Rome, 1982
Two of the pumped-up Mussolini-era statues glorifying Italian manhood that encircle the running track at the sports centre, Foro Italico. When I visited back in 1982, similar statues also poked bits of torso through the seating stands around the tennis courts.
When it comes to atrocious former regimes, the Italians have been prepared to allow the discredited old symbols remain in place rather than expunging them. Perhaps because they recognise that symbols lose their power in new circumstances, and perhaps because they were just too numerous or expensive to pull down. Consequently, numerous tennis tournaments have been held at Foro Italico; the fashion house Fendi is now headquartered at Mussolini's Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana; and a foundation named in honour of the famous antifascist, Ferrucchio Parri, runs a website that maps Italian fascist buildings, landmarks and the like.
Rome, 1982
Two of the pumped-up Mussolini-era statues glorifying Italian manhood that encircle the running track at the sports centre, Foro Italico. When I visited back in 1982, similar statues also poked bits of torso through the seating stands around the tennis courts.
When it comes to atrocious former regimes, the Italians have been prepared to allow the discredited old symbols remain in place rather than expunging them. Perhaps because they recognise that symbols lose their power in new circumstances, and perhaps because they were just too numerous or expensive to pull down. Consequently, numerous tennis tournaments have been held at Foro Italico; the fashion house Fendi is now headquartered at Mussolini's Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana; and a foundation named in honour of the famous antifascist, Ferrucchio Parri, runs a website that maps Italian fascist buildings, landmarks and the like.