Along Via Veneto stands a building that tells the story of 20th-century Italy through art, architecture and public history: Palazzo Piacentini Vaccaro, now home to the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy.

Inaugurated in 1932 as the Ministry of Corporations, this building is a perfect example of rationalist architecture, designed by two leading figures of the time: Marcello Piacentini and Giuseppe Vaccaro.
Austere lines, monumental proportions and a functional vision come together in a style that sought to represent the strength, order and modernity of the state. Everything, from the spaces to the furnishings, was designed with total consistency.
Palazzo Piacentini is also a hidden gallery of 20th-century Italian art. Inside, it houses extraordinary works: the famous stained-glass window “Carta del Lavoro” by Mario Sironi, tapestries by Ferruccio Ferrazzi, paintings by Enrico Prampolini and Fortunato Depero, and bronze sculptures by Giovanni Prini and Carlo Pini. Every room, every detail, is a dialogue between art and public function. The symbolic heart of the building is the “Parlamentino”, the elegant semi-circular room with original wood panelling and period lighting, still used today for institutional meetings.

Visiting these spaces means entering a living piece of Italian history, usually inaccessible.