Demolishing power
The post office building is one of the most visible buildings on Forlì’s main square. Much of the Renaissance square was demolished and reconstructed under the Fascist regime. Today, Piazza Saffi witnesses the close connection between architecture and power.
A new functional square to celebrate the regime
The post office building was part of the project aimed at reorganising Forlì’s main square. Piazza Saffi was supposed to become a functional space for the recurrent celebrations of the Fascist regime. Many historical buildings were demolished to make way for monumental buildings aimed at displaying the power of the regime.
Cesare Bazzani’s post office building
It was the Roman architect Cesare Bazzani who desinged the post office building. Its rectangular layout included an internal courtyard to illuminate the ample semi-circular public hall on the first floor, covered by a decorative skylight in reinforced concrete.
The monumental front façade is perfectly symmetrical with two lateral towers. Inspired by classical and neo-renaissance elements, it presents a double-row of rounded arches, lightened by the portico on the ground floor. The red bricks are playfully contrasted by elements in white travertine.