Maybe then you would see it as a ghost of Italy’s violent colonialism, which actually began under the liberal order but intensified under fascism.

Or that it was built in 1936 when Italy, under Mussolini, was rapidly accelerating its efforts to dominate East Africa under the guise of liberation rather than conquest. And that the concentric diamond façade is meant to glorify Ethiopia’s annexation in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.

How would it change if I told you its name is Palazzo Faccetta Nera (Black Face); a name it shares with a racist and sexist marching song that glorfies the purchase, enslavement, and rape of Abyssinian/other African women.

Liceo Scientifico Augusto Righi (1936-40) at Viale Pepoli 3 is another example of rational and fascist architecture in Bologna. It originally opened in 1923 under the Gentile Reform at Piazza San Domenico, and was one of Italy's 1st specialized science high schools. The bas-relief is by Bruno Boari.

This mural is painted on the property of a doctor and it depicts Ilio Barontini, a partisan and veteran of the Spanish Civil War who helped lead Ethiopia’s resistance against Mussolini’s colonial occupation. He later served in Italy's Constituent Assembly and was a Senator from the Communist Party.

This Church, Santa Maria del Suffragio, was a random find on via Libia in the Cirenaica district. Planning began in the 1920s, and the design was overseen by engineers Italo Gasperi Campani and Rodolfo Bettazzi. Construction took place in the 1950s. Underneath there is a 500-seat theatre.

Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret designed Pavillon de l'Esprit Nouveau for the 1925 Exposition International des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Fondation Le Corbusier architects and technicians reconstructed it in Bologna in 1977 when the idea was proposed by Giuliano & Glauco Gresleri + José Oubrerie.

Casa Materna (1943) at 2 via A. Zanolini originally operated as Opera Nazionale Maternita e Infanzia. This was a gov't agency that addressed high rates of infant mortality. The bas-reliefs at are by Bruno Boardi. Quotes by Mussolini once greeted visitors at the entrance but were removed in 1985.

Palazzo Lancia at 28 Via Marconi in Bologna is another work of Paolo Graziani. Completed in 1937, it is notable for its windowed corner tower.

These two bas-relief panels, which adorn Casa del Contadino or Agricultural Advisory Centre at 67 Via Guglielmo, were also made by Farpi Vignoli. The building was constructed in 1940 for the National Fascist Agricultural Corporation, but later became the headquarters of a trade union.

This grave in Certosa cemetery belongs to Professor Fabio Frassetto (1876-1953), the founder of the University of Bologna's Anthropology Department. It was designed by Farpi Vignoli (1907-1997), and features Frasseto in conversation with his son, Flavio (1912-1945) who was killed in World War II.

Engineer Paolo Graziani (1881-1960) designed this 1934 building, Palazzo Scardovi, on an irregular sized lot at Porta Santo Stefano in Bologna. It is informally known as "The Bidet" because of its undulating facade.

The painting features numerous figures related to Italian and international Communism, including Stalin, Lenin, Brezhnev, Rosa Luxemburg, Ho Chi Minh, Antonio Gramsci, and Pablo Neruda. Who else can you spot?

On my first day in Bologna I saw Renato Guttuso's "Funerali di Togliatti," an unconventional history painting commemorating Palmiro Togliatti, the long-time leader and architect of the Italian Communist Party. It took eight years to complete and is four times larger than originally planned.

Even without sharing their faith, I could feel the care and emotional investment behind this effort. The event ended with a performance by Kim Hyeon-seong, who played several songs including Letter from a Private, which he composed and was recorded by Kim Kwang-seok.

He also spoke about wanting to reclaim pride in a language still stigmatized by people from other regions.

Didn’t know much about Im beforehand either. He became a pastor in his 20s, partly as a way to protect himself while involved in the democracy movement, & this project came as he grappled with the pain of becoming a bereaved family member after losing two sisters in last December’s Jeju Air crash.

Jeon was the first artist imprisoned for violating the National Security Law, along with Lee Sang-ho, for creating subversive material, and I was surprised to learn he is also an ordained deacon. Hong was also a prisoner of conscience under the NSL.