Palazzo delle Esposizioni

Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

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This huge neoclassical palace was built in 1882 as an exhibition centre, though it has since served as headquarters for the Italian Communist Party, a mess hall for Allied servicemen, a polling station and even a public loo. Nowadays it's a splendid cultural hub, with cathedral-scale exhibition spaces hosting blockbuster art exhibitions and sleekly designed art labs, as well as an upmarket restaurant serving dinner and a bargain-priced weekday lunch or weekend brunch buffet beneath a dazzling all-glass roof.

Occasional concerts, performances and film screenings are also held here.

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