Colonia marina Edoardo Agnelli, Summer camp complex in Marina di Massa, Italy.
Colonia marina Edoardo Agnelli is a summer camp complex distinguished by a striking cylindrical tower along the Tuscan coast. The facility houses dormitory spaces, a theater, and several residential buildings across an expansive site.
The site was designed in 1933 by engineer Vittorio Bonadè Bottino to provide free summer stays for children of FIAT employees. The project grew from the idea of offering social benefits to working-class families.
The site was built specifically for working-class children and shows the social values of early 20th-century Italy. Today you can sense how the architecture shaped the lives of families who had few chances for seaside rest.
The grounds spread across a large area, so you should allow time to explore all sections properly. It helps to get a map or join a guided tour to navigate the various zones and buildings.
The central spiral staircase runs through the tower's core and creates a continuous living space that winds upward in a helix. This unusual design was a solution to pack maximum capacity into a compact vertical footprint.
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