The Rome IndexModern Rome — the 20th century
Fascism, liberation, la dolce vita and the republic that shaped the city you visit.
Fascist Rome (1922–1943)
Mussolini used Rome as a stage — creating the Via della Conciliazione leading to St Peter's (demolishing medieval streets to do so), building EUR for a world's fair, and clearing areas around ancient monuments to make them more legible as symbols of imperial continuity. Much of this physical transformation is still visible.
Liberation and the Republic
Rome was liberated in June 1944 with relatively little destruction compared to other Italian cities — the Allies entered just ahead of the German withdrawal. The Republic was declared in 1946; the Christian Democrats dominated politics for the next fifty years.
La dolce vita and after
The postwar economic boom made Rome briefly the centre of European film, fashion and celebrity culture — the 1950s and 60s Via Veneto period. The city has since settled back into its long role as a working capital with a tourist economy layered on top, rather than a cultural centre in the Hollywood sense.