Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy, on the slopes of Monte Mario. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, later, Luigi Moretti. Inspired by the Roman forums of the imperial age, its design is lauded as a preeminent example of Italian Fascist architecture instituted by Mussolini. The purpose of the prestigious project was to get the Olympic Games of 1940 to be organised by fascist Italy and held in Rome.
History
The first buildings of the architectural complex were inaugurated on November 4, 1932: they were Palazzo H, the seat of the Fascist School of Physical Education; the so-called "Monolith"; the Stadio dei Marmi; the Stadio dei Cipressi. In 1936 and, subsequently, until 1941, Luigi Moretti - former author of the Accademia di scherma al Foro Italico in the Foro Mussolini - worked out designs that, while incorporating Del Debbio's urban plan, involved an expansion of the Foro towards Tor di Quinto; these designs were never put into practice.
Description
The main entrance of the Foro is south-east, in line with the ponte Duca d'Aosta: here - on a wide avenue entirely covered with a mosaic made of black and white tesserae - rises a huge obelisk 17,5 meters high, carved in Carrara marble, known as Stele Mussolini. The facility is decorated with statues, donated by the different Italian Provinces and therefore of different authors, which represent various sport activities: for example, the statue dedicated to javelin throw was donated by the Province of Perugia, while the one representing the so-called "ball with the bracelet" is due to the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Near the Stadio Olimpico rises the Palazzo della Farnesina, the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1959, designed by the architects who won the architectural design competition: Enrico Del Debbio, Arnaldo Foschini, Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo. The Foro is home to numerous sports venues, such as the largest sports facility in Rome, the Stadio Olimpico, the ornate Stadio dei Marmi and the adjoining building which is the seat of the Italian National Olympic Committee. Foro Italico also comprises an aquatics center built for the 1960 summer Olympics, the Stadio del Nuoto and a tennis center. The tennis center is an extensive area with a total of eleven clay surfacetennis courts, eight of which are used for tournaments and the rest for training purposes. There are currently three show or stadium courts: the main one formerly had a capacity of 8,000 spectators; however, a new center court, the Campo Centrale, which can seat up to 10,400 spectators, was constructed for the 2010 tournament. The other show courts are the Supertennis Arena and Stadio Pietrangeli. Foro Italico has hosted important events, most notably the 1960 Summer Olympics. The tennis center annually hosts the Italian Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier event. Since 2012, the Stadio Olimpico hosts the home games of the Italy national rugby union team at the Guinness Six Nations. Other live events like music concerts are also held at the various venues in the complex.
On May 7, 2015 a walk called "The legends of Italian Sport - Walk of fame" has been inaugurated on Viale delle Olimpiadi. On this walk, 100 plaques were set bearing the names of former athletes who wrote the history of national sport chosen by the CONI Athletes Commission. Many personalities of Italian sport attended at the ceremony, chaired by the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò. The President announced that in the following years the plates of other former Italian athletes of international importance would be added to the walk.
