EUR
This area of Rome was born in the 30's, when fascist dictator Mussolini decided to build a whole new neighbourhood for the World Fair that should have taken place in Rome in 1942. His plan was the following: E.U.R. - Universal Exhibition of Rome, a vast open space with museums, artworks, green parks, an artificial lake, theatres and outdoor cinemas, a church and an amusement park. It had to be the glorification of the “Third Rome”, after “The Rome of the Cesars” and “The Rome of the Popes”, fascist Rome, but in 1940 Italy entered World War II, and constructions were interrupted with only one building completed: the Offices Palace, and with the rest still under construction.
The rest of E.U.R. was built for the Olympic Games, in the '60s. But E.U.R. keeps on being considered Rome's futuristic neighbourhood, as by the end of 2016 the famous architect Massimiliano Fuksas will inaugurate his New Congress Center (also known as “The Cloud”), that won RIBA's Best Building Site prize in London in 2012.
With our tour we'll concentrate on the three main palaces of E.U.R.: the Offices Palace, the Palace of the Italian Civilization and the Congress Palace, passing the other linear and geometrical Art Deco buildings decorated with mosaics, bas-reliefs and statues of the most important Italian artists of that period, discussing also the rise and fall of the Italian “Duce”.
This tour is a unique chance to experience something different than ancient or medieval history, and it's highly recommended for lovers of modern architecture!