For several decades, Enrico Sturani has been the leading Italian expert on postcards. He is the author of numerous volumes dedicated to the history of the postcard and to the representations of various events and subjects in a medium that is often considered to be of marginal significance. Indeed, Sturani's fundamental aim, it may be said, is to overcome this prejudice and promote appreciation of the historical and cultural significance of postcards. His best-known works are dedicated to the Fascist period and include an article published in Modern Italy (‘Analysing Mussolini postcards’, 18:2, 2013) and a chapter in Emilio Gentile's edited book, Modernità totalitaria (2008). Otto millioni di cartoline per il duce was published in 1995 and a revised edition, under the new title of Le cartoline per il duce, came out 13 years later. Sturani has highlighted the huge range of postcards depicting Mussolini that were released, and either sent or collected or both, under the regime. He has also insisted that the majority of these were not produced by the Fascist Party or the state for propaganda purposes, but were in fact manufactured and distributed for sale by commercial printers and publishers who knew that good money was to be made from Mussolini.

Sturani's latest book is a handsomely illustrated analysis of the many postcards produced in the 1930s and early 1940s which depict the Case del Fascio, Case del Balilla and other buildings like schools, barracks, post offices and sports stadia that were constructed in vast numbers by the regime. As always, he deals not only with the images of these buildings that appear on the front of the postcards – though these are discussed in detail – but also with the reverse side, which reveals who produced the item in question and when, whether the source was official or not, and in some cases the name of the architect of the building in question. All this is accompanied by an analysis of the development of public, and to a lesser extent private architecture under the regime. Recently, this is a field that has given rise to a number of studies and Sturani's reflections constitute a welcome addition. He rightly points out that at no other time, before or since, have Italian architects worked in such close cooperation with the state. The predominantly modernist style of the buildings leads to the question of how far these architects were simply pursuing a modern agenda and how far they were advancing the cause of Fascism. What is certain is that the government made the most of new materials that were available for the construction of buildings. The title of the volume (which is to be understood as an ironical counterpoint to Gentile's Fascismo di pietra, 2007) refers explicitly to the widespread use of a man-made composite product first developed in the nineteenth century which consisted mainly of cement. With steel girders providing the basic structure of buildings, concrete walls could be erected quickly for relatively limited cost. In keeping with the regime's liking for symbols and slogans, many edifices were adorned with fasci, statues and other political ornamentation. Sturani adds where possible information about what happened to the buildings in the war and the postwar period. Many had symbols removed and were reconfigured for alternative uses, but in other instances residual traces of the regime survived.

The question remains as to why so many of these buildings were portrayed on postcards. To look at a large number of them is to be struck by the difficulty of making new buildings look interesting. As Sturani notes, concrete was unavoidably banal. The images seem almost like British postcards of the 1960s which depicted motorway service stations and shopping centres. Like the latter, Fascist edifices were a source of local pride, especially perhaps in smaller towns and villages, and were symbols of modernity. They were also in most cases created to meet real new demands and had very extensive use. The production of these postcards attests to the desire of printers to exploit any possible subject and to meet local demand but also, Sturani argues, because of the declining market for picturesque postcards.

This fascinating volume bridges visual and material culture. It represents a valuable contribution to the fast-expanding interest within the study of Fascism in architectural and heritage studies.