President Thomas S. Monson broke ground for the Rome Italy Temple on October 23, 2010. Announced two years earlier, the three-story, 40,000-square-foot (3,700 square meter) temple will be the twelfth in Europe and the first in Italy. When completed, it will serve members in Italy and neighboring countries. The 15-acre (6 ha) site will become a religious and cultural center that includes a multifunctional meetinghouse, a visitors' center, a family history center, and patron housing.