marino | Atrium

Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole: the history

The municipality of Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole was formed from the merger of two distinct administrative entities. The shared seat of the Town Hall was authorized by Royal Decree in 1925.

Terra del Sole is an ancient fortified town founded in 1564 by Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere). The designer was Baldassarre Lanci from Urbino, an architect, artist, and scientist who found in the “ideal city” of Terra del Sole his architectural masterpiece. Overlooking the central Piazza d’Armi, toward which the streets of the districts converge, were the public and noble buildings, while the 38 houses that were actually built, out of the 64 planned, were constructed in two of the boroughs within the magnificent fortification. Terra del Sole, the last Tuscan stronghold before the border with the Forlì territory of the Papal States, would become a customs post, the provincial capital, the seat of the Tribunal, and the headquarters of the Grand Ducal Commissariat, which was moved here from Castrocaro in 1578. It remained in Terra del Sole until 1784, when the province was abolished.

Terra del Sole (Land of the Sun) in a vintage postcard.

Castrocaro, known to the Romans as Salsubium due to the notable presence of saline waters, and also referred to as Castrum Cari or Castro Cario, is mentioned by Dante Alighieri in Canto XIV of the Purgatorio. The castrum is already documented as early as the 11th century. In 1403, Pope Boniface IX sold it, together with the surrounding territory, to the Republic of Florence, for which it became the seat of military and governmental authorities. After the construction of Terra del Sole, Castrocaro’s importance declined rapidly, and the former “capital” became a rural village. The beginning of its revival, eventually leading to its prominent role among Italy’s spa resorts, dates back to 1830. In that year, the Florentine professor Antonio Targioni Tozzetti accidentally discovered that the water collected in the area known as “Cozzi” contained a significant amount of iodine and bromine, and he immediately recognized their therapeutic properties.

Terra del Sole and Castrocaro were part of the so-called Tuscan Romagna. In 1923, Benito Mussolini decided that all the Tuscan territory on this side of the Apennine ridge should once again become part of the Forlì area. In this way, he set in motion an operation intended to make the province in which he was born more important and prestigious—a province that could boast possession of the sources of the Tiber River, the sacred river of Rome. Castrocaro, strengthened by its new spa development, began to demand the transfer of the municipal seat. Terra del Sole, of course, had a different view. The new town hall was therefore built in a location equidistant between the two rival centers.

The first spa establishment in Castrocaro officially opened on June 1, 1851. However, the creation of the first nucleus of today’s spa complex required the initiative of Aristide Conti, a young nobleman who, after marketing salt, bromine-iodine-lithium compounds thanks to a patent dated May 22, 1871, went on in 1884 to build a thermal spa facility with an adjoining park. The complex was connected to the springs through a system of pipes that supplied the baths and fountains. From this initial phase, later extensively renovated, the “Beverages Temple” still survives today.

Advertisement for the Castrocaro spa from 1930.

Among the many distinguished guests, the Conti Baths were regularly frequented by several members of the family of Benito Mussolini. However, in light of the financial difficulties of the then “Società Terme,” as well as political issues involving some members of the Conti family, Mussolini began to consider turning the spa complex into state property and restoring it as an exclusive center for the aristocracy and upper bourgeoisie. Above all, he wanted to associate the Castrocaro spas with his own name. Financial problems, the forced removal of the Conti brothers from local Fascist Party structures, and the growing majority shareholding of the Istituto Nazionale delle Assicurazioni led the government to place the “Società delle Terme” into liquidation—at that time still owned by the Conti family (Royal Decree, Law 09/07/1936 no. 1665)—and to proceed with the nationalization of the assets comprising the Castrocaro Thermal Company. The operation was formally justified by citing the “absolute and urgent necessity to reorganize it in the public interest.” With Law no. 11 of January 4, 1937, management of the assets was therefore entrusted to the Ministry of Finance, General Directorate of State Property. At the time of nationalization, Castrocaro already possessed high-quality accommodation facilities and a splendid park covering eight hectares, rich in valuable plant species and widely praised in the press. The thermal establishment included forty bathing rooms, eighteen mud-treatment rooms, departments for inhalation and irrigation therapies, and a massage service.

Advertisement for the salt-iodine springs owned by Aristide Conti.

The government plan promptly drawn up (1936–1937) called for the construction of three buildings considered essential to the creation of the “Thermal City”: the Bathing Establishment, the Grand Hotel, and the Pavilion of Entertainment, thus “implementing higher directives for the enhancement of that important spa resort in the land of Romagna.” Thanks to the development of its spa facilities, Castrocaro gradually achieved a significant growth in the quality and quantity of its hospitality, commercial, and tourist offerings.

Castrocaro Thermal Baths. Postcard from 1957.

Today, thanks to substantial private investments, the Terme di Castrocaro complex is a cutting-edge center for wellness and spa treatments, an outpatient medical facility accredited by the Italian National Health Service, and a rehabilitation center.

The thermal spa complex, and in particular the Festival Hall, has been the venue for many editions of the “New Voices” Festival of Castrocaro. The famous singing competition, which launched the careers of many successful Italian singers, held its first edition in 1957.

Dimitrovgrad/Caribrod the history

Dimitrovgrad or Caribrod is a town located at the southeast of Serbia and it represents a place on „the imperial road“ which has connected Belgrade, Sofia and Contantinopole for centuries. Since the ancient times, this territory has been a crucial point for connection between East and West. In 3^rd Century AC there has been a road named “Via Militaris”, with various stations for rest and horse change, including also “Mulatio Translitus”, in the immediate vicinity of the settlement of Balanstra, while, according to the various archeological researches, the traces of the first settlements on this territory had been recorded from Neolithic times.

The surroundings of Caribrod and Caribrod itself are mentioned in the works of many travel writers and statesmen under different names: Zaribrodt, Czaribrod, Saribrot, Spribrot, Zaritvrodt. For more than four centuries, the Caríbrod region was under Ottoman rule, then it was annexed to the Principality of Bulgaria by the decision of the Congress of Berlin in 1878, and finally, a year later, in 1879, the border between Serbia and Bulgaria was established. During the same year, many residents from the Pirot area, primarily merchants and craftsmen, moved to Caribrod, contributing to the economic and cultural development of the town.

According to various historical data, at the end of the 19^th as well as at the beginning of the 20^th century, the town of Caribrod had been economically and culturally developed, and one of the most important segments, which partly contributes to the urbanization of this place, is the infrastructure. Namely, the construction of the railway brought many benefits to the place itself and was put into operation in 1888, thus, with the arrival of the railway, the image of the town is greatly changed.

A decade following the liberation from the Turks, the first printed media appeared in Caribrod. The first written trace regarding cultural activities in Caribrod has been found in the scientific-literary journal “Domashen uchitel”. The first issue, published in February 1889, emphasizes the importance of the establishment of town library. Two years later, more precisely in 1901, the political magazine “Caribrod” has been established. In 1909, a weekly magazine named “Nishava” was established, and it had been printed until 1912. After being paused for almost a year, this magazine has been published until September 1915, when it was cancelled due to the beginning of the World War I. Following WWI, in 1919, a weekly magazine for humour, satire and social life named „Кlopotar“ was issued.

In 1894, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built.

The memorial stone to the fallen Serbian and Bulgarian soldiers in the Serbian-Bulgarian War was built in 1887 on the Neshkovo hill above Dimitrovgrad in he memory of the Serbian-Bulgarian War of 1885.

The official history claims that the cultural centre (Chitalishte) in Caribrod was established in 1898, thanks to the local acting society which has been performing for an entire decade in order to collect the necessary funds. During the following period, which had been conditioned by various social and historical circumstances, the cultural centre experienced a series of. Following World War II, the Library has been established, which had functioned as a part of the Cultural Centre institution up until 1996. According to Municipal Assembly Declaration in 1996, the Library becomes an independent institution named the National Library of Dimitrovgrad. The Library also includes the Local Museum collection, and one of the most famous activities of the Library is the publishing activity, which results in 97 published books from local authors, written both in Serbian and Bulgarian, as well as in the local dialect. The Library frequently organizes Literary evenings, programmes, it also realizes various projects and creative workshops for children. In 2004, it was named National Library „Detko Petrov“, according to the famous Yugosllavian writer, who was born in this area.

In 1909, Caribrod gets its first telephone line. During the same year, „Minov and Hadziev“ printing house, the book named „Poetry and prose“ by Hristo Gotsev was printed. It is the first printed book in Caribrod and it marks the beginning of publishing activity, which will be continued by the Library 9 decades later.

In 1914, the third grade of Primary school is established in Caribrod. Namely, the official beginning of education in Caribrod is related to early 1869, when the first school in settlement “Strosena cesma” was established, in the guesthouse of Cvetko Ivanov.

November 27, 1919, following the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Caribrod was assigned to the newly established Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and it officially becomes a part of the new state on November 6^th 1920.

In 1927, the town was electrified, and it was supplied with electricity from the power plant of Caribrodski brothers. This year is also important from a cultural point of view, since it was the year when the town got its own cinema.

In 1937, the town of Caribrod had a school, the Banovina Hospital, the Serbian Headquarters, the Tax Administration, the Financial Control, the Post Office, the Customs… In addition to the military barracks, an Officers’ Home was also built in 1935. Caribrod also had a Commercial Bank. Economic life was characterized by numerous cooperatives, such as the Dairy-Cattle, Purchasing and Consuming, Agricultural, Civil, Industrial, Beekeeping, etc. When it comes to foreign visitors, there were hotels with food and accommodation, such as: “Oslobodjenje (Liberation)”, “Balkan“, “Yugoslavia“, “International“, “Solun (Thessaloniki)” and others.

In 1946, the construction of the Cultural centre was commenced, and during the same year, an amateur cultural-artistic society named „Hristo Botev“ was established. The Cultural centre building was officially opened on January 1^st 1950, which gave a different cultural frame to the entire environment. The town gallery in Dimitrovgrad was established in 1955, and it is a home of dozens of exhibitions every year.

In 1950, according to the Government of FPRY, the name of Caribrod was changed to Dimitrovgrad, in honor of Georgi Dimitrov, the president of Bulgaria.

Dimitrovgrad (SRB) at the end of the 20th century.

During the post-war period of reconstruction and development, in the middle of the 20th century, Dimitrovgrad also became an industrial place. Enterprises and factories were established, and a large number of workers were employed:

– In 1947, The social enterprise for the production and trade of furniture “Vasil Ivanov Cile” was founded, as well as the catering enterprise “Balkan”.
– March 1948. – foundation of the construction company „Greben planina“, which had operated within the enterprise „Vasil Ivanov Cile“ until 1957, when it became independent, and from 1959 it operated under the name of „Gradnja“.
– The cloathing factory „Svoboda“ was founded in 1952.
– The state enterprise for the manufacture of the stone cube “Granit” Donja Nevlja was founded in 1953.
– In 1958, the factory of patent locks and car parts „FABRAD“ was founded, and in је 1960 its name was changed into „Mehanichar“.
– The rubber industry of Dimitrovgrad – GID was founded in 1959.
– The joint stock company „Metalac“ for performing locksmith and tinsmith works was founded in 1967.
– Lignite exploitation enterprise, mine „Vidlich“ in the village of Mazgosh was founded in 1997.

In 1991, within the Cultural centre, the „Caribrod“ radio and television was founded. The cable distribution equipment was purchased with residents’ funds, while the donors provided funds required for remaining necessary equipment.

The monastery dedicated to St. John the Theologian in the village of Poganovo, has been listed on the State heritage list since 1949 and it has been a part of the World Heritage list since 1979. In 1982, the Monastery was entered in the register of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts as a cultural asset of great importance. It was founded by the Serbian ruler Konstantin Dejanovic Dragas, immediately before the loss of state independence of medieval Serbia, and it was dedicated to St. John the Theologian. It was built in the late 14th century and painted a century later.

Elementary school “Hristo Botev”

Current name: Elementary school “Hristo Botev”
Original name: Elementary school “Hristo Botev”

City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB)
District: District of Pirot, Republic of Serbia
Address: Hristo Botev 3, 18320 Dimitrovgrad

Year of construction: early 50s
Designer: unknown
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: social realism

Visiting interior: yes

The elementary school “Hristo Botev” – Dimitrovgrad is located in the central part of Dimitrovgrad in 3 Hristo Botev Street, on the cadastral plot No. 599/1 KO Dimitrovgrad. It represents a visually recognizable object which, due to its size, dominates the central area of the town. It is a free standing building, elevated in comparison to the main town street “Balkanska” formerly known as “Marsal Tito Street”. The main, administrative school entrance is located on the street which bears the same name -“Hristo Botev”, while the pupils use the entrance in the school yard.

The school was built in the early 50s, and it was officially opened in 1954. Architecturally, it was built in the style of “social realism”, i.e. “soc-realism”, which was the dominant trend in architecture in the post-war years. The main feature of this trend is practicality over beauty. Architects were supposed to make the most of the space and building capacities, rather than focusing on aesthetics. The architecture of social realism promotes the ideology of social equality. The regime used to limit any liberal act of creativity, while on the other hand the social realism was imposed as the best and so to speak the only artistic style.

The depersonalization of the architect in the fifth decade of the XX century, when this school was built, was followed by an ultimate limitation of artistic freedom and creativity by defining and prescribing a certain typology of facilities. The abolition of the private sector and the loss of the identity of the architects, resulted in the fact that for many buildings of that time the name of the author is not known.

It is a large building, flooring G+2, therefore until 1986 it housed a primary school – an eight-year school and a high school.

Rectangular, strict forms, without ornamentation but at the same time functional, are typical of the trend of social realism. Originally, the school was in a neutral beige-dark color that mitigated the imposition of its size in the space. Following the adaptation in order to improve energy efficiency, the school was painted in slightly lighter tones from the same palette.

Cultural Center

Current name: Cultural Center – Dimitrovgrad
Original name: House of Culture – Dimitrovgrad

City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB)
District: Pirot district, Republic of Serbia
Address: 2 Trg Zorana Djindjica, 18320 Dimitrovgrad

Year of construction: 1946-1950
Designer: Architect Vera Lukanska (born in Caribrod)
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: “moderna” architectural direction

Visiting interior: yes

The cultural Center facility, in terms of aesthetic and artistic values, represents one of the most significant buildings in Dimitrovgrad. The location itself emphasizes the significance of the building, in urban, cultural and social terms. It was elevated in comparison to the surrounding area and the main square, which emphasizes its monumentality.

The architectural design in the style of European modernism, with a dominant pink color, corresponds to both the purpose and the time in which it was created, i.e. in the years after World War II during the socialist regime.

In construction terms, the facility was built within the massive construction system, with wooden inter-storey construction. Originally, the façade was finished with mortar, while the decoration elements on the balcony are made of concrete with terrazzo finish. The columns on the entrance on the ground floor were made of concrete, with dotted finishing.

The facility was partly reconstructed in the period from 2019 to 2022, including the complete replacement of the roof, façade, installation and carpentry for the purpose of improving its energy efficiency. The large hall of the cultural center was completely reconstructed, the technical equipment, seats, lighting, wall coverings were replaced, therefore the interior got a completely new look. The only detail that has been retained is the interior frieze around the perimeter of the hall with plaster motifs depicting the labor movement and the national liberation struggle. The small hall of the cultural center and the front facade will be reconstructed in the next phase.

Community center in the village of Petrlas

Current name: Community center in the village of Petrlas
Original name: Community center in the village of Petrlas

City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB)
District: The district of Pirot, Republic of Serbia
Address: “the center of the village” in Petrlas, municipality of Dimitrovgrad

Year of construction: 1949
Designer: The name of the architect is not familiar, but it is known that the chef handyman was named Veka also known as “Brzi Veka”, and he came from the neighboring village of Krupac.
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: regional-eclectic

Visiting interior: yes

Community center in the village of Petrlas also known as “the cultural center” is located “in the centre of the village” at the cadastral plot No. 4186/1 CM Petrlas, Zabrdje region in the municipality of Dimitrovgrad. Petrlas is a livestock -agricultural settlement, compact type, located at 11 km from Dimitrovgrad. The building was contructed in the central part of the village, at the intersection of three rural roads, on a wide and accessible location.

The architectural design of this and almost all buildings of this kind is regional-eclectic, with rustic wall finishing and classical organization of space.

In terms of programming, the Community center has a spacious hall with a stage and ticket office, a reading room, a shop and the office of the agricultural community. These facilities are characterized by the absence of sanitary facilities, which is a clear indicator of the backwardness of the Yugoslav countryside, while at the same time it speaks of the priorities of the state, which first wants to deal with issues of mediation of its ideology, rather than with the issues of hygiene standards.

The floor plan of the building is a ground floor, i.e. G+0, leveled from the ground with a staircase with a different number of heights, depending on the level of the surrounding terrain, considering that the building has several entrances (for the agricultural community, for the store, entrance to the warehouse and another one for the cultural center).

The entrance to the “cultural center” is isolated and emphasized by a porch with four massive masonry pillars, and in the extension of the entrance part, there is a spacious hall with a raised stage. The roof is multi-pitched, covered with tiles. The crown of the building is finished with a profiled decorative strip.

Clothing factory “Svoboda”

Current name: Clothing factory “Interteks”
Original name: Clothing factory “Svoboda”

City: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad (SRB)
District: Pirot district, Republic of Serbia
Address: Balkanska 94, 18320 Dimitrovgrad

Year of construction: early 80s
Designer:
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: contemporary architecture

Visiting interior: no

According to its aesthetic and artistic values, this building belongs to the style of contemporary architecture.

Architectural design in the style of “contemporary architecture” with elements of “brutalism”. The facade is not disjointed in form, however, on the most representative front facade, oriented towards the main street, the decorative concrete elements are dominant. It is painted in two shades of pink.

In terms of construction, the building was built in a skeletal construction system, with a concrete structure.Currently, the building is in a very bad condition as a result of the collapse of production and years of neglecting of the building.

Municipality building

Current name: Municipality building
Original name: Municipality building

City: Dimitrovgrad (SRB)
District: The District of Pirot, Republic of Serbia
Address: Balkanska 2, 18320 Dimitrovgrad

Year of construction: 1960
Designer:
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: social realism

Visiting interior: yes

The building of the municipality of Dimitrovgrad is located in the very centre of the town at the address Balkanska 2, on the cadastral plot No. 626 CM Dimitrovgrad. It represents a vidually dominant building which was adjusted to the central town area. The building is free standing, it was constructed at the corner of main Balkanska street (former Marsala Tita Street) and Nishava street, next to Zoran Djindjic Square (former Trg Oslobodjenja – Square of Liberation) therefore it dominates the area. Cultural Center is across the main street, and together they make an assembly of the most significant public buildings in this small town.

It was built in the period from 1960, in the style of social realism, a.k.a. soc-realism, which was a dominant architectural style of that time. The main feature of this style is practicality over beauty, with simplified forms and absence of excessive decoration. The form is simple with two main cubes. Originally, the west cube of the building was higher (G+3) while the east cube was lower (G+2).

Conceptually, the building has all the features of an administrative space: offices, a meeting room and a large assembly hall. Supporting but inseparable features are the corridors with a staircase facing the street and illuminated by a glazed skylight, and sanitary facilities on all floors. Originally, the building had a flat roof.

Later, in the late 80s, additional storey was added to the east part, and a hipped roof made of ribbed sheet was placed on the roof. The entrance was also extended to emphasize the staircase i.e. entrance vertical. he lateral east and the back north façade were extremely reduced, while the lateral west façade was partly free, due to the fact that in the 80s a residential-commercial building was attached to it.The building got its current appearance in 2006, following the adaptation aimed at improving energy efficiency properties.

Municipal Theatre “Apostol Karamitev”

Current name: Drama Theatre “Apostol Karamitev”
Original name: Drama Theatre

City: Dimitrovgrad
District:
Address: 13 Dimitar Blagoev Blv.

Year of construction: 1953
Designer: Decree of the State Council of Bulgaria
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: architectural style popularly known as “Soviet Empire” or “Stalin Baroque”

Visiting interior: yes
Notes: The professional theater in Dimitrovgrad was founded in 1953. Since 1973, it bears the name of the great Bulgarian actor Apostol Karamitev. The first chairs in the hall are the original first chairs of the Ivan Vazov National Theater. The theater was completely renovated in 2023.

The Municipal Theatre “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad is a cultural institution with 60 years of history. It was created in 1953 by Decree of the State Council of Bulgaria. It is the only state theater in not a regional town.

The Theater of Dimitrovgrad passes through periods of difficulties and bloom, as in 1964 it was closed and the building remained as a second stage for the Theatre of Haskovo. In 1972 is again restored as a State Drama Theatre, in 1994 is transformed into an open State Theater Stage “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad. Since 2011 with a decree was turned into the Municipal Drama Theatre “Apostol Karamitev” – Dimitrovgrad.

Central Pedestrian Area with Squares

Current name: Central Pedestrian Area with Squares
Original name: Central Pedestrian Area with Squares

City: Dimitrovgrad
District: urban center
Address: Bulgaria Blv

Year of construction: 1950 – 1954
Designer: Prof. Petar Tashev
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: typical “Stalinist period” architecture style.

Visiting interior:
Notes:

The ensemble – Bulgaria Blvd, Dimitar Blagoev Blvd and Maritsa Park, is the backbone of the urban planning idea of Prof. Petar Tashev from 1950, which combines modernization of functional zones, housing construction among green areas, separating the work area from the other part of the city by green belt.

It is an architectural ensemble from the 1950’s, decorated in typical “Stalinist period” architecture style. Together with the adjacent park “Maritza”, it is a stately pedestrian zone that connects the North-South railway and the bus stations with the city administration building of the municipality and gradually transitions into park recreation area.

Penyo Penev Park

Current name: Penyo Penev Park
Original name: Penyo Penev Park

City: Dimitrovgrad (BG)
District: Dimitrovgrad / suburban area
Address: Penyo Penev Park

Year of construction: 1961
Designer: originally built according to a project, aiming to participate in the world exhibition of park art in 1961
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: an example of a synthesis between nature and art. Every single space, shape and element is very well thought out and positioned in the right place, creating a complete, artistically indivisible object.

Visiting interior: yes
Relevant elements: The park became a conscious space for cultural events – improvised literary readings, concerts, recitals, etc., and a representative place for all guests of the city.

Penyo Penev Memorial Park is originally built according to a project, aiming to participate in the world exhibition of park art in 1961. It is located on 36,5 hectares and is unique with its 92 species of ornamental trees and shrubs, and numerous stone moraines-citation books with poems by the poet, skillfully inscribed in the planned and volumetric composition of the park.

Penyo Penev Park is an example of a synthesis between nature and art. Every single space, shape and element is very well thought out and positioned in the right place, creating a complete, artistically indivisible object.

Summer (open air) theatre

Current name: Summer (open air) theatre
Original name: Summer (open air) theatre

City: Dimitrovgrad (BG)
District: Vaptsarov park / suburban area
Address: Vaptsarov park

Year of construction: 1955
Designer: n/a
Client: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad
Architectural style: Built according all the rules for an open air theatre and neoclassic Stalinist style.

Visiting interior:
Notes: this “lost place” has been actively used and visited till the early ‘80s

Located in “Vaptsarov” Park, this “lost place” has been actively used and visited till the early ‘80s. Built according all the rules for an open air theatre, it has hosted a great number of concerts and plays. The Theatre is another example of a synthesis between nature and art. Every single space, shape and element was very well thought out and positioned in the right place, creating a complete, artistically indivisible object. The Theatre used to be a conscious space for cultural events – concerts, plays, recitals, etc., and a representative place for all the local people and guests of the city.

Town hall

Current name: Town hall
Original name: Town hall

City: Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole (FC) (ITA)
District:
Address: 81 Viale Guglielmo Marconi

Year of construction: 1934 – 1938
Designer: Engineer Annibale Pantoli and surveyor Osiride Bortolotti for the company Comm. Ettore Benini in Forli, heating system project by engineer Aldo Camerani
Client: City of Castrocaro Terme and Terra del Sole
Architectural style: Littorio eclecticism with hints of monumental Classicism and Rationalism

Visiting interior: yes
Important features: building listed as cultural asset by the Superintendence for Architectural Heritage; wrought iron and marble decorations

The relationship between the community and power during the Fascist regime significantly involved public architecture. Its task was to represent the State in the territory as both a guarantor and an intimidator. The ‘modernization’ idealized by fascism indeed included an essential connection with the containers of indoctrination, culture, and administrative relations. Schools, welfare offices, and municipalities were not strangers to this architectural renewal.

In Castrocaro and Terra del Sole, the construction of the new Town Hall began in 1934. The choice of the location for its erection sparked lively local rivalries that seemed to have no solution. Terra del Sole, which had held the seat for centuries, strongly opposed the requests from Castrocaro, which sought to obtain the new ‘recognition’ from the regime. The resolution of the bitter dispute is attributed to Mussolini himself, who, in agreement with the mayor Eden Venturi, indicated an area equidistant between the two centers, which were just over a kilometer apart.

Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall. Vintage image.

The building designed by engineer Pantoli and surveyor Osiride Bortolotti stands on a high ground upstream from the section of state road connecting the centre of Castrocaro Terme with that of Terra del Sole.The building has a rectangular floor plan measuring 33 x 16.35 metres and has the main façade facing the street. The building is arranged on two floors plus a basement. In the central part stands the 21-metre-high Littoria Tower at the top of which is a fake clock. Accessed by a flight of steps, the ground floor is occupied by a central atrium prolonged by a wide hall which features a monumental double staircase leading to the upper floor. Originally, the ground floor housed, among others, the wedding hall, the local military Office, Justice of Peace and medical officer’s bureau. The first floor housed other offices including the Cabinet of the Podesta, the Accounting Department and the technical office. The central part of the second floor is occupied by a large meeting room measuring 12 x 8 metres with access to the balcony above the decorative portico on the façade.

Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall. Monumental entrance and balcony.

The main entrance door is made of oak wood with chestnut wood frames, while between the atrium and the hall is a large glass door made of fine Douglas fir wood with semi-double glazing. The wrought iron decorations, marbles as well as wooden details of the central staircase were also chosen and designed by engineer Pantoli and surveyor Bortolotti, while the original heating system was entrusted to the engineer Aldo Camerani’s company from Forlì.

The construction of the new headquarters was an opportunity to replace the pre-existing furnishings, which the Podesta and the administration deemed too worn and with a variety of styles that did not suit the needs of the new premises.A special budget chapter was opened for these expenses and the supply was entrusted to the company Al mare dei mobili in Forlì. The company provided large desks with drawers, armchairs with leather upholstered seats and backrests, stools and reception armchairs upholstered in 20th-century style fabric, shelves and bookcases with frosted glass or wooden doors, as well as a ‘standing desk’ with a register holder currently kept at the Historical Archives.

Castrocaro and Terra del Sole Town Hall.

The work was completed with testing in 1938. Original project drawings and administrative documents relating to the awarding of contracts, inspections and tenders, together with some photographs of the time, are preserved and can be consulted in the Municipal Historical Archive.

Grand Hotel Castrocaro

Current name: Grand Hotel Castrocaro
Original name: Grand Hotel delle Terme

City: Castrocaro Terme e Terre del Sole (FC)
District: urban area
Address: viale Guglielmo Marconi, n.14/16

Year of construction: 1939 – 1943
Designer: art director Tito Chini, designer Eng. Diego Corsani
Client: Ispettorato Generale delle Aziende Patrimoniali dello Stato, Ufficio Tecnico Centrale del Demanio
Architectural style: Modernism with very strong references to Rationalism

Visiting interior: partly yes
Significant elements: The building is listed by the Committee as a cultural property. Ceramic and marble decorations. Entrances facing the street and the thermal baths’ park; loggia terrace facing the park. Reception hall, central staircase. Light devices by the Venini company (Murano, Venice)

In Castrocaro, the therapeutic use of waters and mud baths boasts ancient origins. On June 1st, 1851, the first thermal establishment officially opened, and it was placed in an already existing building that was readapted according to hygienic and typological criteria considered innovative at the time. The first centre of the current establishment was built only thanks to 1884. The financial disaster and the preponderance of shares held by the INA (National Insurance Institute) led the government to liquidate the Società delle Terme, still private owned (Royal Decree, Law no. 1665 of 09/07/1936), and to proceed with the statehood of the assets constituting the Castrocaro Thermal Baths Company. The Ispettorato Generale delle Aziende Patrimoniali dello Stato (General Inspectorate of State Property Agencies), although it had entrusted the design of the New Thermal Baths Complex to the Central Technical Office of the State Property, in the person of Chief Engineer Diego Corsani, considered it advisable to match the technical figure with an artistic consultant, who could deal specifically with the internal and external decorations, the fitting out and furnishing of the newly built premises, with particular attention to the direction of the architectural part. It was chosen Tito Chini, artistic director of the Chini Furnaces in Borgo San Lorenzo (Florence). The government plan that was promptly drawn up (1936-1937) envisaged the construction of three buildings: the Bathing Establishment, the Grand Hotel, and the Amusement Hall.

Grand Hotel Castrocaro. Facing via Roma.

An official visit to the building site by Benito Mussolini took place in June 1939. On which occasion he decided to double the size of the park and transform the Thermal Baths Pension into a luxurious Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel was already planned to consist of two wings arranged in an L-shape, the shorter of which was at a tangent to the Thermal Establishment, and the longer one, which ended in a semi-circular shape, adhering to the Strada Nazionale, forming a true urban backdrop. In November 1939, with the additional title of ‘Artistic Consultant of the Forlì Property Valuation Office’, Tito Chini imposed new designs and modifications on the original Grand Hotel project of 1937: in particular, an additional floor was added to the building, the splendid terrace-loggia overlooking the park, the water tower, and the design of a new corner header with entrance, positioned at the crossroads of Via Nazionale and Via Conti (at the time known as Via Del Ponte).

Grand Hotel Terme (Castrocaro). Postcard from the 1960s.

The construction of the new building, which began in 1939 amidst numerous difficulties due to the conditions of the foundation soil, excessively clay-rich and saturated with water, resumed at the beginning of 1940 and with the use of materials that were already employed in the now completed Festival Halls and Baths Establishment: travertine and terracotta from local kilns, traditional building systems, reinforced concrete when strictly necessary. The differentiation of the façades was resolved by the use of chrome and ceramic cladding towards the park (east façade), and of a more monumental type towards the pre-existing urban building, in contrast with Palazzo Piancastelli, also restored and modernised by Chini himself in those years. The construction continued until the last months of 1943, when the events of the war forced a halt to the works in progress, resulting in the dismissal of all the workers and Chini himself. At that time, the outer shell of the Grand Hotel had been defined, as well as the representative rooms on the ground floor necessary for the Regime, the ‘special’ flat for the Head of the Government (on the third floor), and some rooms on the first level, among the 160 potential ones.

Grand Grand Hotel Terme (Castrocaro). Postcard from the 1960s.

Of the original fittings, and in particular of what had been planned for the special flat for the Head of Government (referred to as the “Ammobiliamento Duse”), there remain some images and the detailed project reports by Chini himself, in which all details and relative provenances were noted down. From the Venini company of Murano (Venice), already extensively honoured in the Festival Hall, came the basket chandeliers, table lamps, ashtrays, and glassware. The colours of the flat ranged from the dark green of the felt floor in the entrance hall to the pale blue of the tableware underlays, the jade green of the crystals of the toilette set, the sage green, salmon and dark brown of the ornaments. The paintings hanging on the walls included several sacred prints, two prints by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, fresco decorations and some paintings by Chini himself.

Grand Hotel Castrocaro. Detail of the facade.

Hall B

Current name: Hall B (Padiglione B)
Original name: Bathing Establishment (Stabilimento Bagni)

City: Castrocaro Terme e Terre del Sole (FC) (ITA)
Hamlet: urban area
Address: viale Guglielmo Marconi, n.14/16

Year of construction: 1937 – 1940
Designer: art director Tito Chini, designer Eng. Diego Corsani
Client: Ispettorato Generale delle Aziende Patrimoniali dello Stato, Ufficio Tecnico Centrale del Demanio
Architectural style: Rationalist

Can be visited inside: partly yes
Significant elements: The building is listed by the Committee as a cultural property; ceramic and marble decorations; chrome-plated ceramic coating.

Tito Chini provided one of the many ‘architectural drawings’ as early as 1937, a complete perspective of the Bathing Establishment and Grand Hotel. the typically rationalist distribution layout was maintained, and enriched with the decorative devices still in place on the north, east, and west elevations, and in the atrium. The entrance hall, preceded by a short portico in giant order and crowned by splendid metopes dedicated to the healing water, still presents itself today as an extraordinary double-volume resting place, studied down to the smallest detail: floor mosaics, decorated veils, balustrades, window frames, furniture, fabrics, in complete harmony with the two large wooden panels on the side walls.

The “Pavilion B”, formerly the Bathing Establishment, in a period photo.

The floor plan was built on three levels above ground and a basement intended to serve the rehabilitation and reception activities already on the upper floors: everything was connected by two symmetrical staircases with respect to the atrium; essentially it distributed the rooms intended for treatment on the ground floor, while the two upper levels housed rooms with bathrooms, for the reception or stay of guests. Specifically, from the entrance hall there was direct access to 47 bathing and mud bathing cabins, which could be reached directly from the rooms on the upper floors of the building. The Bathing Establishment was opened without being completed, and already in June 1938, and again in 1939, Chini presented the engineer Corsani new drawings, variations and hypotheses for the fronts on Via Conti. In this case, the attempt was to restore homogeneity, to this part as well, with the other three fronts of the building, embellished with ceramic motifs and clear and legible architectural partitions. However, partly due to the rapid change in the economic-political conditions of the town (and consequently the probable acceleration of the other parts pending on the entire area), and partly due to the presence of atypical pre-existent features on that front, the entire front insisting on Via Conti was substantially abandoned.

No direct or written evidence has been found of the period in which the chimney and the boiler room below it were demolished. It seems clear that if their presence can be verified in the early post-war period, and even up to the complete reopening of the factory (1961), it can be assumed that this demolition took place in the period between the reopening and the changes made to the entire Hall, i.e. during the 1970s. The substantial changes related to the original 1938 version can be summed up in the construction of a space inside the courtyard, accessible both from the basement level and from the ground floor. At the same time, part of the basement level was equipped to house additional rooms to serve the patients, with particular reference to water therapies. Internally to the building, there are numerous other minor variations, not related to the fronts nor to the overall volumetry.

Festival Hall

Current name: Festival Hall
Original name: Amusement Hall

City: Castrocaro Terme e Terre del Sole (FC) (ITA)
District: urban area
Address: viale Guglielmo Marconi, n.14/16

Year of construction: 1937 – 1943
Designer: art director Tito Chini, designer eng. Diego Corsani
Client: Ispettorato Generale delle Aziende Patrimoniali dello Stato, Ufficio Tecnico Centrale del Demanio
Architectural style: Eclecticism, Deco with references to Rationalism

Can be visited inside: yes
Note: The building is listed by the Committee as a cultural property; ceramic and marble decorations; fresco paintings; rooms dedicated to games or recreation; light devices by the Venini company (Murano, Venice); outdoor dance floor with mosaic floor, within semicircular portico structure

This was followed by an initial elaboration of a typically rationalist layout, extensive revision by Chini, who arranged numerous variations: the application of a continuous and developed decorative apparatus on almost all the built surfaces, and the consequent attention to construction detail. The Hall was conceived as a space to be lived in continuously, and adorned with decorations of all kinds (fresco paintings for the interior rooms, geometric motifs constructed with panels of colour-glazed ceramic tiles, luxurious floors, colour-glazed terracotta moulding…), in a burst of light and colour: all this was enhanced by the large openings, which also allowed the surrounding greenery to be an active subject inside.

The “Amusement Pavilion” of the Castrocaro Baths in an image from the first half of the twentieth century.

Constructively, the Festival Hall does not present exceptional situations from a static point of view. On the other hand, the technological solution for the air-conditioning of the halls on the ground floor is rather innovative and characteristic for the period, and was intended to allow the building to be used in the winter months as well: in addition to the traditional radiator system, a system of underfloor ducts was installed between the basement and ground floor levels, allowing direct air intake in the winter months and natural ventilation in the summer.
“[….] the building was conceived in consideration of the multiple uses to which it is to be put […] functioning as necessary, each independent from the other and with complete freedom of operation from each other [….] External architectural characteristics: exquisitely rational and modern in character, with large flat brick surfaces recalling the construction characteristics of Romagna, alternated with bands and squares of travertine with embellishments of green marble mouldings from Prato (Tuscany) […] Large glazed openings so that even from the inside the luxuriant park and its colour play a preponderant decorative element […] Great simplicity of line, noble materials, light with a complete refractive and reflective system; […] the end of the atrium leads through a large opening to the head gallery. Above the large opening, a decorative fresco panel begins the synthesis of fascism with the representation of the March on Rome. The ceiling formed by luminous concentric rings will have a clear glass-block panel in its centre so that the atrium will have plenty of light even during daylight hours. The two terminal niches of the relative staircases will bear two large decorative panels, one representing the Charter of Labour and consequently the beginning of the corporative regime, and the other the affirmation of religious sentiment with the Conciliation [….]”.

The entertainment pavilion at the Castrocaro spa. Postcard sent in the 1950s.

Many variations were made during construction. The only certainty on record was the systematic absence of the Roman technician, compensated for by the assiduous presence of Chini, busy with the ordinary management of the building site, which often took the form of the drafting and installation of refined executive details: the central ring set into the ceiling of the atrium, originally planned in glass blocks (similarly to the openings for natural light still in place on the vertical of the side staircases), was replaced by a dome with concentric rings known as the ‘Zodiac’, and artificially lit. The Hall was also a great and gleaming piece of architecture at night, amidst roaring luminous fountains, important soirées, balls and theatrical performances, as well as being aimed at and imagined as part of the Park: for this purpose, the large openings arranged along all the fronts, the adoption of special glazing that would give scenic and spectacular reflections, and the attention to strategic “views”, to enhance the decorative work carried out, were fundamental. Unfortunately, the designer’s attention was not matched by the same care taken in the completion of the projects gradually drawn up and refined by Chini: neither the original layout of the external lighting, nor the areas themselves, nor, on the inside of the building, a large part of the first level were ever completed, except for the tracing of the paths through the greenery and the layout of the external areas according to plan. For this reason, and on the occasion of the recent internal and external restoration work promoted by the current manager of the property, the strategy laid out for each work can be traced back to the precise desire to restore exactly the external distribution and internal finishes then conceived and promoted by Chini.

The Rationalist references of the Castrocaro Festival Pavilion

The Hall was inaugurated of the time in August 1938, in the presence of Umberto II, Prince of Savoy, to the great disapproval of Tito Chini, who did not fail to express his own strong objections to Corsani, who was in any case the one in charge of the project for the Ministry of Finance.

Beverages Temple

Current name: Beverages Temple (Tempietto delle Bibite)
Original name: Tempietto Pompeiano, Fonte Littoria

City: Castrocaro Terme e Terre del Sole (FC) (ITA)
District: urban center
Address: Viale Guglielmo Marconi, n.14/16

Year of construction: 1924
Designer: “Focaccia&Melandri” (majolica factory)
Client: Aristide Conti
Architectural style: Eclectic modernist with clear neoclassical and deco references

Can be visited inside: yes

Notes: building listed by the Superintendency as a cultural asset. Focaccia&Melandri art majolica, inspired by the model of the archaic Greek temple, capitals covered in ceramic, metal decorations taken from Greek vase decorations. External and internal pictorial decorations.

Castrocaro Thermal Baths. Fonte Littoria (Temple of Drinks). Postcard from the 1930s.

Of this first phase, but extensively revised in a later period, the Tempietto delle Acque still remains in operation today, later called Tempietto Pompeiano then called Fonte Littoria. The building as we see it today, although conceived as a “source” of water used for hydroponic cures (through direct supply), was originally the front of a more articulated composition that also included a water storage tank and minor service buildings. The site in which it is still located could be reached thanks to a path through nature, laid out on an axis with Via Nazionale and on a staircase to compensate for the difference in height between the level of the larger buildings, located along via Nazionale and via Del Ponte, and the level of the edge, along the bed of the Montone river.

Fonte Littoria in a typographic image from 1930.

The Tempietto, which was visited several times a day, had been placed in a central position in the park as a backdrop for a wide perspective, immersed in greenery, and made a focal point for the gathering of the guests, regardless of their class or gender. The Pompeian-style building is one of the works produced by the Focaccia&Melandri art majolica factory, founded in 1922 by the industrialist Umberto Focaccia from Ravenna and artist Pietro Melandri from Faenza (1885-1976).

Castrocaro Terme. The drinks temple in a vintage photo.

The work was realised in the style of a Greco-Roman temple, freely inspired by the model of the archaic distyle in antis Greek temple: it has a pronaos, characterised by a pair of cement grit columns surmounted by capitals in majolica of a composite order, and two corner pilasters with similar capitals. Both the frame of the gable and the cover completed the envelope, both covered in ceramic materials of similar colour and texture to the capitals on the front.

Beyond the entrance, along the back wall is a panel made entirely of glazed majolica, consisting of a carpet of tiles painted with polychrome figures and finished with touches of gold, adorned with whirls, birds, leaves and a small lizard. Melandri, with his art, contributes to the iconography of the thermal baths’ landscape. The artwork of Castrocaro is highly influential, although in its current state it communicates little of the original layout.

The building appears changed compared to how it was originally, but the large structure continues to exude great charm, and to remind us of the healing properties of water. The Tempietto di Castrocaro is not the artist’s only great work, but it is one of the most evocative among those created in a career rich in professional experience, which in the case under examination converge in an (at the time) exquisite mixture of interests, intentions and good execution practices.

Sorgara Park

Current name: Sorgara Park
Original name: Sorgara Springs

City: Castrocaro Terme e Terre del Sole (FC) (ITA)
District: Sorgara
Address: via Savelli

Year of construction: 1924
Designer:
Client: Michele Savelli
Architectural style: Eclecticism with references to Classicism

Visiting interior: no

“Sorgara” Park is a suggestive place where the ferruginous waters of the Rio Petra flow, which have always been appreciated for their important therapeutic properties.

It was 1924 when a new drinking establishment was inaugurated in the Sorgara area which used three different types of mineral waters called “Salutare”, “Gigliola” and “Ferruginosa”, respectively a chlorinated-sodium water, strong magnesium, pleasant purgative, which soon proved to be effective in chronic enterocolitis, liver disease and obesity; a chlorinated-sodium water, weak magnesium, effective in some diseases of the stomach, intestine and metabolism and, finally, the ancient martial water, effective for the treatment of anemia, chlorosis and organic deterioration.

The interior of the small temple in Sorgara Park with the Savelli family coat of arms.

The springs were discovered by Michele Savelli, a citizen of Modigliana residing in Castrocaro who, since 1919, had enthusiastically dedicated himself to the search for this ancient and abandoned aquifer, known since the beginning of the 19th century and subsequently put on the market after a series of analyzes carried out by the University of Bologna.

The sign at the entrance to the Sorgara park.

The access to the park is marked by an old metal sign. Beyond the gate, which regulates access, there is a small temple that displays the inscription ‘NUOVE SORGENTI – NATURAL MINERAL WATERS SPRINGING’ on the front. The temple, with its classical appearance, features a portico with two circular columns and two square columns. Inside, a simple white basin collects the waters that flow from several taps. On the wall, there is a ceramic with the coat of arms of the Savelli family.