At a glance
Tracking the evolution of Italy’s cities and political shifts, this survey maps eighty years of architectural thought through models, photography, and rare archival finds.
Why go
It offers a rare chance to see canonical Italian projects alongside radical, unrealised designs that never left the drawing board, providing a complete picture of the country's urban identity.
You'll see
Architectural models · Radical design concepts · Postwar housing projects · Civic building plans · Contemporary studio archives
Pace of visit
Expect a high volume of technical drawings and archival documents that require significant reading time.
Don't miss
The section dedicated to unrealised visions, which reveals the bold urban futures that architects once imagined for Italy’s historic centers.
Artlovers Tip
Given the chronological breadth and density of the material, try picking two specific periods—like the postwar reconstruction and the radical 70s—for closer study to avoid mental fatigue.
Inside the exhibition
Vitalità dell’architettura italiana 1946–2026 at MAXXI in Rome, Italy, documents the nation's built environment from the end of the Second World War to the near future. The exhibition uses the country’s architecture as a lens to view broader changes in Italian society, political life, and domestic habits over eight decades.
The galleries bring together a wide array of physical models, original drawings, and photography spanning the postwar reconstruction to the work of active contemporary studios. Visitors can trace the development of civic infrastructure and housing projects alongside the experimental proposals of the radical design movement and large-scale urban masterplans.
By positioning famous landmarks next to obscure practices and projects that were never built, the show avoids a simple greatest hits approach. Instead, it provides a dense, academic look at how Italy has continuously redesigned itself, making it an essential resource for understanding the modern Italian landscape.
Worth travelling for?
A dense but worthwhile show for visitors who want context and historical depth rather than just highlights of Italian design.
Vitalità dell’architettura italiana 1946–2026
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