7 - Colonie Architecture and Fascism’s Cult of Youth

Summary

Abstract

Under the Italian Fascist regime, rationalist colonie (summer camps) promised to improve Italian children’s health through visibly structured mass playtime. At the same time, photographic representations of the colonie were disseminated as propaganda. In this chapter, first, I investigate the history of summer camps in Italy. Next, I examine the construction and use of three sites heralded as model colonie by the regime: Montecatini, Snia, and Nave. Then, I move from the topic of colonie design to that of colonie representations in the regime propaganda to understand how the Fascist party wrote narratives of healthy living around these architectural sites. To conclude, I return to the salvage of the bones of the camps as Urbanex sites.

Keywords: colonie, camp, Fascism, youth, outdoor

The Northern Italian coastline is studded with brutal gems—concrete complexes linked by strict geometry and curvaceous streamlining. Nestled in the Alpine Mountain valleys and stretching along the Lombard lakesides, these Cubist campuses evoke miniature cities. Vast pathways lead to spiraling staircases that ascend to towering obelisks. Two styles blend: rigid Rationalism accented by whimsical Futurist forms. Housing blocks turn into living objects—buildings resemble ships, planes, and animals. Common architectural features suggest a total fusion of building structure and purpose. It is an open yet highly structured layout, built for the surveillance and display of Italian children at play.

The origins of these sites lie under Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship. The Fascist regime attempted a mass organization of its young citizens with the ultimate goal of enhancing the vitality of the future Italian race. To combat childhood diseases like tuberculosis, state-affiliated medics recommended fresh air and sunlight. To act on these recommendations, the regime would need to partner with architects to build youth colonie, essentially Fascist summer camps.

Translated literally as “colonies,” these camps aimed to promote racial health and hygiene through exposure to the sun, the sea, and exercise. Children of industrial workers could visit these residential seats for month-long excursions to experience outdoor living. The history of these holiday hostels sheds light on Fascism’s eugenic approach to architecture and urbanism.