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House of Arms at the Foro Italico: Moretti's rather unappreciated Rationalist masterpiece
At the southern end of the Foro Italico, overlooking the river Tiber towards the Ponte della Musica, the Casa delle Armi (House of Arms, or Fencing Academy as it is known) is one of the most significant yet overlooked buildings of Italian Rationalism. It was designed by a young Luigi Walter Moretti in 1933, commissioned by the Opera Nazionale Balilla. It was inaugurated by Mussolini in 1936. Considered a masterpiece, its history has been troubled: in 1981, it was converted into a high-security courtroom for terrorism trials, and later served as a Carabinieri barracks. Today, it is owned by CONI, and has been the subject of numerous restoration proposals that have yet to be turned into reality.
Design and structure
The building consists of two white Carrara marble blocks arranged in an L-shape, connected by elevated walkways, and an elliptical body that once housed the meeting room. The street-facing façades are almost entirely blind, presenting a pure marble surface, while the interior-facing walls feature large glass windows. The gymnasium can accommodate numerous fencers at the same time. Its roof is a system of two offset reinforced concrete semi-vaults that allow indirect light to filter from above, without any windows being visible from the outside. The grand mosaic of mythological figures at the northern entrance is by Angelo Canevari.
