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The
Ottoman Empire was first represented by a Charge d’Affaires in
Turin between the years 1857 and 1861. The Embassy first located
in Turin and then in Florence in the years 1861-1871, moved to
Rome in 1871. H.E Rüstem Paşa has been the first Ambassador.
During the Liberation War, an official representation of the
Turkish Government was opened besides the Ottoman Embassy. The
first Turkish representative has been H.E Cami Baykurt.
The
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey, located in “Via Palestro,
28” in the Castro Pretorio neighborhood, 5 minutes walk from the
city center and the Termini train station, was built on a parcel
of 580 m2 of an estate of 2053 m2 and is composed of one main
building and a small supplementary building.
Known
as “Palazzo Gamberini”, the building of the Embassy was sold
to the Ottoman Empire by Countess Angela Lodigiani Gamberini, the
wife of Count Giuseppe Gamberini on 9 June 1887 for 950.000
Italian Liras during the reign of King Umberto I.
Constantino
Bobbio witnessed as notary the sale act and the buyer was H.E
Photiades Paşa, the second Ottoman Ambassador who was residing in
“Via delle Quattro Fontane, 32”.
The
Embassy building has been used as the Embassy of the Ottoman
Empire and as the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey consecutively
and continuously for 117 years until today.
The
building was built in the eclectic architectural style. The
concept and decoration of each site differs from the other. French
influence is one of the prominent characteristics of the building
as Count Gamberini who had the palace built, was from the Piemonte
region, one of the France neighboring regions of northern Italy.
The main hall, which is presently used as a reception hall and
considered to have been used as the ball hall at the time as it
bears interior decorations like dancing figures on the walls and
musical instrument decorations in the ceiling, is in a typical neo-rococo
style.
With
its ceilings where the finest examples of wooden and fresco works
have been exhibited, the crescent and star badge overlooking the
interior stairs, the Ottoman flag, chandeliers, parquet and mosaic
floors, precious furniture and paintings, the Embassy building
appears as a dazzling museum.
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