The Laghetto dell’EUR is an artificial lake located in the EUR district of Rome. It is surrounded by tall modern buildings and, especially on the long sides, gardens and parks. The most picturesque one of these is known as the Passeggiata del Giappone.
A brief history of the Laghetto dell’EUR
The Laghetto dell’EUR was designed in 1936 for the World’s Fair of 1942. It was designed by the architect Marcello Piacentini. The World Fair was never held and construction of the lake was interrupted, because of World War II. After the war, Raffaele De Vico completed the project. During the 1960s Olympics, rowing competitions were held here.
What to see
The Laghetto is crossed by two branches of the Via Cristoforo Colombo, which runs from Rome to the coast. The footpaths on this road offer beautiful views over the two parts of the lake.
The lake itself is one kilometre in length. Its maximum width is 130 meters. It has a total area of 85,120 square meters, with a minimum depth of 2 and a maximum of 4 meters.
Passeggiata del Giappone
A walk on the promenade circling the lake leads past some artificial waterfalls, fountains and especially the Passeggiata del Giappone (“Walk of Japan”). The first one of the 2500 cherry trees along this path was planted in 1959 by the then Japanese prime minister Nobosuke Kishi. It is best to visit during spring time, when the trees are in bloom and the sight of the pink cherry blossom is overwhelming. (On a side note, for those who would like to see Japanese cherry trees but do not widh to travel to EUR, the more centrally located Botanical Garden also has an, albeit smaller, section of cherry trees.)
Giardino delle Cascate
The Giardino delle Cascate is located on the other (south) side of the lake. This “Garden of the Waterfalls”, also designed by De Vico, dates from 1961. Having been closed for a long time, they were reopened in 2017.
Modern architecture
The lake is also bordered by several modern high-rise buildings. The building on the east side, as wide as the lake itself, is the Palazzo dell’ENI. On the north side, you can see a complex consisting of five buildings. This complex is called Torri Ligini and is, although this is not really clear when you see it from outside, completely abandoned. The Poste Italiane building is also located on the north side of the lake. The building on the west side is owned by UniCredit Banca di Roma.
How to get to the Laghetto dell’EUR
The easiest way to get to the lake from the center of Rome is to take metro line B to the EUR Fermi stop. As soon as you exit, you will see the Passeggiata del Giappone in front of you.
Sources
- Touring Club Italiano – Roma.
- Own visit. Al photos are also my own.