The Embassy of Italy in Finland is composed by the Diplomatic Chancery and  the Ambassador’s Residence. Both of them are located very near to the centre of Helsinki, in an elegant residential area of the capital.

    The Chancellery (Itäinen Puistotie 4, 00140 Helsinki) is located on the hill of the park ‘Kaivopuisto’, where also other chanceries and Consulates of important Countries are located.
This area is considered one of the most valuable part of the city also because of its big and beautiful park.
The ‘Kaivopuisto’ park, the most beautiful of the city, is at the bottom of a smooth green slope, at few meters from the chancery , with a fine view on the surrounding sea stretch and archipelago, in the shelter of the bay of the Helsinki port.
The park is a favourite place for cultural and sport events as well as open-air concerts in summer, and on May Day it is the scene for the students’ feast. In winter the famous February feast is celebrated there and the traditional joyful sledge contest
The office is located in a modern and stylish building, with wide windows and fine white columns on the façade, a small garden on the right side, and a broad garage in the basement.
The Chancery is divided on three floors: on the first floor, on the right side of the building, public can enter through a gate to a wide and cosy waiting room and to the consular section.
The establishment of the ‘Single Counter’ (sportello unico) has led to the unification of the ex-ICE (Italian Institute for Foreign Trade) office, which has become the Section for the Trade Promotion/ICE, to the Italian Embassy.

    The Ambassador’s Residence (Tehtaankatu 32 C-D), characterized by a flight of steps and a neoclassical column facade, is divided on three levels (‘services’, ‘official part’, and ‘night part’) and is surrounded by a fine garden on the rear, where a secondary gate is also situated.
The Residence is near the sea shore and the western port of Helsinki and overlooks the main street of the EIRA quarter, a glamorous area full of ‘art nouveau’ and ‘art deco’ buildings where also other Diplomatic Residences are.
The Italian Residence is among the most prestigious and  famous diplomatic buildings, being built by the well-known Finnish architect Eliel SAARINEN. He projected this building right at the beginning of the independence of Finland and the building was meant as residence for the first King of Finland.
The tragic civil war that followed the independence frustrated the monarchic project and the Italian Government bought the building in the middle of 1919 to host the then Delegation of Italy in Finland and, without any interruption, our current Representation which has become an Embassy since 1955.
For some decades, the current Residence had been the chancery as well as the lodging of Chief of Mission.
Because of the steady growth of institutional activity a broader seat was needed, the offices were situated first in the centre of Helsinki, a very busy area, and, in the middle of the 90’s, in the present convenient building.

 

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