Originally titled 'Genius of Fascism' and erected on this site in 1939 as EUR was taking shape, this statue was given the flimsiest of post-war make-overs: a new name. Eight decades after he first raised his arm, the statue is still giving the fascist salute.
Genius of Sport
Southern Rome
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.88 MILES
Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art…
4.6 MILES
In the city of outstanding churches, none can hold a candle to St Peter's, Italy’s largest, richest and most spectacular basilica. Built atop a 4th…
3.92 MILES
An impressive – if rather confusing – sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was ancient Rome's showpiece center, a grandiose district of temples...
3.73 MILES
Sandwiched between the Roman Forum and the Circo Massimo, the Palatino (Palatine Hill) is one of Rome's most spectacular sights. It's a beautiful,…
3.9 MILES
Everyone wants to see the Colosseum, and it doesn’t disappoint, especially if accompanied by tales of armored gladiators and hungry lions. More than any…
3.97 MILES
Dating from 1471, the Capitoline Museums are the world's oldest public museums, with a fine collection of classical sculpture.
4.31 MILES
With its revolutionary design, this awe-inspiring temple has served as an architectural blueprint for millennia.
4.3 MILES
With its showy fountains, baroque palazzi and colorful cast of street artists, hawkers and tourists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s elegant showcase…
Nearby Southern Rome attractions
1. La Storia di Roma Attraverso La Costruzione
0.02 MILES
This vast relief sculpture on the side of an EUR government building tells the story of Rome as Mussolini wanted it told when it was created in 1939…
2. Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana
0.19 MILES
Known more prosaically as the Square Colosseum, this iconic building in the EUR district is a prime example of rationalist architecture, featuring…
0.23 MILES
Done up in faux-Egyptian style, this soaring central EUR obelisk was a favourite of Mussolini's. It features the usual array of buff workers beavering…
0.23 MILES
This Orwellian quarter of wide boulevards and linear buildings was built for an international exhibition in 1942, and although war intervened and the…
0.33 MILES
Rome's Congress Palace was constructed for the 1942 Universal Exposition, and hosted the fencing during the 1960 Olympics. The enormous terrace above the…
0.39 MILES
Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas’ cutting-edge Roma Convention Centre: La Nuvola (2016) – the largest building to open in Rome in half a century – is a…
7. Chiesa Santi Pietro e Paolo
0.51 MILES
Work started on this enormous white travertine and umber brick pile in 1939 for the Esposizione Universale di Roma (Roman Universal Exhibition), but didn…
0.53 MILES
Over 5000 sea creatures, 30 tanks with more than one million gallons of water, a 360-degree glass tunnel for viewing sharks and stingrays, the list goes…