With the 1909 master plan, led by city planner Edmondo Sanjust di Teulada and Mayor Ernesto Nathan, Roma aspired to become a true European metropolis; modern, dynamic and open to the artistic and cultural movements of the early 1900s.

A slice of this can be seen in Via Bernardo Celentano, a short, private street entirely designed in English urban style, known as "Piccola Londra" (Little London). The street can be found in the heart of Flaminio district, made of two rows of small houses, each with a private garden outside and all designed in a nice and elegant Liberty style. Along with the style, Architect Quadrio Pirani also tested a new urban pattern for Roma, and made an experiment to see if a new type of urbanism could fit the new, upcoming modern city. The street remains almost untouched, except for two big, ugly buildings facing on Viale del Vignola, partly hiding the place from the sight and not matching at all the style of this interesting place.