Italian Italian Brutalist Architecture: A Visitor's Guide

Italy's Brutalist buildings are controversial, dramatic, and increasingly appreciated — raw concrete given Italian flair by architects who made the ugly beautiful.

Corviale, Rome

Era
RomeWhere
1972-82Period

A 958m-long residential megastructure — one of Europe's longest buildings. Controversial, deteriorating, but architecturally fascinating.

Chiesa dell'Autostrada, Florence

Era
FlorenceWhere
1960-64Period

Giovanni Michelucci's motorway church — a Brutalist tent of concrete and copper visible from the A1. The interior light is extraordinary.

Torre Velasca, Milan

Era
MilanWhere
1956-58Period

BBPR's medieval-modern tower — the overhanging top floors reference Milanese castle towers. Love it or hate it, it's unforgettable. Now a luxury hotel.

Palazzo dei Congressi, EUR Rome

Era
RomeWhere
1938-54Period

Adalberto Libera's rationalist conference hall — a perfect cube of travertine and glass in the EUR district. Powerful and severe.

💡 Pro tip: The EUR district in Rome concentrates Rationalist and Brutalist architecture in a walkable area. The Palazzo della Civilta and surrounding buildings are increasingly popular with architecture tourists.

Where to start

EUR district in Rome for a half-day architecture walk. Florence's Autostrada church for a quick motorway stop that is genuinely moving.

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