The central piazza of Latina is one of the most coherent examples of Italian rationalist architecture in existence — an almost entirely intact ensemble of government buildings, a tower, a cathedral, and flanking arcades built in the early 1930s to give the new settlement civic dignity. The architecture is clean-lined and monumental without the bombast of much Fascist-era building; the effect is more composed than oppressive.
The Palazzo M (now the city's main public building), the post office, and the Church of San Marco around the piazza all date from 1932–1935 and are worth examining closely. Early morning, before the cafes fill up and the market stalls appear on surrounding streets, is the best time to appreciate the scale of what was built here in just a few years on what had been malarial swampland.