The Villa of the Knights of Malta is a complex of buildings with a garden located in Rome on the Aventine Hill. The site, an important strategic location up to the end of the Middle Ages, stands perched above the Tiber River with a view of the Tiber Island. As early as the 10th century, it was occupied by a fortified Benedictine monastery. It later passed to the Templars and, after their suppression in 1312, to the Hospitaller Knights of the Order of Malta, who established their priory there.

The Order is canonically dependent on the Holy See and has charitable purposes. It qualifies as a sovereign entity, internationally recognized with its own flag, constitution, and Head of State, and the Villa enjoys extraterritorial status. The Order issues postage stamps, numismatic coins (the Maltese scudo), registers vehicles with SMOM license plates granted by the Italian Ministry of Defense, and issues…