Parks and gardens

When one thinks of EUR, the mind instinctively goes to the historic buildings that are the symbol of Italian Rationalism. Few identify it with the "pentagon" holding over 70 hectares of urban parks and gardens, currently an extraordinary source of biodiversity and which, right from the original plans, played an extremely important role. The urban master plan for the Rome Universal Exhibition had, in fact, identified a fundamental role for "green areas" within the staging and functional composition of the entire exhibition plan. The expected result was to be a review of the historic Italian garden.
 
However, as for the permanent structures, arrangement of the green areas likewise underwent considerable transformation, until Marcello Piacentini decided to entrust creation of the parks and gardens foreseen for E42 to the designer of most of Rome's public green areas.
 
The year was 1939 and the architect in question was Raffaele De Vico, already one of the most successful landscape gardeners, who had restored, among others, the park at Colle Oppio, New Piazza Mazzini and the Giardino degli Aranci.
 
De Vico conceived the central Giardino delle Cascate for E42 (later modified and actually created at the end of the 'Fifties) and the system of green areas to the North. After the war, in 1951, he was called upon by Ente EUR to superintend the work to restore and maintain the green heritage in the entire area.