The United States Embassy to the Holy See is located on Via Sallustiana, in the center of Rome, in a building that formerly belonged to the National Insurance Institute of Italy. The building is now home to the three U.S. missions in Rome – the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, the U.S. Embassy to Italy, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Agencies in Rome. The United States government acquired the building in 2003 and after a thorough renovation, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See moved there in 2015. Previously, the Embassy had been housed in rented premises on Via Aurelia, and then on the Aventine hill near the Circus Maximus.
Formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See were established in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. The mission works in partnership with the Holy See on global issues including human rights, religious freedom, and trafficking in persons.