EUR – UNA STORIA LUNGA 90 ANNI

Architecture, history, transformation: from 6 November 2026 to 7 February 2027, the Palazzo Uffici in the EUR district is hosting a free, major exhibition dedicated to one of Rome’s most iconic areas and an emblematic example of 20th-century architecture and urban planning.

Organised to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Ente Esposizione Universale di Roma and curated by Alessandro Nicosia and Marco Pizzo, the exhibition explores the history of the EUR, tracing its transformations, development and the key figures who, through their participation in its creation, have shaped its current identity.

The exhibition path brings together photographs, historical documents, plans, sketches, archive material, period footage and immersive installations that trace the evolution of the district ─ its urban and architectural, social, cultural and everyday aspects ─ through three sections:

•    E42. La nascita della Città Ideale (The Birth of the Ideal City) – the origin of the rationalist-inspired district, from the idea of presenting Rome as a candidate for the 1942 Exposition, featuring images of workers, magazine advertisements, architectural plans and works of art by artists such as Saetti, Quaroni, Basaldella and Predonzani, with a focus on the Porta del Mare by Adalberto Libera and Vincenzo di Berardino;
•    La Costruzione dell’EUR (The Construction of the EUR) – the story of the construction works, which began in 1947, were interrupted because of the Second World War and resumed in 1950, featuring a large backlit photograph and archive footage, with a focus on the creation of the Luna Park, the EUR Lake and Arturo Dazzi’s Obelisk dedicated to the physicist Guglielmo Marconi, as well as the inauguration of the Underground;
•    Il Quartiere EUR tra modernità e futuro (The EUR District: Between Modernity and the Future) – dedicated to the development of the district from its origins to the present day, with Massimiliano Fuksas’s ‘La Nuvola’, which perfectly represents the profound renewal of the area.

The exhibition is further enriched by several thematic features: cinema, with photographs, posters and original film footage – from Federico Fellini in a 1970s footage by Luciano Emmer, to scenes from Roberto Rossellini’s Roma città aperta, and Michelangelo Antonioni; the 1960 Olympic Games, featuring archive material and some original objects, such as the Olympic torch, medals, athletes’ uniforms, posters from the period and other rare printed material; biodiversity, with images of the donation of cherry trees in 1959 by Mankyu Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan; social life and urban development, featuring images – some previously unpublished – by Rodrigo Pais, now part of the collections of the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, University Library of Bologna.

EUR – UNA STORIA LUNGA 90 ANNI is promoted and co-produced by EUR Spa, organised and produced by COR – Creare Organizzare Realizzare, and is one of the initiatives promoted by EUR Spa. The exhibition features the collaboration of the Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region, Roma Capitale, Archivio Luce Cinecittà and Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, the University Library of Bologna, a special partnership with the Central State Archives, and the support of Confindustria, the Almaviva Group, Banca del Fucino, the Enpaia Foundation, Unindustria, the Rome Chamber of Commerce and the Palombini Group.

Photo: Palazzo Uffici, Archivio storico di EUR SpA