Palazzo del Viminale, Government palazzo on Viminale Hill, Rome, Italy.
Palazzo del Viminale is a government building on Viminale Hill in Rome and now houses the Interior Ministry. The large structure spans five floors with hundreds of rooms connected by crossing corridors and decorated with marble and stucco details.
Giovanni Giolitti commissioned the palace in 1911 from architect Manfredo Manfredi to house both the Presidency of the Council and the Ministry of the Interior, then at Palazzo Braschi. The main block was in use by 1923 and officially inaugurated on 9 July 1925 by Mussolini, who also unveiled Giuseppe Tonnini's monument to ministry staff killed in the Great War. After 25 July 1943 it again held both offices until 1961, when the Presidency moved to Palazzo Chigi.
The building's name comes from the Viminal Hill, one of Rome's seven hills, in the Monti district. Since 1923 it has housed the Ministry of the Interior, and from 1923 to 1961 it was also the seat of the Presidency of the Council. The rear gardens separate the main complex from the small palace of the Royal Institute of Physics, where Enrico Fermi and the Via Panisperna boys conducted nuclear experiments.
The palace remains an active ministry building, so access is usually limited to guided tours that require advance booking. Visitor groups are kept small and slots limited, so early inquiry is advisable.
The building features a network of covered passageways that link different sections and allow quick movement between offices. The main entrance shows three large arches with tall windows that emphasize the formal character of the structure.
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