Palazzo dei Congressi

One of the few planned developments in Rome’s history, EUR was built for an international exhibition in 1942, and although war intervened and the exhibition never took place, the name stuck – Esposizione Universale di Roma (Roman Universal Exhibition) or EUR. There are few museums but the area’s appeal (or lack of it) lies in its spectacular rationalist architecture. It’s not to everyone’s taste but the style is beautifully expressed in a number of distinctive palazzi, including the wonderful Palazzo dei Congressi. The area is still a focus for development, with Massimiliano Fuksas’ cutting-edge Nuvola (‘cloud’) congress centre being built here, and mayor Gianni Alemanno hoping the area may host Formula 1 racing in 2012.