The official name of Rome‘s 32nd quartiere is Europa, but it is generally known as EUR. The district is situated in the southern part of the city and was meant to be a showcase for, firstly, fascist architecture and, secondly, fascism in general.
EUR District Rome
History and description
EUR is a fairly large district about 5 kilometers south of the historic center of Rome and is characterized by a number of buildings whose architecture is generally described as “fascist.” The most famous of these buildings is popularly called the “Square Colosseum” (Colosseo Quadrato).
A good part of EUR is owned by EUR S.p.A., which in turn is owned for 90% by the Ministry of Finance and for 10% by the city of Rome.
EUR was designed and constructed in occasion of the Esposizione Universale di Roma (hence the acronym E.U.R) which was planned for the year 1942 (20 years after the fascist march on Rome). The Esposizione was canceled because of World War II and many of the buildings were not completed until years later. (The original name of the quarter was E42).
Points of interest Eur district Rome
Unlike in central Rome, most attractions in the EUR district were only built in the 20th century. The streets of EUR are at right angles and the buildings are made from white marble and travertine, as in the days of the Roman empire.
Colosseo Quadrato
The main palazzo in the district is the Colosseo Quadrato (Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana). The building is now rented by the French fashion group of Fendi.
The Santi Pietro and Paolo Church was originally intended as a mausoleum for Mussolini himself.
There are several museums in EUR, the most interesting of which is the Museo della Civiltà Romana, although also the Ethnografic-prehistoric Museum Luigi Pigorini is also worth a visit.
The Museo delle Arte Popolari focuses mainly on the folk art and traditions of, not only Rome and its surroundings, but the whole of Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Museum of the Early Middle Ages is located right next to the Museo delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari (see above). The collection includes objects mainly from central Italy from a time period between the 4th and 14th centuries.
The Palazzo dello Sport thanks its existence to the 1960 Olympics which were held in Rome, as does the artificial lake.
The Palazzo dei Congressi is, as its name suggests, a large congress building. Originally intended for the World’s Fair to be held in 1942, the building was not completed until 1954.
This memorial stele to Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless telegraphy (and, according to much of the world, of radio as well), is fairly recent.
The artificial lake was created for the Olympics.
Nowadays EUR is known as a business district and is mostly inhabited by middle class Romans, as a result of the many offices and ministries that can be found in the area.