In Romagna c’è discussione attorno all’eredità artistica del Ventennio fascista
Recent developments in Romagna, Italy, have sparked debate over the artistic legacy of the Fascist era. The 102-meter-long Flight Mosaics at the former Aeronautical College in Forlì are now open to the public, and the Conad-Città di Forlì Auditorium, converted from a former GIL cinema, will inaugurate on May 13, 2026. Regional President De Pascale has announced initial funding to secure the Colonia Varese in Cervia, a Rationalist masterpiece, while long-awaited consolidation work has begun on the Casa del Fascio in Predappio, Benito Mussolini's birthplace. A 2010 plan to turn the Casa del Fascio into a cultural center documenting Fascism has stalled due to political changes and bureaucratic hurdles.
This matters because it highlights Italy's ongoing struggle to reckon with its Fascist architectural and artistic heritage. The author, Mauro Felicori, proposes transforming the Casa del Fascio into a museum of Italian art between the two world wars, featuring Futurism, Valori Plastici, and Novecento artists, as a way to engage with the period laterally without paralyzing political divisions. The debate underscores the broader national need for a shared historical narrative on Fascism, while practical steps toward preservation and cultural reuse continue amid local and regional efforts.