Lido di Ostia Post Office

The central post office of Lido di Ostia, the small port town south of Rome, was constructed as part of Mussolini's rebuilding efforts of the 1920s and 1930s. The architect's style varied widely depending on the commission (from a stripped-down classicism, to streamline modern) and he was associated with second-wave Futurism for a time (co-authoring the Manifesto of Aerial Architecture with F.T. Marinetti). Mazzoni's ties to the Fascist regime led him to build many post offices, train stations, and other public buildings throughout Italy. This post office in Lido di Ostia contains a mix of styles, with a circular colonnade recalling precedents from antiquity, and a large tower reminiscent of Sant'Ellia's sketches and showing influence from the Viennese Wagner school. The cladding is in thin Roman brick and travertine, an attempt to recall the glory of ancient Rome in this eclectic, modern structure.