Rome and Vatican

The EUR Quarter Tour

The EUR Quarter Tour

3-hour walking tour

kid-friendly tour

Take a tour to discover the “new” Rome: a new side of the Eternal City characterized by a charming mix of rationalist architecture, museums and nature.

This experience through modern and contemporary Rome will take place in the EUR quarter. Built in 1935, based on a project envisioned by Mussolini, this new neighborhood was at first intended as a monumental outdoor space designed to house the World’s Fair of 1942. Today, the EUR quarter is a green and modern area, full of parks and new buildings that follow the traditional features of Roman architecture.

This is the reason why the map of the quarter resembles the one still visible today in the Roman Forum, the heart of Ancient Rome. Among the several buildings we’ll see during our pleasant stroll we will focus on the Palazzo della Civiltà, also known as the “Squared Colosseum”, the Palazzo degli Uffici and the Palazzo dei Ricevimenti e dei Congressi. This tour of modern Rome will end with a stroll inside the park built for the 1960 Olympic Games.

Tour gallery

Some of the most representative pictures of this tour

Itinerary

Discover the main stops of this tour

Palazzo dei Congressi

Palazzo dei Congressi

Designed at the end of the thirties by architect Adalberto Libera for the 1942 Universal Exposition, it is an effective blend of the monumental neo-classical style and the refined rationalist avant-guard of the early Twentieth century. Due to its large size the palazzo hosted the fencing and the fencing portion of the modern pentathlon events for the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Nuvola di Fuksas

This new Convention Hall in the business district of EUR known as “the Cloud” takes its name from its brilliant inventor, Massimiliano Fuksas, who is considered one of the best architects in the world. The complex follows the simple orthogonal lines of the surrounding 1930s rationalist architecture and structure. You’ll be amazed by this peculiar structure, that in shape and size is clearly inspired by the sky!

Colosseo Quadrato

Colosseo Quadrato

Also known as the Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, or in everyday speech as the Colosseo Quadrato. The design of the building draws inspiration from the Colosseum with rows of arches, this building is an example of Italian Rationalism and fascist architecture. According to legend, the structure's six vertical and nine horizontal arches are correlated to the number of letters in the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's name.

Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul

Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul

The monumental temple of Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of Rome, stands at the highest point of the EUR area where it is believed that there was an oratory of the Archconfraternity of the Pilgrims. The hemispherical dome, with its diameter of 32 meters, is one of the most impressive in Rome, with travertine used for the external cladding. Nevertheless, the church is characterized not only for its size, but also for its harmonious composition and purity of form.

Lake and the Giardino delle Cascate

Lake and the Giardino delle Cascate

The Central Park of the Lake, more informally Park Eur Lake, is a modern green area of Rome located at the separation of the carriageways of via Cristoforo Colombo in the EUR district. The lake consists of an artificial basin which was planned by the original project of the 1942 Universal Exposition but was completed only after the war for the 1960 Rome Olympics. Not to be missed is the waterfall garden, Giardino delle Cascate, probably the most valuable and evocative green space with its intertwining of falls and jets of water, cliffs, natural stones and plants of different species.

Tour information

Some useful information for your experience

What’s included

Expert and licensed guide, full on-site assistance.

Availability

Suggested start time: 9.30 am / 2.00 pm.