The building that houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation owes its name of Farnesina to the ancient and pre-existing properties of the Farnese family in the area that hosts it.
The building was begun in 1937 by architects Enrico Del Debbio, Arnaldo Foschini and Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo, after the various phases of a competition that included different locations for the building, the last of which, due to wishes from high up and despite the contrary opinion of the architects, placed it right at the northern end of the Foro Italico. The complex, in fact, was supposed to be the new Palazzo del Littorio, headquarters of the National Fascist Party, but already in 1940 the intended use had been changed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The works were interrupted in 1943 and resumed after the war (1946).
The palace reflects the canons of monumentalism or simplified neoclassicism, with its rational geometries and neoclassical references, from the symmetry to the white marble of the travertine. The travertine façade is made vibrant by a visible design of the cladding and the unequal openings on the various levels. With more than 1,300 rooms and 9 floors with a façade 169 meters long and 51 meters high, it alone covers a surface area of 120,000 m² and a built volume of 720,000 m³, the Farnesina is, together with the Royal Palace of Caserta, one of the most voluminous buildings in Italy. The building's 1,300 rooms accommodate 7,000 people, there are 6.5 km of corridors, 7 art exhibition rooms, 20 meeting rooms and 1 international conference room.
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