Forlì and Rationalism, Rationalism and Romagna.
The province of Forlì preserves important architectural evidence dating back to the first half of the twentieth century, and in particular impressive public monuments commissioned from talented architects such as Cesare Bazzani and Cesare Valle, in a more general perspective aimed at placing the country in a modernist dynamic.
In Forlì such works are scattered in an area between the so-called “rationalist quarter,” which runs along the Viale della Stazione – Piazzale della Vittoria axis, and the central Piazza Saffi.
Majestic and imposing is the War Memorial in Piazzale della Vittoria designed by Cesare Bazzani with its 32-meter-high Doric column; also by Cesare Bazzani is the design of the Palazzo delle Poste in Piazza Saffi.
An authentic masterpiece of rationalist architecture is the Ex Collegio Aeronautico designed by Cesare Valle, which preserves Angelo Canevari’s splendid Flight Mosaics inside. The imposing statue of Icarus, by Francesco Saverio Palozzi, dominates the clearing in front of the College’s entrance. Still by Cesare Valle is the design for the Ex Gil on Liberty Avenue. The Casa del Mutilato (hospice for the wounded in war), the Palazzine Bazzani and Benini, the Asilo Santarelli, and the Istituto Tecnico Industriale also document the new architecture of the 1930s.
The Forlì area presents other significant public architecture; for example, in Forlimpopoli and Predappio the buildings of the former G.I.L. designed by Cesare Valle; again in Predappio the Casa del Fascio (political, social and cultural centre in the fascist era); in Castrocaro Terme the Grand Hotel, the Spa and the Padiglione delle Feste (Celebration Pavilion).