Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana

The Palace of Italian Civilization, "Building of Cultural Interest", it is a monumental structure situated in the EUR district. Opened in 1940, the building is square and looks like a box with four equal sides, with concrete structure and cover entirely in travertine. It has 54 arches on the facade and on the basis of what has been dubbed as "Square Colosseum". The history of the building is linked to that of the EUR and the allocation of the World Exhibition of 1942 in Rome, at which the government wanted to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Fascist regime. The project by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Lapadula and Mario Romano suggested a box with bows on the ground floor adorned with 28 statues, allegories of the virtues of the Italian people. At the four corners of the base are many equestrian statues depicting the Dioscuri, by Publius Morbiducci and Alberto Felci. For its particular architecture and its call to the monumental forms of ancient Rome, the building was often the setting for film, television and commercials.