© CIO

Rome (Italy) was chosen to host the Games in 1960. The Olympic Games provided the city with the opportunity to highlight its great past: alongside the construction of sporting facilities, ancient sites were restored and used for Olympic events.

The Rome 1960 poster, produced by Italian graphic designed Armando Testa, united the past and the present, ancient Rome and modern Rome, which was hosting the Olympic Games. The capital shown on the poster is a reference to the Belvedere capital, and its presence, by alluding to the Caracalla spa, recalls physical activity in Roman times. For the same reasons, the OCOG decided to organise the gymnastics events in this edifice.

The use of Roman numerals strengthens the identity of this edition of the Games. Furthermore, with the aim of communicating the event abroad, the text was translated into 11 languages.