FAO Headquarters - Rome, Italy - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In 1955, Italy issued a pair of commemorative postage stamps celebrating two anniversaries related to international agricultural organizations. The first honored the 50th anniversary of a conference held in Rome that led to the formation of the International Institute of Agriculture. The second commemorated the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization at the first UN general assembly in 1945.

The fledgling International Institute of Agriculture found favor with Italy’s King Victor Emmanuel III who donated a building in Rome for their operations. But that organization ran into some tough times due mainly to the ravages of World War II. Perhaps in keeping with tradition, Italy decided to donate another building in Rome to the fledgling FAO when they were looking for a permanent home in the early 1950s. By that time, the IIA had already been dissolved with their remaining operations being effectively absorbed into the FAO.

The Fascist-era building was designed in the late 1930s as the Ministry of Italian Africa but never finished. After the war, it was going to be repurposed as the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications but was donated to the FAO instead and leased to the United Nations for $1 per year. The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Its purpose is to fight hunger and malnutrition by leading an international effort to secure a reliable and affordable food supply.

Stamp Issuing Country: Italy Date of Issue: 3-Nov-1955 Denomination: 60 l Color: bright purple & black Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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