http://www.tpi.it/mondo/eritrea/eritrea-asmara-architettura-coloniale-italiana
LITTLE ROME OF AFRICA THAT SURVIVES TO CONFLICTS AND POVERTY
Asmara, Eritrea's capital, was used by architects during fascism to experiment with styles and avant-garde in architecture: Art Deco, Futurism and Rationalism
Wide avenues lined with buildings in the rationalist style as the Empire Cinema, the self-supporting wings in a futuristic style of the Fiat Tagliero gas station in the shape of an airplane. And then the imposing geometry of the Italian school and the rationalism of fascist monumental. We are not in Eur in Rome or Turin, but in a forgotten corner of the Horn of Africa.
Asmara, the "little Rome", as it was called during the Fascist period, the time seems to have stopped when they reached the Italian settlers and the architects of fascism used the Eritrean capital to experiment with new styles. Now these buildings could become UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"Eritrea was the Italian way to enter the living room of the colonial empires, in a period that saw a 'Art Explosion' in our country and the architecture of Asmara was seen as a way to show to other powers the Italian colonial modernity, "explains Federico Niglia, professor of Contemporary History at the Luiss University of Rome.
But in Eritrea are many signs left of our culture, not only in urbanism. The pasta and pizza are entered in the traditional cuisine of Asmara and in the crowded bar is almost impossible not to find the machines for espresso. Not only in the years of Coppi and Bartali settlers brought the Italian passion for cycling, now one of the national sport.
(Software translaion)
Received on Sat Mar 26 2016 - 07:09:16 EDT