Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EUR
One of the few planned developments in Rome's history, EUR was built for an international exhibition in 1942.
Although war intervened and the exhibition never took place, the name stuck - Esposizione Universale di Roma
(Roman Universal Exhibition) or EUR. There are a few museums but the area's interest lies in its spectacular ra-
tionalist architecture. It's unique, if not on a particularly human scale, and the style is beautifully expressed in a
number of distinctive
palazzi
(mansions)
,
including the iconic
Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro
(Quadrato della
Concordia; EUR Magliana) , dubbed the Square Colosseum. The Palace of the Workers is EUR's architectur-
al icon, a rationalist masterpiece clad in gleaming white travertine. Designed by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto
Bruno La Padula and Mario Romano, and built between 1938 and 1943, it consists of six rows of nine arches,
rising to a height of 50m.
Elsewhere, other monumentalist architecture includes the
Chiesa Santi Pietro e Paolo
(Piazzale Santi Pietro e
Paolo) , the
Palazzetto dello Sport
(Piazzale dello Sport) and the wonderful
Palazzo dei Congressi
(Piazza JF
Kennedy) . Massimiliano Fuksas' cutting-edge Nuvola ('cloud') congress centre is the most recent dramatic ar-
chitectural addition to the area. A steel and Teflon cloud is suspended by steel cables in a glass box - it was in-
spired by a cloud-gazing daydream and is an extraordinary building whose interior resembles tangled Meccano.
The
Museo della Civiltà Romana
( 06 06 08; Piazza G Agnelli 10; adult/reduced €7.50/5.50, incl Museo
Astronomico & Planetario €9.50/7.50; 9am-2pm Tue-Sun; EUR Fermi) is a possible kid-pleaser, founded
by Mussolini in 1937 to glorify imperial Rome. A hulking place, its displays include many small-scale models of
Roman weaponry, a giant-scale re-creation of 4th-century Rome and plaster casts of the Colonno di Traiano. The
Museo Astronomico & Planetario
( 06 06 08;
www.planetarioroma.it
; adult/child €7.50/5.50, incl Museo
Civiltà Romana €9.50/7.50; 9am-2pm Tue-Fri, to 7pm Sat & Sun, shorter hours Jul & Aug) has shows that
will appeal to older children, but in Italian only.
Also in EUR is Rome's largest public swimming pool,
Piscina delle Rose
( 06 5422 0333;
www.piscinadellerose.it
; Viale America 20; admission from €8; 10am-10pm Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm Sat & Sun
mid-May-Sep; underground rail EUR Palasport) . It gets crowded, so arrive early to grab a deck chair.
Ostiense, San Paolo & Garbatella
Heading south from Stazione Roma-Ostia, Via Ostiense encompasses converted ware-
houses, clubs and hidden sights. The area is now home to the biggest news story (apart
from the new Pope) to happen to Rome in recent years: Eataly, a temple to Italian food-
stuffs.
CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS AT
CENTRALE MONTEMARTINI
MUSEUM
(
06 06 08;
www.centralemontemartini.org
; Via Ostiense 106; adult/reduced €6.50/5.50, incl Capitoline Museums
Via Ostiense)
Housed in a former power station, this
€14/12, valid 7 days;
9am-7pm Tue-Sun;
