la casa del fascio di como e le sue

Giuseppe Terragni’s ‘Casa del Fascio’ in Como undoubtedly stands out as a masterpiece of Italian ‘Razionalismo’, though inflected according to the architect’s peculiar language. However, as rightly noted by Diane Ghirardo, a merely formal analysis of the building is not plausible. The underlying meaning and the very value of the ‘Casa del Fascio’ are fully perceivable only by taking into consideration the original project, without overlooking the opulent ‘decoration’ specifically intended as an integral part of the building. That includes Marcello Nizzoli’s photomechanical panels for the façade, built but never actually put in place, and Mario Radice’s works for the ‘Sala del Direttorio’ and the ‘Salone delle Adunate’, both destroyed in the immediate post-war; also worth mentioning are the decorative projects by the architect himself for the ‘Sala Federale’ and the room entitled to Gigi Maino. From such a perspective, the ‘Casa del Fascio’ appears under a renovated light, as a building of great functional value, but also as a very interesting communicational device.