The E.U.R. Project was initiated
in the 1920's - financed and inspired by the fascist Mussolini
Government of the period the project was never completed -
the second world war and summary execution of Mussolini put
a stop to his plans. Nevertheless, E.U.R. remains one of the
most fascinating areas of Rome and its' surreal architecture
has inspired many modern artists including Di Chirico many
of whose paintings were inspired by this surreal area of Rome.
This particular building the Palazzo della
Civilità or il Colosseo Quadrato (square collosseum)
as it is popularly known was the work of Guerrini. Commissioned
and completed in the early thirties The architectural style
is technically known as "bombastic modernism" but
in everyday language it is fascist... Indeed EU.R. is full
of fascist inspired architecture with the Palazzo della Civilita
being one of the f most famous buildings in E.U.R and Rome.
Recently il Colosseo Quadrato was used by a major sports company
for a TV commercial which outraged Rome's cultural minister
and benefactor of the arts.
Now unused the building is a relic to a less
than illustrious past. and it is almost impossible to find
any books on fascist architecture from this period. To see
some still shots of the Palazzo della Civilita please see
the Rome Photo Gallery
Did you Know?
Like many of the government buildings in E.U.R. it was never
used and lies empty to this date... |
