The Palace of Italian Civilization - Civilization of Work

"The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana", sometimes also called the "Civiltà del Lavoro", is a monumental building located in Rome in the modern EUR district.

The building is located in the Universal Exposition Roma (EUR) district of Rome, also known as the E42 district, which serves as the symbol of the Italian National Fascist Party.

Conceived since 1936 and designed in 1937, its construction began in July 1938.

The Palace was inaugurated on November 30, 1940, despite being unfinished.

Ten years after its completion, the Palace was adorned with statues on the ground floor and steps leading up to its entrance.

The building was designed to be the Museum of Italian Civilization at the 1942 Universal Exposition, demonstrating the superiority of Italian architecture.

Architectural styles: Neoclassical architecture - Fascist architecture.

Height: 68 m - The design of the building is inspired by the Colosseum with rows of arches.

According to legend, the six vertical and nine horizontal arches of the structure are related to the number of letters of the name of the Benito Mussolini.

Ultimately the building was never used for its intended purposes after World War II, however the EUR has since been revitalized as a residential and commercial district.

The building is now used as the headquarters of the Italian fashion house Fendi. (Owned by French luxury patron Bernard Arnault)

On 18 July 2013, an agreement between the EUR and the Fendi group granted the latter the building for rent for 15 years until the end of 2028; in compliance with the restriction for museum use, given its nature as a building of cultural interest.

The group announced the construction on the ground floor of an area intended for public display to "celebrate the creativity and craftsmanship of the Italian genius".

Architect:

• Giovanni Guerrini
• Ernesto Lapadula
• Mario Romano (original)
• Paolo Marconi (restoration)

The restoration of the Palazzo della Civiltà e del Lavoro of the EUR with the creation of the attic / canopy in 2015. (Now it has been removed).

In 2017, the Russian artist Pokras Lampas (Arsenij Pyženkov) painted a calligraphy in yellow on a black background on the roof of the building depicting numerous words with the letter "F" as initial, as part of the Fendi F is For ... commercial campaign.

This is the largest calligraphy work ever made in Italy.

Map: The Palace of Italian Civilization - Civilization of Work