HEALTHY FASCIST MIND, HEALTHY FASCIST BODY: Mussolini’s Foro Italico in Rome
Il FORO ITALICO (The Italic Forum)
a.k.a. IL FORO MUSSOLINI (The Mussolini Forum)
Construction of the Foro Italico began in 1928, by personal order of the Duce.
To instill the Italian equivalent of Strength through Joy (Kraft durch Freude) in his people.
And also to showcase inspiring public events.
If you sometimes catch a Nuremberg Rally vibe, it was entirely intentional.
The great centerpiece was the Stadio dei Marmi (Stadium of the Marble Statues).
Each of the sixty Italian provinces signed on to the program, donating an exemplary work of sculpture, demonstrating the prowess of its people in sport and art— all rooted in their ancient Roman heritage.
For more about Mussolini's obsession with the Roman roots of Fascist Italy, see:
CAESAR AUGUSTUS IN A CAGE: Mussolini's Museum of Roman Civilization
The Stadio dei Marmi can seem entrancingly idyllic —in a mythic haze, dozing under the Roman sun.
But then present-day Romans moved in, doing what present-day Romans do...
Immersing themselves in antique glory...
Aspiring to heroic achievement through virtuous emulation...
Contemplating the mysteries of time and space...
...while basking in noble repose.
Meanwhile...
Eternal Rome keeps watch, represented by Hercules with his distinctive Lion's Skin...
...and his distinctive bronze fig leaf.
Maybe a grape leaf, actually, and maybe lead?
But evidently the only cache-sexe in the entire Stadio dei Marmi.
If you find others, please send photos!
Related posts
SKATING OVER HISTORY IN ROME'S MUSSOLINI FORUM
In Rome, the Foro Italico (Italic Forum) still broadcasts Mussolini's message of Fascist power through physical strength—if anyone bothers to listen.
Nowadays, the martial clamor is reduced to a pleasant whir of skateboard wheels rolling over the celebrated mosaics—a veritable encyclopedia of Fascist imagery.
ANNO FASCISTA = FASCIST YEAR: Florence’s Mussolini-era sewer caps
Benito Mussolini had a rare knack for signs and symbols. Throughout Italy, they still follow us wherever we go.
What about Florence's ubiquitous "Anno Fascista = Fascist Year" sewer caps?
Thereby hangs many a tale...
FROM SEGESTA TO CALATAFIMI: Mussolini Rewrites History
More Mussolini... More signs and symbols...
In Sicily, on the road from the ancient city of Segesta to the Risorgimento battle site of Calatafimi, the Fascist Regime still spins a web of historical connections that don't quite exist.
E.42: Mussolini's Fascist Theme Park on the Outskirts of Rome
What if the Duce threw a World's Fair and no one came?
That is basically the story of the E.U.R. (Esposizione Universale Roma 1942)—one of the Eternal City's strangest and most intriguing districts.
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