A white marble-clad fencing academy designed by Luigi Moretti at the southern edge of the Foro Italico, completed in 1936 and later adapted as a high-security courtroom.
At a glance
The building stands on Viale delle Olimpiadi, opposite the Ponte della Musica, where it defines the southern entrance to the Foro Italico complex. Conceived as an experimental Casa del Balilla, it became the national fencing academy and is now managed by CONI. Italia Nostra placed it on its Red List in 2016 because the exterior marble cladding and the large wall mosaic require urgent consolidation and restoration.
Key facts
- Where: Viale delle Olimpiadi, Roma
- What: Building
- When: 1936
- GPS: 41.9265, 12.4568 · Open in Google Maps
History
The Casa delle Armi was designed by Luigi Moretti in 1934 as an experimental Casa del Balilla, a Fascist youth organisation building, and was completed in 1936. It was inaugurated in April of that year as the Accademia fascista di Scherma. After the fall of Fascism, the building lost its original purpose and was used for ceremonies, receptions and exhibitions. In 1981 it was adapted as a bunker courtroom for terrorism-related trials, including the first trial for the kidnapping and killing of Aldo Moro. Since 2009 the structure has been in the care of CONI, the Italian National Olympic Committee, which restored the fencing hall.
What you see
The building consists of two rectangular volumes arranged in an L-shape: one originally housed a double-height library, the other a fencing hall measuring about 45 by 25 metres, capable of accommodating 160 fencers at once. Both volumes are clad in white Carrara marble slabs. The library facade carries a large mosaic designed by Angelo Canevari; it shows allegorical and sporting figures including the Italic Genius, Icarus, the horses of the Sun and athletes. The fencing hall is covered by two staggered parabolic reinforced concrete elements that allowed light to enter indirectly from above. The photographs also show the glazed front facing the Foro, the fenced court framed by umbrella pines, and the stacked open balconies at the corner of the stone-clad volume.
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Nearby
- Casa delle Armi — Fencing Academy by Luigi Moretti — the same building, with a virtual tour
- South Guesthouse of the Foro Italico — a rationalist building at Viale delle Oli — across the southern entrance to the Foro Italico
Gallery
Sources
- David D’Hallewin, Casa delle armi – Foro italico Roma – David D’Hallewin: architectural description, construction dates, later alterations, and state of conservation.
- Dianne Bennett and William Graebner, Rome the Second Time: Casa delle Armi: a little-known gem of the Foro Italico: origin as experimental Casa Balilla, use as anti-terrorism bunker, and CONI management.
- Casa Chiesi, La Casa delle Armi (Fencing Academy) in Foro Italico – Rome: inauguration by Mussolini, mosaic by Angelo Canevari, and dimensions of the fencing hall.
- Italia Nostra, Accademia della Scherma al Foro Italico: segnalazione per la Lista Rossa: 2016 Red List report, address, and urgent need for exterior restoration.
- Archweb, Fencing Academy at Foro Italico: architectural layout, structural solution, and materials.
- OpenStreetMap, Accademia della Scherma: address and coordinates.
- Stefano Vigolo, photographs and notes to the editorial staff (2026): identification of the subject and photographs. Not a published source
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