The inscription (1937) is still visible over the entrance door of the offices of the National Autonomous Roads Corporation (Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade, ANAS, established in 1928 as Azienda Autonoma Statale della Strada, AASS), and of the Civil Engineering (Genio Civile) (Via Monzambano 10). Its author is unknown.

The inscription is in metallic relieved sans-serif capitals. The simple text succinctly expresses the imperialistic and propagandistic value of infrastructural and public projects for Fascist politics. In effect, the Fascist regime planned and constructed a large number of streets, bridges, buildings, and even whole cities all over Italy, especially in the reclaimed swamp areas of southern Latium; in the African colonies, moreover, the construction of roads also served military purposes. Obviously, the Roman empire with its exceptional road network was regarded as a supreme example of effective building. In the inscription offered here, the use of Latin language underlines the connection with the glorious Roman past, which the Fascists sought to renew. The text seems to have been shaped after the model of the well-known proverb Errando discitur (“We learn by making mistakes”).

The building at Via Monzambano 10 was designed by the engineer Angelo Bonetti, constructed by the Civil Engineering Service, and inaugurated on 31 October 1937 by the minister of Public Works, Giuseppe Cobolli Gigli (1892–1987). It was originally built to host some offices of the Ministry of Public Works (now the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport) which has its seat not far from here.

Bibliography

Anonymous. 1937. ‘Il Palazzo degli uffici dipendenti dal Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici a Roma’. Annali dei Lavori pubblici (=Giornale del Genio Civile) 75 (11): 949–52.

Nastasi, Antonino. 2019. Le iscrizioni in latino di Roma Capitale (1870-2018). Rome: Edizioni Quasar, 445–46.

Antonino Nastasi