Designing the Latina landscape: graphic images of Italian Fascism

ABSTRACT

The Latina Province in Italy is synonymous with Italian Fascism. This connection is manifest in the different design perspectives that contributed to the formation of the region’s visual character during the 21 years of Fascist rule between 1922–43. Corporativist urbanism framed how Fascism’s stories, myths and fables were told through numerous graphic objects that embellished new towns during the region’s reclamation. Through the lens of graphic design as urban design, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of how the Latina landscape was conceived, planned and made at the macro, meso and micro scale.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Prof. Pietro Cefaly at the Casa dell’Architettura, Latina, for the time spent in discussion at the early stages of this research, and for providing access to archival materials. Similarly, Pietro Antonelli deserves a sincere thank you for sharing local knowledge of the Latina Province as well as providing access to contacts in the region.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The photographic data included in this article is openly available in the Loughborough Urban Graphic Object Archive at https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/projects/Latina_Province_Italy_pilot_study_/15534