Mussolini's Rome: Rebuilding the Eternal City ($14.97 Kindle), by Borden Painter, is free in the Barnes and Noble store. Be sure to let Amazon know of the lower price (even if non-fiction architectural history isn't your thing, there is sure to be another reader out there who would love this one).Book Description
An eye-opening look at the architectural mark fascism left on one of the world's most beloved cities R ome was Mussolini's obsession. After coming to power as a result of his famed march on the city in 1922, he promised Italians that his fascist revolution would unite them as never before and make Italy a major power on the world stage. In the next two decades, he set about rebuilding Rome as the foremost site and symbol of the new fascist order. Through an ambitious program of demolition and construction, he sought to make Rome a capital that both embraced modernity while preserving and glorifying the city's ancient past. Building the new Rome put people to work; 'liberated' ancient monuments from cluttered surroundings; cleared slums; produced giant complexes for education, sports, and cinema; produced wide new boulevards and piazzas; and provided the regime with a showcase in which to assert the power and identity of fascism. This intriguing book reveals Mussolini's tremendous and lasting impact on the city to which millions flock each year.
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