Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, or in everyday speech as the Colosseo Quadrato ("Square Colosseum"), is a building in the EUR district in Rome.: 199  It was designed in 1938 by three Italian architects: Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto La Padula, and Mario Romano. The building is an example of Italian Rationalism and fascist architecture with neoclassical design, representing romanità, a philosophy which encompasses the past, present, and future all in one. The enormity of the structure is meant to reflect the fascist regime's new course in Italian history. The design of the building draws inspiration from the Colosseum with rows of arches. According to legend, the structure's six vertical and nine horizontal arches are correlate...Read more

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, or in everyday speech as the Colosseo Quadrato ("Square Colosseum"), is a building in the EUR district in Rome.: 199  It was designed in 1938 by three Italian architects: Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto La Padula, and Mario Romano. The building is an example of Italian Rationalism and fascist architecture with neoclassical design, representing romanità, a philosophy which encompasses the past, present, and future all in one. The enormity of the structure is meant to reflect the fascist regime's new course in Italian history. The design of the building draws inspiration from the Colosseum with rows of arches. According to legend, the structure's six vertical and nine horizontal arches are correlated to the number of letters in the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's name.

The Palazzo was inaugurated on November 30, 1940, despite being unfinished. Ten years after its completion, the Palazzo was adorned with statues on the ground floor and steps that ascend to its entrance. The building was designed to be the Museum of Italian Civilization at the 1942 World Fair, demonstrating the superiority of Italian architecture. The building is located in the Esposizione Universale Roma (EUR) district of Rome, also known as the E42 district, which serves as a symbol of Italy's National Fascist Party. Ultimately the building was never used for its intended purposes following the aftermath of World War II, however the EUR has since been revitalized as a residential and business district. The building is now used as the headquarters for the Italian fashion house Fendi.

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana was constructed as part of the program of the Esposizione Universale Roma, a large business center and suburban complex, initiated in 1935 by Benito Mussolini for the planned 1942 world exhibition and as a symbol of the Fascist regime. In 1935, Italy requested to host the upcoming world's fair in 1941, however the date was pushed to 1942, the twentieth anniversary of the Fascist Party taking control of Italy, through intentional advertising of the event as E'42.[1] After the world's fair, the area was planned to serve as a center of urbanization that was an extension of Rome, with its area equal in size to Rome's Centro Storico.[1] Design teams proposed different architectural plans for the building; Mussolini ultimately favored the plan designed by architects Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Bruno La Padula, and Mario Romano for its rationalism. Construction began in 1938 and finished in 1943.[1] The final plans were revised by Marcello Piacentini, the superintendent of the E42 Architecture Service, who decided to add a travertine exterior to the facade and accentuate the classical features of the design.[2][1] The structure is also considered one of the most representative examples of fascist architecture at the EUR.[2] The progress of the building was documented through the Fascist newsreel documentary service Istituto Luce, which captured various events including Mussolini planting a tree on the grounds in 1937.[1] The documentation of the progress was a form of publicity and also provided insight into the daily lives of laborers working on the project.[1] The Palazzo was inaugurated on November 30, 1940, as the centerpiece of the Esposizione; one thousand of the workers were laid off by the end of the year.[1]

 View of the building during its construction (1940)

The world's fair was cancelled on June 3, 1941, while the building was being finished.[2] By 1942, the EUR was declared a dead-end project, and the fall of the Fascist regime followed in 1943.[1] The Palazzo stood empty and abandoned for over a decade following the aftermath of World War II.[1] The building became the backdrop for post-war cinema, featured as an obsolete structure, symbolic of the downfall of the Fascist regime.[1] In order to reclaim the EUR from its fascist history, postwar Italians decided to make new use of the district for suburban housing to remedy the rise in the Italian population that occurred during the Fascist era.[1] In the 1950s, the EUR was rebranded as a modern, business district in order to break away from its fascist stigma.[1] The rebranding and revival of this district was further expedited by Rome's candidacy for the 1960 Olympics; by the end of the decade, the EUR had become a residential quarter as well as a flourishing administrative district.[1] The building opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1953. It hosted the Roma 1953 Agricultural Exhibition (EA53).[3][4]

Between 2003 and 2008, the palace was closed to the public for restoration. Since 2015, it has housed the headquarters of luxury fashion label Fendi, and will continue to do so for at least the next 15 years. Fendi will reportedly pay 2.8 million euros per year to occupy the space.[5] The ground floor of the building will reportedly be left open to house exhibitions celebrating Italian craftsmanship.[6]

An exhibition, entitled "Una Nuova Roma", about the history of the EUR district was on display until March 7, 2016, on the ground floor of the building. At present (january 2024), public is not allowed anywhere in the building.

^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rhodes, John David (2011). "The Eclipse of Place: Rome's EUR from Rossellini to Antonioni". University of Minnesota Press. In Taking Place: Location and the Moving Image: 31–54 – via JSTOR. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ "Rome 1953" (PDF). BIE Web Site. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-27. Retrieved 7 November 2007. ^ "Serata di gala all'E.A. 53". Europeana. Retrieved 2015-11-25. ^ Fendi's New Headquarters Are a Fascist Icon Blouin Artinfo, July 18, 2013. ^ Karmali, Sarah (18 July 2013), Fendi Relocates To A Roman Palace Vogue.
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