The Architecture of Modern Italy, Volume I Terry Kirk -Princeton Architectural Press When it comes to the confluence of architecture and power, capital cities occupy a place of special significance. In these cities, especially in cases where they have been explicitly designed to be capitals, the architecture and urban design sponsored by the state carries an undeniable political agenda, albeit one subject to multiple interpretations. Capital cities, by definition, need to both house and represent the seat of government and other “national” institutions. At the same time, capital cities are not equivalent to nation-states; they are still separately identifiable as cities, even though they are certainly cities of a very specialized kind