Esposizione Universale, or World’s Fair, was a new city being built to exhibit the world’s most perfect fascist city. The event to celebrate fascism in a world fair style was set for 1942, but never took place due to Italy’s involvement in World War II.
Mussolini commissioned the construction on a 420 acre plot of land between Rome and the sea, and filled the city with every amenity necessary for human life. One of the highlights of the city is a giant square colosseum that boasts a striking obelisk just outside the walls.
The area was meant to be the site of the World’s Fair of 1942, but the event didn’t take place that year. One should not miss the irony that Mussolini’s attempt to showcase to the world the utopia of fascism was abandoned because the world was fighting against the devastating effects of fascism. Today, the district is a business and residential area. After World War II, Rome realized the potential of using the buildings as a huge business district that could operate outside of the city, leaving the splendor of Ancient Rome untouched. The unfinished buildings were completed in the 1960’s and the area began to prosper under a new purpose.