Icon of fascist era: Fendi rejects criticism over new HQ in Mussolini propaganda building

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The entrance hall of the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana (Great House of Italian Civilisation) also named "Square Colosseum" where Fendi inaugurated its new headquarters, housing 500 employees and a free art exhibition on the ground floor in Rome. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:00pm, 25 Oct 2015Updated: 7:38pm, 25 Oct 2015

Fendi, the Italian luxury brand, has rejected accusations of political insensitivity after opening its new headquarters in a building regarded as the most iconic symbol of the country’s fascist era.

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, a white marble “square colosseum” in Rome that served as a propaganda tool under Benito Mussolini, has been renovated and will serve as Fendi’s new base and home of its fur ateliers.

“What should I say? For me it is a non-issue. For the Romans it is a non-issue. For Italians it is a non-issue,” said Fendi’s chief executive, Pietro Beccari. “This building is beyond a discussion of politics. It is aesthetics. It is a masterpiece of architecture. To rebuild it today would cost more than €500m."

Fendi chief Pietro Beccari has defended moving the company's headquarters into the Rome landmark. Photo: Reuters</p>
<p> — Fendi chief Pietro Beccari has defended moving the company's headquarters into the Rome landmark. Photo: Reuters</p> <p>

Beccari, a former top executive at Louis Vuitton and a native of Parma, added: “For Italians and for Romans, it is completely deloaded, empty of any significance of that period … there was no political activity that took place here. We never saw it through the lens of fascism."

For the fashion brand, the decision to base its new HQ in the palazzo is a symbol of the company’s commitment to its native Rome. It is also restoring the city’s Trevi Fountain. It calls the palazzo a “symbol of Italian creativity, genius and craftsmanship”.