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The Italian Cultural Institute is located in a prestigious “hôtel particulier” from the late 18th century, in the heart of the faubourg Saint-Germain, between rue de Varenne, rue de Grenelle, and rue du Bac.
Built by the architect Etienne-François Legrand between 1776 and 1792, it was first the home of Eugène Delacroix’s father, then the residence of Monsieur de Talleyrand, and the seat of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1794 to 1821.
Its splendid halls have witnessed the passage of illustrious figures, from Napoleon to Madame de Staël, from Chateaubriand to the poet Arnault.
Purchased by the Italian State in 1909, the Hôtel de Galliffet first housed the Embassy. In 1938, the Embassy moved across the street to the Hôtel de Boisgelin, following Italy’s transfer of Palazzo Farnese to serve as the French Embassy. The Hôtel de Galliffet then became the seat of the Italian Consulate General and, from 1962, of the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Delegation to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).
The major conservation restoration project, directed by architect Italo Rota, carried out between 1992 
and 1993, restored the Hôtel de Galliffet to its former splendor.
The Italian Cultural Institute, established under the Franco-Italian Cultural Agreement, operates under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and enjoys operational autonomy. Its
objective is to promote, support, and develop relations between Italy and France in the cultural and linguistic fields. The Hôtel de Galliffet hosts numerous meetings, debates, and cultural events, and also houses a library and media library of 50,000 volumes and an Italian language school.