Reinterpreting Fascist built heritage

Fascist-era built heritage, particularly the Foro Mussolini (now Foro Italico) in Rome, retains significant socio-political resonance despite its original ideological intent. This study reveals that the site's reuse—including as a U.S. Army rest center post-World War II—has been equally transformative and politically charged as its initial construction. By analyzing Allied occupation photographs, soldier guidebooks, newspapers, and documentary films, the research demonstrates how media representations shape the Foro's evolving meaning across transnational contexts. The findings underscore that the afterlives of contentious monuments are deeply influenced by their repurposing, offering new perspectives on heritage conservation and historical interpretation.

Mascorella, A. (2019). Reinterpreting Fascist built heritage. Routledge Companion to Global Heritage Conservation, 409–425. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315659060-31