Colonia Varese, Summer colony in Milano Marittima, Cervia, Italy.
Colonia Varese is a building complex near Cervia along the Adriatic Sea, constructed between 1937 and 1939 with rationalist features. A large central structure with two lateral wings sits on a five-story concrete framework pierced by ramps, spreading across extensive grounds with pathways and gardens.
Originally built between 1937 and 1939 as Colonia Costanzo Ciano, it served children from Varese province as a seaside summer colony. During World War II, it was converted into a military hospital and subsequently used by German forces as a prisoner camp.
The design by Mario Loreti follows rationalist principles that shape how the building appears and sits in the landscape. The ordered arrangement of its sections creates a strong geometric harmony that speaks to how Italian architects of the 1930s thought about public spaces.
The complex sits directly along the coast with plenty of space to walk and explore through its many pathways and landscaped grounds. Visitors should take time to discover the site from different angles, as the overall shape and arrangement of the building are best seen from above or from a distance.
The building complex was designed so that its silhouette resembles an airplane when viewed from above, a rare and unexpected artistic gesture in architecture. This subtle formal language gives the functional summer camp building a poetic dimension that remains hidden from most visitors at first glance.
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