Roma [Rome]

An idealized view of Rome under Mussolini.

This intriguing aerial perspective of Rome was published in Bergamo by the Instituto Italiano d’Arti Grafiche in 1936. It was distributed by the Italian General Directorate for Tourism to encourage overseas travelers to visit the Eternal City, envisioned by Mussolini as the gleaming capital of a new Fascist Roman Empire. The work was ongoing, and the vast majority of the map is occupied by empty spaces, giving the impression of a ‘blank slate’ ready for vast construction and beautification. Major historic sites and recently completed buildings are illustrated and labeled, presented as small oases of interest amid the hilly topography.

The verso offers several photographs and descriptive text in German, Italian, French, and English. One excerpt reads, “Myth, legend, history, archaeology, religion, art, poetry, law, have all combined to give to Rome that character which is hers alone in the world. Her walls, her monuments, her palaces and fountains, all eloquent of the triumphs and vicissitudes of her people in every period of her history, have a perpetual and mysterious fascination for the visitor from other lands.”