Mussolini’s monument to fascism that will host G20 summit where Joe Biden is set to face world leaders for first time since his Afghanistan betrayal
- G20 leaders will gather in EUR suburb with a giant bas-relief of dictator Benito Mussolini doing a fascist salute
- Suburb of Rome also has a building inscribed with a quote from a speech prior to the invasion of now-Ethiopia
- Area was conceived in the 1930s as a showcase for modernist architecture and to hold to the 1942 world expo
- World leaders are set to convene there in November in Joe Biden’s first summit since his Afghanistan betrayal
G20 leaders will meet this weekend in Rome’s historic surroundings of EUR, a neighbourhood created by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime and its links with ancient Rome.
The summit, under the slogan ‘Peace, People, Prosperity’, will be the first time President Joe Biden will face world leaders following the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan on August 30.
Leaders will gather in a futuristic convention centre known as the ‘Nuvola’ (cloud) nestled in a southern suburb and surrounded by fascist propaganda – including a giant bas-relief of Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute, and a building inscribed with a quote from his 1935 speech before the invasion of Ethiopia.
EUR, which stands for Esposizione Universale Romana, or Rome World Expo and is pronounced Ay-oor, was conceived in the 1930s as a showcase for modernist architecture and as the home of the 1942 edition of the world expo, though it never took place because of World War II.
Located in the southern outskirts of Rome, between the historic centre and the seaside suburb of Ostia, the suburb is characterised by monumental buildings in white marble and travertine stone, typical of the fascist era.
Its best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation. On its four sides, the building bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as ‘a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants’.
G20 leaders will meet this weekend in Rome’s historic surroundings of EUR, a neighbourhood created by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime and its links with ancient Rome
Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute (centre)
EUR’s best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation
Leaders will gather in a futuristic convention centre (pictured, being guarded by Carabinieri police officers) known as the ‘Nuvola’ (cloud) nestled in a southern suburb and surrounded by fascist propaganda
Mussolini’s fascist monument includes long, straight roads which show off the grand buildings designed to glorify the regime
Located in the southern outskirts of Rome, between the historic centre and the seaside suburb of Ostia, the suburb is characterised by monumental buildings in white marble and travertine stone, typical of the fascist era
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini (pictured surveying the new Caselle Airport during a visit to Turin in May 1939) designed EUR as a monument to fascism to glorify his regime and its links with ancient Rome
Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts at its entrance a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute.
According to legend, in another ode to the Italian dictator, the six vertical and nine horizontal arches on the Square Colosseum, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and now home to the headquarters of fashion house Fendi, correlate to the number of letters in Benito Mussolini’s name.
Today, EUR is a residential and business area hosting the headquarters of the ENI energy group and of several other public and private institutions, plus museums, concert halls and an artificial lake popular with locals in the summer.
But in the immediate post-war years it resembled a ghost town, with abandoned buildings occupied by refugees.
The conflict had forced Mussolini’s architects to leave the showpiece unfinished and it never played host to the 1942 edition of the world expo, which would have coincided with the 20th anniversary of the fascist regime.
They were completed in the 1950s and 1960s after Roman authorities decided to turn the area into an edge-of-town business district that became a model for London’s Docklands and La Defense in Paris.
The Nuvola, which was recently used as a Covid-19 vaccination hub, added a flavour of contemporary architecture to its modernist surroundings when it was inaugurated in 2016, after years of delays and cost overruns.
It was designed by Italian architect couple Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas. The former is one of the giants of contemporary Italian architecture, with projects including the Shenzhen Bao’an airport in China and Ferrari’s ultra-modern headquarters.
On its four sides, the building bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as ‘a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants’
According to legend, the six vertical and nine horizontal arches on the Square Colosseum, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, correlate to the number of letters in dictator Benito Mussolini’s name
The momuments of EUR, including the Square Colosseum, was conceived in the 1930s as a showcase for modernist architecture and as the home of the 1942 edition of the world expo, though it never took place because of World War II
Today, EUR is a residential and business area hosting the headquarters of the ENI energy group and of several other public and private institutions, plus museums, concert halls and an artificial lake popular with locals in the summer
EUR features long, straight, flat roads – such as this one from the parvis of the ‘Palazzo dei Congressi’ down to the Square Colosseum, a building designed by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as an ode to fascism
The summit is being held in EUR because it is an area more easily policed than Rome’s city centre, home to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, where the tourists, historic buildings and tiny streets pose a nightmare for security and access
In the post-war years the EUR suburb of Rome (pictured in 1961) resembled a ghost town, with abandoned buildings and unfinished projects on a colossal scale
The summit is being held in EUR because it is an area more easily policed than Rome’s city centre, home to the Colosseum and the Pantheon, where the tourists, historic buildings and tiny streets pose a nightmare for security and access.
Leaders will meet in the ‘Nuvola’, featuring a suspended structure inside a glass and steel box, where they will discuss Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change and sign a global tax agreement.
US President Joe Biden is flying in straight from COP26 in Glasgow to reiterate his message that ‘America is back’ after four years of Donald Trump’s bruising diplomacy, although Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping will attend only by video link.
Their absence has lowered expectations for the summit, normally a forum for deals between allies and rivals of differing size and power, from the US and China, to Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Australia and the European Union.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the summit ‘marks the return of multilateralism, after the dark years of isolationism and of isolation linked to the health crisis’.
Leaders will meet in the ‘Nuvola’, featuring a suspended structure inside a glass and steel box, where they will discuss Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change and sign a global tax agreement
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the summit ‘marks the return of multilateralism, after the dark years of isolationism and of isolation linked to the health crisis’
Fascist propaganda is also on display at the Palazzo Uffici, which boasts at its entrance a giant bas-relief of the history of Rome that starts with Romulus and Remus and ends with Mussolini on horseback, his right arm raised in a fascist salute
EUR’s best-known landmark is the so-called Square Colosseum, a white cube with arches originally meant to host the Palace of Italian Civilisation, and now the headquarters of Italian fashion house Fendi
On its four sides, the Square Colosseum (pictured) bears an inscription taken from a 1935 Mussolini speech celebrating Italians as ‘a people of poets, artists, heroes, saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and transmigrants
Statues of craftsmen stand under the archways of the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana, or the Square Colosseum, in EUR suburb
According to legend, in another ode to the Italian dictator, (pictured in France) the six vertical and nine horizontal arches on the Square Colosseum, also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and now home to the headquarters of fashion house Fendi, correlate to the number of letters in Benito Mussolini’s name
The summit takes place on Saturday and Sunday but many leaders will fly in on Friday and a flurry of bilaterals are expected, in the first physical gathering many world leaders have attended since Covid-19 struck in early 2020.
Biden will meet Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking to smooth ties with the latter after Australia scrapped a French submarine deal in favour of a US-UK agreement.
The president, a practicing Catholic, will also meet Pope Francis. The pontiff will also receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in over the weekend.
Security will be tight at the summit, particularly after violent clashes earlier this month in central Rome between police and protesters against the extension of Italy’s coronavirus pass to all workplaces.
Border controls have been temporarily reintroduced, derogating from Europe’s passport-free Schengen area, while a no-fly zone is in place over most of the capital.
Meanwhile 500 soldiers have been mobilised to help out with the summit, which is being held away from the city centre in the Mussolini-era suburb of EUR.
EUR features long, straight, flat roads to show grand buildings such as the Square Colosseum (pictured), designed by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as an ode to fascism
Carabinieri police officers stand guard outside the convention center ‘Nuvola’, a futuristic convention centre that will play host to the first face-to-face G20 meeting in two years next month
Officers of the Guardia di Finanza (GdF) Italian law enforcement agency stand guard outside the convention center ‘La Nuvola’ ahead of the G20 summit next month
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