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Piccola Roma was the name of Asmara (capital of Italian Eritrea), during the decades of colonial Italian rule of Eritrea.

History

The city of Asmara was founded by the Italians in the last years of the XIX century, from a small native village. Soon was made the capital of their colonial possessions in Eritrea, mainly because of the climate being located at more than 2000 meters of altitude.

In the 1930s the city was being populated by many thousands of Italian colonists and in 1940 it was mostly Italian looking (by architecture and by inhabitants way of life). That it the reason why it was called "Piccola Roma" ("little Rome"), due to the fact that it was a bit similar to the capital of Italy.

The capital of Eritrea experienced a huge increase in population: in 1935 there were only 4,000 Italians and 12,000 Eritreans; in 1938 there were 48,000 Italians and 36,000 Eritreans. Historian Gian Luca Podesta wrote that practically Asmara has become an Italian city ("in pratica Asmara era diventata una citta' italiana").

Architecture

"Piccola Roma" was a typical Italian city created in the middle of Africa.

Historian Maitacli wrote that "The city is known for its early 20th century buildings, including the Art Deco "Cinema Impero" (opened in 1937 and considered by the experts one of the world's finest examples of Art Déco style building), the Cubist "Africa Pension", the rationalist "Governor's Palace", the eclectic Eritrean Orthodox "Tewahdo" Church, the former "Asmara Opera House", the futurist architecture "Fiat Tagliero Building", the neo-Romanesque architecture "Roman Catholic Cathedral", and the neoclassical architecture "President's Palace". The city is adorned by Italian colonial villas and mansions, one prominent example being the "Asmara's World Bank Building".

Most of central Asmara was built between 1935 and 1941, so effectively the Italians managed to build almost an entire city in just six short years.

Notes

1. Barbot, Michela; Caracausi, Andrea; Lanaro, Paola (8 April 2018). "Lo sguardo della storia economica sull'edilizia urbana". Croma - Università Roma TRE. Retrieved 8 April 2018 – via Google Books.

See also

• Italian Empire
• Italian Eritrea

• Italian Eritrea