From SMOM FAQ page:

"The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta, better known as the Sovereign Order of Malta, has a two-fold nature. It is one of the most ancient religious Catholic Orders, founded in Jerusalem in around 1050. It celebrated the 9th centennial of its official foundation in 1999. At the same time it has always been recognised by nations as an independent subject of international law.

After the loss of the island of Malta, the Order settled permanently in Rome, Italy, in 1834. Its two headquarters, granted with extraterritoriality, are the Palazzo Malta in Via dei Condotti 68 - where the Grand Master resides and Government Bodies meet - and the Villa Malta on the Aventine. The latter hosts the Grand Priory of Rome, the Embassy of the Order to the Holy See and the Embassy of the Order to the Italian Republic."

The SMOM itself does not claim to be any country. Therefor it has no land territory, but the Order owns two buildings in Italy which have extraterritorial rights, i.e. embassy rights. If Italy decides to change the status of this land, the Order has to obay Italy.

Jan