This 1930s silent travelogue released by Castle Films shows many of the principle monuments of Rome, along with some of the new edifices built under Mussolini. At :37 is the River Tiber with Emperor Hadrian’s Tomb visible at :54. The Capitol is seen at 1:19, and Hadrian’s statue at 1:30. At 1:43 the Forum ruins are shown and the Colosseum is seen in the distance at 2:00. At 2:10 the Arch of Titus is seen. The Colosseum is seen at 2:30. At 2:50 a huge group of tourists is seen in its floor. At 3:11 the new Mussolini Forum is seen at the Farnesia. This was a vast athletic complex now known Foro Italico. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini (literally Mussolini’s Forum) under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, later, Luigi Moretti. Inspired by the Roman forums of the imperial age, its design is lauded as a preeminent example of Italian Fascist architecture instituted by Mussolini. The purpose of the prestigious project was to get the Olympic Games of 1944 to be organized by fascist Italy and held in Rome. Of course those games never occurred. At 3:35 a ceremony with thousands of athletes is seen on the forum grounds with Mussolini in attendance.

At 4:00 St. Peter’s basilica is shown and Pope Pius XI is seen briefly at 4:55. At 5;23 St. Johns, the Cathedral of Rome is shown. At 5:52 the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is seen with its famous fountain. At 6:44, Mussolini is shown speaking at the Piazza Venezia. At 7:12 St. Paul’s Church is shown. The Trevi Fountain is seen at 8:00 and the Miniature Pyramid of Caio Cestio at 8:30. The Pyramid of Cestius is an ancient pyramid near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery. It was built as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a member of the Epulones religious corporation. It stands at a fork between two ancient roads, the Via Ostiensis and another road that ran west to the Tiber along the approximate line of the modern Via della Marmorata. Due to its incorporation into the city’s fortifications, it is today one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome. The Trinita Dei Monti is seen at 8:50 as well as nearby marketplaces. Titus’ Arch is seen at 9:30, and at 10:30 some of the more modern streets of the city are explored revealing various shopping areas. At 11:30 the Palace of Justice is shown. The film ends with aerial shots of the city and images of St. Peter’s illuminated with lights to honor a saint.

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