Mussolini’s Rome: Rebuilding the Eternal City (Italian and Italian American Studies)

From BooklistAs observant visitors to Rome will note, not only are most of the buildings and avenues sponsored by Mussolini's regime still there but so are monuments exalting the name and image of the dictator. These vestiges prompted historian Painter to chronicle Mussolini's construction projects and their expression of fascistic ideas. As a stage for mass rallies and military parades, 1920s Rome would not do, so the clearance of marching routes and plazas began, their final form often leading the eye to a famous Roman ruin, which was the point. The ancient Roman Empire was to be visually connected with the new one of Mussolini's megalomaniacal fantasy; centuries of buildings around the Theater of Marcellus were razed, and the open space was refilled with a ministry. Painter then describes the athletic facilities built to promote fascism's cult of militant physical fitness and the collective housing put up on Rome's periphery. With dozens of photographs, Painter's able study displays what hides in plain sight in the Eternal City. Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReview"Painter's able study displays what hides in plain sight in the Eternal City." —Gilbert Taylor, Booklist"From 1925 to 1940 Italian fascism changed in fundamental ways the urban geography of Rome. Borden Painter's extremely interesting and useful book traces Mussolini's passion for tearing down and rebuilding Rome, but, more than that, Painter uses the Fascist architectural project as a way of analyzing the values and aspiration of the regime. Along the way he studies the architects and planners of the regime who tore down large parts of Medieval Rome to highlight ancient imperial Rome, but who also constructed the sport centers, the buildings for government offices, and the new university city. It is an original and insightful view of Mussolini and his regime." —Alexander De Grand, North Carolina State University"In showing how fascist projects changed the look and even the very fabric of Rome, Borden Painter's fascinating study significantly enhances our understanding of Mussolini's regime. Attentive to the unique challenges and opportunities the Roman setting provided, Painter skillfully traces the effort to blend traditional and modern, old and new, within the framework of confident self-assertion that characterized the fascist experiment. His account is based on exhaustive research and an impressive mastery of the growing scholarly literature on fascist culture, yet it is lively and accessible and it will appeal to specialists and general readers alike." —David D. Roberts, University of Georgia"[T]he best single discussion of the topic available in English and will be very useful for all students of the art, urbanism and history of the fascist period." —Stephen L. Dyson, University at Buffalo "Rome was Mussolini's obsession. He staged the symbolic March on Rome in 1922, and promised Italians that his Fascist revolution would unite the country and transform Italy into a major world power. Over the next two decades, he set about rebuilding Rome as the foremost site and symbol of the new Fascist order. Through an ambitious program of demolition and construction, he sought to make Rome a capital that embraced modernity while preserving and glorifying the city's ancient past. Building the new Rome put people to work; "liberated" ancient monuments from cluttered surroundings; cleared slums; created giant complexes for education, sports, and cinema; produced wide new boulevards and piazzas; and provided the Fascist regime with a platform on which to showcase the power and identity of Fascism. In no other Italian city is the Fascist ideal as clearly visible." "In Mussolini's Rome, Borden W. Painter, Jr. unveils Mussolini's tremendous and lasting impact on the city to which millions flock each year, and delivers an invaluable perspective on the history and nature of Italian Fascism. With vivid, effortless prose, Painter reveals how, for better or worse, the Rome we know today is not only the city of Roman emperors, Catholic popes, and Italian kings - it is also Mussolini's Rome."--BOOK JACKET Rome was Mussolini's obsession. After coming to power as a result of his famed march on the city in 1922, he promised Italians that his fascist revolution would unite them as never before and make Italy a major power on the world stage. In the next two decades, he set about rebuilding Rome as the foremost site and symbol of the new fascist order. Through an ambitious program of demolition and construction, he sought to make Rome a capital that both embraced modernity while preserving and glorifing the city's ancient past. Building the new Rome put people to work, "liberated" ancient monuments from cluttered surroundings, cleared slums; produced giant complexes for education, sports, and cinema; produced wide new boulevards and piazzas; and provided the regime with a showcase for the supposed grandeur, dynamism, and power of fascism. This intriguing book reveals Mussolini's tremendous and lasting impact on the city to which millions flock each year. In 1922 the Fascist 'March on Rome' brought Benito Mussolini to power. He promised Italians that his fascist revolution would unite them as never before and make Italy a strong and respected nation internationally. In the next two decades, Mussolini set about rebuilding the city of Rome as the site and symbol of the new fascist Italy. Through an ambitious program of demolition and construction he sought to make Rome a modern capital of a nation and an empire worthy of Rome's imperial past. Building the new Rome put people to work, 'liberated' ancient monuments, cleared slums, produced new "cities" for education, sports, and cinema, produced wide new streets, and provided the regime with a setting to showcase fascism's dynamism, power, and greatness. Mussolini's Rome thus embodied the movement, the man and the myth that made up fascist Italy.
After coming to power in 1922, Mussolini spent two decades rebuilding Rome as the foremost site and symbol of the new fascist order. Through an ambitious program of demolition and construction, he sought to make Rome a capital that both embraced modernity while preserving and glorifying the city's ancient past. This intriguing book reveals Mussolini's tremendous and lasting impact on the city to which millions flock each year. Front Matter....Pages I-XIX Mussolini’s Obsession with Rome....Pages 1-19 Celebration and Construction, 1932–1934....Pages 21-38 Sports, Education, and the New Italians....Pages 39-57 Architecture, Propaganda, and the Fascist Revolution....Pages 59-90 Population, Neighborhoods, and Housing....Pages 91-113 Axis and Empire....Pages 115-139 War and Resistance....Pages 141-162 Back Matter....Pages 163-200