Casa del Fascio (Varese)
Main facade
Casa del Fascio (Varese) is located in Lombardy
Casa del Fascio (Varese)
Location in Lombardy
Casa del Fascio (Varese) is located in Italy
Casa del Fascio (Varese)
Casa del Fascio (Varese) (Italy)
Former namesPalazzo del Littorio
Alternative namesQuestura of Varese
General information
Architectural styleItalian rationalism
AddressPiazzale della Libertà 2
Town or cityVarese, Lombardy
CountryItaly
Coordinates45°49′02″N 8°49′32″E / 45.81722°N 8.82556°E / 45.81722; 8.82556
Construction started1932
Completed1936
Inaugurated28 October 1933
OwnerProvince of Varese
Design and construction
Architect(s)Mario Loreti
DesignationsQuestura of Varese and Casa del Fascio

The Casa del Fascio of Varese (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkaːza del ˈfaʃʃo]), also known as Palazzo del Littorio or Questura di Varese, is a Casa del Fascio located in Varese, Italy.

Inaugurated in 1933,[1] the building was designed by Mario Loreti as the provincial headquarters of the National Fascist Party during Fascist Italy.[2] It is recognized for its architectural significance as a representation of Italian Rationalism.[2][3]

Location

The Casa del Fascio is located on Piazzale Libertà 2, Varese, in the neighbourhood of Casbeno, near Palazzo del Governo and Villa Recalcati, which houses the provincial government.[2][4] As with many fascist buildings, the building was located at a crossroads to emphasise its importance.[5]

History

Construction

The Casa del Fascio was designed by the Roman architect Mario Loreti,[1] in cooperation with the engineer Edoardo Flumiani, who also worked on other buildings in Varese, including the fire station and Palestra XXV Aprile.[6][7] It was built on a triangular plot of land given by the Province of Varese,[2] which had only recently been established, to serve as the headquarters of the provincial party.[8]

The Casa del Fascio was inaugurated on 28 October 1933, the anniversary of the March on Rome.[1]

During Fascist Italy, the building often changed purpose, design, and use to reflect the fascist government's intentions and priorites.[9] These changes represented how the party wanted to appear to the public. The building was part of the fascist regime's cohesive project of nationwide architectural renovation.[8]

Italian Social Republic

The Casa del Fascio of Varese played a role in the rounding up and deportation of Jews during the Italian Social Republic, under the command of the Schutzstaffel.[10] Following the promulgation of Italy's racial laws, Varese was sited on a key route for Jews fleeing Italy to reach freedom in neutral Switzerland.[11] The head of the Civil Registry Office in the Casa del Fascio, Calogero Marrone, printed fake identity documents to allow Jews and political opponents of the regime to flee to Switzerland, until his arrest on 7 January 1944.[12]

Between 1943 and 1945, between 173 and 185 Jewish people were deported from the Province of Varese.[13][14] The final list of names of Jews to be arrested was published on 26 February 1944.[15] The head of the Casa del Fascio slowed the deportation process and incurred complaints from the German occupying forces.[15]

Post-war use

Main facade of former Casa del Fascio of Varese (now Questura) in 2023

The building serves as the police headquarters for the Province of Varese, symbolizing the repurposing of historical landmarks for the community, and integrating heritage and modern functionality.[16]

Fascist layout

The Casa del Fascio has 130 rooms of different sizes. Although the building regulations were not strict and evolved over the years, the building's layout transitioned over time from progressive to authoritarian and then to militaristic. These changes were influenced by decisions regarding religion, culture and foreign policy.[9]

During the fascist era, the commander's office was located on the ground floor in the right wing. This area focused on the Volunteer Militia for National Security. On the ground floor in the left wing were the headquarters of the Associazione Mutilati e Combattenti, the Union of Manual and Intellectual Workers, building trade unions, and Cronaca Prealpina, the provincial party's newspaper, whose printing press was located in the basement.[17]

The federal offices were located on the second floor as well as the Federal Secretariat and affiliated organisations.[17] Among the trade unions located on the second floor were commercial, agricultural, industrial trade unions, as well as the headquarters of the Women's Federation and of fascist university groups.[17]

The basement, beneath the Conference and Assembly Hall, accommodated various services in order to support the building's operations, and included storage rooms and a garage. The basement was spacious and reflected the simplicity of rationalist architecture.[17]

The Conference and Assembly Hall was between the two wings of the building. It had two entrances: the front for people of authority and power, and the back for the public.[17]

Architecture

The Casa del Fascio's architecture is typical of Italian Rationalism, incorporating straight and curved lines and using features such as towers, balconies and memorials.[9]

The materials used to create the structure were sourced from the local areas of Bergamo and Lake Iseo.[18] The bricks consist of a Travertine band and jambs. The walls were plastered with terranova, a means of decorating used in the 1930s that created a polychrome effect.[1] These materials were also used for their cheaper construction technique and a contemporary style.[19]

The offices and conference room form an L-shape, creating an external space for outdoor activities and small-scale assemblies, and providing a vantage point over the city.[20] The clock tower serves as a visual architectural focal point, enhancing the building's character through its geometrical aesthetic and symmetry.[1][21]

Fascist symbolism

To represent fascism, the Case del Fascio were decorated with "M"s in honor of Benito Mussolini, Italy's fascist dictator.[9] Recalling the Roman Republic, architects would decorate Case del Fascio with an eagle with the Latin "DVX" (dux, Italian Duce) on it.

Fascist symbols have largely been removed from the Case del Fascio. The structures were repurposed as educational institutions, libraries or police stations.[22][23]

One side of the fascist sacrarium inside Casa del Fascio of Varese

Sacrarium

Varese's fascist sacrarium is the last surviving one in Italy. It is decorated with pure gold and polished black tiles. The design was created by the Italian Ceramic Society from Laveno Mombello with ceramicist Guido Andlovitz.[1]

Quote written on the Sacrarium
Quotation Translation
"Nel nome di Dio e dell'Italia, giuro di eseguire gli ordini del Duce e di servire con tutte le mie forze e, se necessario, col mio sangue, la causa della rivoluzione fascista." "In the name of God and Italy, I swear to carry out the orders of the Duce and to serve with all my strength and, if necessary, with my blood, the cause of the fascist revolution."

La Vittoria Alata

The emblem "La Vittoria Alata" is situated on the pediment above the entrance to the office of the Police Commissioner, previously designated as the General Directory room,. Nike is represented with the 'Fasci', offering the laurel wreath to the unknown soldier painted on the left side.

At the bottom of La Vittoria Alata are written the dates of the Great War, the March on Rome, and the proclamation of the Italian Empire after the incorporation of Ethiopia. La Vittoria Alata was restored in 2006, when Police Commissioner Matteo Turillo decided to remove the concealing wallpaper. The fresco painting, depicting fascism's history, takes up the classical features and figurative language which were reinterpreted through the regime and its values.[8]

Artistic exhibition

From 11 November 2022 to 10 June 2023, the exhibition "Art revealed in the Questura of Varese" showcased the art in the Casa del Fascio,[1][24] including ornaments, marbles, and the embellishing inverted tips of the spears located along the main staircase. It exhibited the craftsmanship of the valuable wood used for the doors and windows of the building. The exposition established the foundation for the prospective role of the Questura as a museum to preserve the cultural and artistic heritage within the premises.[1] The exhibition also displayed frescoes by Giuseppe Montanari, and the tools that were used during the painting process.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Comune di Varese (2022-11-21). "L'arte svelata nel Palazzo della Questura di Varese". Comune di Varese (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano. "Palazzo del Littorio (Ora Questura), 1933 | I Luoghi del Cuore - Fai". fondoambiente.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  3. ↑ Guglielmi, Eugenio (2019). "L'architettura d'angolo". AND Rivista (in Italian). Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  4. ↑ Province of Varese. "Villa Recalcati - Varese". Provincia di Varese (in Italian). Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  5. ↑ Guglielmi, Eugenio (2019-06-30). "Corner architecture: A characteristic solution of the "twentieth century"". AND Rivista di architetture, città e architetti. 35 (1). ISSN 2785-7778.
  6. ↑ Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano. "Palestra O.N.B. e Caserma dei Pompieri". fonhdoambiente.it (in Italian).
  7. ↑ Guglielmi, Eugenio (July 2023). Guide to the City of Varese: itineraries of early twentith century architecture (1st ed.). Siracusa, Italy: Lettera Ventidue Edizione. ISBN 978-88-6242-839-2.
  8. 1 2 3 Ruspini, Luca (2023-06-08). ""L'arte svelata" per l'ultimo giorno protagonista alla Questura di Varese". Varese Noi (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Rusche Bentel, Carol (March 9, 2017). Architecture as a Medium of the Fascist Narrative of National Identity, Case del Fascio, 1922-1943. Massachusetts: M.I.T. Department of Architecture.
  10. ↑ Funnell, Warwick; Antonelli, Valerio; Bigoni, Michele; Cafaro, Emanuela Mattia; D'Alessio, Raffaele (2022-10-01). "Accounting for Jewish 'Bare Life' in the Fossoli Concentration Camp, 1943–44". Critical Perspectives on Accounting. 88: 102323. doi:10.1016/j.cpa.2021.102323. ISSN 1045-2354. S2CID 236560847.
  11. ↑ Giannantoni, Franco (2003). "Gli Ebrei a Varese Tra La Tempesta Della Guerra E Il Miraggio Della Svizzera". La Rassegna Mensile di Israel. 69 (2): 463–494. ISSN 0033-9792. JSTOR 41287546 – via JSTOR.
  12. ↑ Picciotto, Liliana (15 April 2016). "Italian Jews Who Survived the Shoah: Jewish Self-Help and Italian Rescuers". Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 30 (1): 20–52. doi:10.1093/hgs/dcw004. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Giannantoni, Franco (2001). La notte di Salò (1943-1945) (in Italian) (A000048700 ed.). Italy: Edizioni Arterigere.
  14. ↑ Fondazione Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea. "Statistica generale degli ebrei vittime della Shoah in Italia, 1943-1945 – CDEC – Fondazione Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea" (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  15. 1 2 Giannantoni, Franco (2013-10-25). "La Shoah Varesina | RMFOnline". rmf online. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  16. ↑ Polizia di Stato. "Orari e uffici della Questura di Varese | Polizia di Stato". Questure Polizia di Stato. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Saldini, Alessandra (2015). L'architettura fra le due guerre in provincia di Varese conoscenza e catalogazione (in Italian). Milan: Politecnico di Milano. pp. 59–62.
  18. ↑ Mostra Montanari. "Il palazzo – Montanari" (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  19. ↑ Oxford Reference. "Rationalism". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  20. ↑ ZED Progetti (2021-09-19). "Le tipologie delle Case del Fascio in Italia". ZED Progetti (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  21. ↑ Pagnotta, Brian. "Casa del Fascio / Giuseppe Terragni". ArchDaily. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  22. ↑ Carter, Nick (2020-11-04). ""What Shall We Do With It Now?": The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and the Difficult Heritage of Fascism" (PDF). Australian Journal of Politics & History. 66 (3): 377–395. doi:10.1111/ajph.12696. S2CID 225180270. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  23. ↑ Poretti, Sergio (1998). La Casa del Fascio di Como (in Italian). Roma: Carocci. ISBN 9788843010998.
  24. ↑ Polizia di Stato (19 November 2022). "Art revealed in the Varese Police Headquarters building". Questure Polizia di stato.
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