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  • View of the sea-front side of the dormitory building called the "Meloria", Ex Colonia Marina Rosa Maltoni Mussolini, Calambrone, Pisa.zoom in altra finestra
  • The intersesting reservoir-towe, ex Colonia Marina Rosa Maltoni Mussolini, Calambrone, Pisa.zoom in altra finestra

Ex Colonia Marina Rosa Maltoni Mussolini [Former Rosa Maltoni Mussolini Seaside Camp]

Built at the initiative of the Minister Roberto De Vito to provide hospitality for the children of postal and railway personnel, the summer camp - the largest among the numerous facilities in the Calambrone area - was designed in 1925-1926 by the architect Angiolo Mazzoni. The camp was inaugurated on July 14, 1933, although work on it continued up to 1935, when the exedra to the south designed as a summer dormitory was completed. The complex consisted of two identical sections: the one to the south was designated to the children of postal workers, the one to the north to those of railway personnel. After 1946 the property was divided into two parts, one pertaining to the Postal Ministry, the other to the Ministry of Transport. The southern portion was sold in 1964 to the Charitas Tridentina organisation, which continued to use it as a summer camp.

The use of bright colours and geometric shapes evoked the themes of Futurist architecture, while the relationship with the marine landscape and some of the architectural elements, such as the reservoir-towers, alluded to metaphysical poetry. The planimetry extended longitudinally with the various buildings distributed between the beach and the pinewoods. The twin reservoir-towers, of cylindrical shape and painted bright red, against which stands out the helical stairway in concrete, constitute the element that distinguishes the entire camp. Inside the tower, the mechanisms for pumping water are still present. The various volumes, connected with one another by inner passageways and outdoor walkways, are arranged in specular manner in the two sections of the complex. Originally, all of the buildings were painted the same bright red as the towers, with the white of the travertine inserts standing out in contrast.

Today, the northern part of the complex is awaiting remodelling, while the southern part is now undergoing restoration, to be converted into a tourist/hotel facility within the context of the program for upgrading the Calambrone area.

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Texts by Graziano Magrini

English translation by Catherine Frost

Last update 02/feb/2008