Sabaudia e le città nuove degli anni Trenta

The paper examines the foundation project of the city of Sabaudia, Italy, in the 1930s. In order to better comprehend the project, the following text presents a general overview on a wide range of new cities examples of the period: from the other Fascist projects for Italy and Italian colonies in Libya, Somalia and Eritrea, to the German company towns; from the Russian new cities massive program to the American expansions or foundations in the English garden city style. The author underlines similarities and differences among these urban experiences, contextualizing them in the national and international geo–political strategies. During the first half of the XX century thousands of new towns were designed and built worldwide. The reasons of the new foundations are mainly economic and political: the urban projects played, indeed, a pivotal role in the government propaganda and they were related both to domestic policies and colonial expansions overseas. Sabaudia is part of the Fascist project of reclamation of Agro Pontino, a marshland in Lazio Region. The Italian project of reclamation and foundation of new cities can be easily compared to a similar plan in Holland: they both share a large scale reclamation, as well as the intention to give a territorial and civic role to the new towns. In both the plans, main cities and secondary towns are provided, the latter considered as service centres for the rural homes spread in the agrarian territory. In Italy the new cities are designed as strongly independent urban towns. This is due to the Fascist rhetoric which wanted each urban project invested by a big amount of political meaning and heroic references. The project of Sabaudia does not show a severe geometric plan, but the urban shape is quite open. This is due to the will of Luigi Piccinato, the main architect and urban designer of the city, to involve the landscape elements in its plan by both physical and visual connections. Aware of the territorial and civic role demanded to the city, Piccinato wrote: « Sabaudia has to be considered strictly connected to its own territory. . . and the most beautiful and exceptional views can go deep into the life of the city centre ».