It is located in Via dei Condotti, 68 in Rome, Italy, a few minutes' walk from the Spanish Steps, and has been granted extraterritoriality by the Italian Government.

[3] Today they are recognised by 110 countries as the independent headquarters of a sovereign entity, with mutual diplomatic relations established.

[4] The building now called Palazzo Malta was purchased in the 16th century by the Maltese-born Italian archeologist Antonio Bosio, whose uncle was the representative of the Order of St. John to the Holy See.

[citation needed] In the 1720s, Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena entrusted Carlo Gimach with the restoration and additional decoration of the palace.

[7] Matthew Festing, who served as the Order's Prince and Grand Master, lived in the building from 2008 until his resignation in 2017, following a dispute with the Vatican.