After more than half a century, and years of negotiations, the Circolo degli Ufficiali (officers club) is finally preparing to move out of Palazzo Barberini into nearby Palazzina Savorgnan di Brazza. The move will mean that the Galleria Nazionale dArte Antica, which is already housed in another part of the building, will be able to move some its huge collection into the empty space.

The officers have said they will move by October 2006 at the latest, according to a joint statement released by defence and culture ministries. However, the defence ministry will still retain a handful of rooms, amounting to some 700 sqm, for official occasions. The Galleria Nazionale dArte Antica will now be able to expand into 3,000 sqm, finally satisfying the cultural ministry, which has been trying to oust the officers for several decades and turn the whole building, just off Piazza Barberini, into a museum.