[...]... in Europe, the tenets of a modern functionalism were being defined, tenets that are still used rather indiscriminately and unsuccessfully to evaluate the modern architecture of Italy .The classical tradition, now doubly enriched for modern times by the contributions of the intervening Renaissance, vied in Italy with forces of international modernism in a dynamic balance of political and aesthetic concerns... modern italy 12 The Architecture of Modern Italy surveys the period from the late baroque period in the mid-eighteenth century down to the Holy Year 2000 Its linear narrative structure aligns Italy s modern architectural culture for the first time in a chronological continuum The timeline is articulated by the rhythms of major political events— such as the changes of governing regimes—that marshal official... his career amid the modernist enthusiasms His Cinema Corso in Rome of 1918, one block north of Basile’s building (then nearing completion), received all the brunt of critics crackling around the Parliament In Piacentini’s cinema, the fluid freedoms of stile Liberty met the cool dryness of the latest Viennese trends in a reinforced concrete structure, and the 25 the architecture of modern italy 26 project... trends in architecture Understanding the works of modern Italy requires meticulous attention to cultural context Political and social changes, technological advance within the realities of the Italian economy, the development of new building types, the influence of related arts and sciences (particularly the rise of classical archeology), and theories of restoration are all relevant concerns .The correlated... announced the arrival of avantgarde modernism into Italy The art on view at the Turin exhibition was characterized by the use of curved rather than straight lines, a focus on color over form, an aversion to symmetry, the integration of decoration inside and out, and the use of modern building materials such as iron, glass, and molded cement Italians were at a loss for words to describe the new style.They... Trentacosta for the front door’s allegories, Davide Calandra for the hall’s relief on military valor, and Aristide Sartorio for the painted frieze on the theme of Italy s history and her cities Only the last, which floats above Basile’s architectural frame in the chamber, amplifies the fluidity synonymous with the architecture s essential qualities; the sculptors’ works remain entrenched in the pomp of the capital’s... with the ancients,” he wrote,“but do not speak with their language Speak with visions of utopia, 1900–present our own.” Basile, according to Ojetti, was one of the few architects with the conviction to speak a contemporary language even in the company of the greatest predecessors .The selection of Basile coincided with the peak of interest for the stile Liberty and the concomitant consideration of an... professional architects who used their historical research to pursue timely political issues that may seem less interesting to us now than their ostensible content My intention is to strive for a nonpolemical evaluation of cultural traditions within the context of the modern Italian political state, an evaluation that bears upon a reading of the evolution of its architecture 11 the architecture of modern. .. for the first time since antiquity .The architecture and the traditions it drew upon provided images and rallying points, figures to concretize the collective ideal Far from a degradation of tradition—as superficial treatments of the period after the baroque propose Italy s architectural culture reached a zenith of expressive power in the service of this new nation by relying expressly on the wealth of. .. Italy. ”Though the socialist dimensions of the modernist program paralleled the new governing philosophy (a progressive political faction of Giovanni Giolitti had recently taken control of parliament), the logic of the aesthetic debate remained elusive .The Turin exhibition, this “socialism of beauty” as headlines read, was inaugurated incongruously by the new king, Vittorio Emanuele III, and coordinated with the . within the context of the modern Italian political state, an evaluation that bears upon a reading of the evolution of its architecture. 11 The Architecture of Modern Italy surveys the period from the. on the palimpsest of Italy s cultural history.This book explores the significance of the architecture and urbanism of Italy s latest, modern layer. 10 “ This book is a survey of architectural. in Europe, the tenets of a modern functionalism were being defined, tenets that are still used rather indiscriminately and unsuccessfully to evaluate the modern architecture of Italy .The classical