy furnishings and collections of paintings, its acquisitions and architectural plans, as well as its final restoration