PIAZZA MONTE GRAPPA

Piazza Monte Grappa was born in the 1930s, immediately after the promotion of Varese to provincial capital (1927) and as a result of the demolition of the former Piazza Porcari, the oldest square in Varese. It was for a long time one of the most important meeting places in the city: here the people of Varese gathered to discuss and chat. The square took its name from a family - the Porcari - who had their palace here.

The ancient square, with its characteristic triangular shape, was surrounded by buildings, partly with arcades, hosting renowned cafés and shops with numerous customers. The people of Varese familiarly called the square also piazza Padella, due to its shape which in their eyes recalled that of a frying pan.

Piazza Porcari underwent the first real change in 1888 with the opening of Corso Roma, however the radical urban transformation that led to its disappearance took place in the 1930s, with the resolution to enlarge the square, the demolition of the old buildings and the birth of the current Piazza Monte Grappa: the new provincial capital had to have an "adequate" urban layout for its new role and the new square was destined to become the new administrative heart of the city. For this purpose, a national public competition was held in 1933 which was won by the project "Ardisco!" by the Roman architect Mario Loreti.

Palaces in Piazza Monte Grappa

Castiglioni Palace: built in 1933 on the project of the architects Mario Loreti and Marcello Piacentini. The building was built with various materials such as granite, travertine, Angera stone and clinker bricks. It is a significant example of the style of the so-called "Roman School".

Civic Tower: it was built in the fascist era, between 1937 and 1938 - until 1945 it was called Torre Littoria - based on a project by the architect Loreti in a rationalist style. 54 meters high - slightly lower than the nearby Bernascone bell tower - it appears as the result of the superimposition of two staggered parallelepipeds. The load-bearing framework is in reinforced concrete covered on the outside with serizzo from the Antigorio Valley. It was originally open to the public and in particular at the height of the second floor there is a red porphyry terrace dominated by the civic coat of arms which was used for rallies. Today the tower is only open on special occasions and is nicknamed "vertical Varese" as you can see the city of Varese from above in all its beauty made up of parks and extraordinary historic gardens.

Palace of the Chamber of Commerce: it was built between 1937 and 1938 again on a project by the architect Loreti in collaboration with Edoardo Flumiani; it was known as the Palace of the Corporations. Inside, in the Campiotti hall, important frescoes by the painter from Varese by adoption Giuseppe Montanari are preserved, with various expressions of the work on the theme.

Why did the square take the name "Monte Grappa"?

To build the new square, in 1927, a part of the district was demolished and the new buildings were rebuilt in the fascist style, worthy of the city of Varese that will give the new appearance to the newly formed provincial capital.

In those years the fascist propaganda was very strong and was present both in the architecture and in the names of squares and streets that commemorated historical figures and the places of victories in the First World War. In fact also the famous Piazza Monte Grappa in the historic Prati district in Rome, built around 1929, dates back to those years.