Grand Mosque

The Great Mosque of Rome at the foot of Monte Parioli holds about 2,500 worshippers, making it one of the largest mosques in Europe. Built between 1984 and 1995 to a design by the Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi, it fuses Islamic column forms with the geometry of Italian Renaissance architecture. The project, begun in 1974, was possible because Pope Paul VI approved the site and Saudi Arabia funded much of the construction. The prayer hall is carried by 32 columns whose capitals branch like split palm fronds, and light filters through a lattice of wood and concrete. Visitors can tour the complex outside prayer times; an attached museum explains Islamic culture and the history of the Italian Muslim community.