Plastico di Roma Imperiale

The Plastico di Roma Imperiale is a `:250 scale model (55 ft x 55 ft) currently housed in the Museum of Roman Civilization. Commissioned by Mussolini in 1933 to create a replica of Rome in the 4th century AD during the reign of Emperor Constantine I, archaeologist Italo Gismondi took on the task—but with many challenges ahead. Namely, Mussolini had ordered for many Roman houses to be destroyed in order to make way for passageways; therefore, the available references for such a model were very much lacking. Nonetheless, Gismondi created this model using Rodolfo Lanciani’s 1901 map Forma Urbis for the initial scale model, as well as used maps for known monuments, like the Parthenon and Colosseum, to further aid him in his reconstruction. Any residential houses or sites without sufficient archaeological remains were created using models that were representative of ancient constructions, in part, due to Mussolini’s actions.

Sources:

1. Stewart, Jessica. “Archeologist Spends over 35 Years Building Enormous Scale Model of Ancient Rome.” My Modern Met, 2 Apr. 2018, mymodernmet.com/scale-model-ancient-rome/.