Art Nouveau is the artistic movement that developed in the late 19th and early 20th century in reaction to the austerity of industrialisation and the desire to bring art back into contact with nature. Characterised by sinuous lines, floral motifs and decorations inspired by the plant world, Art Nouveau influenced architecture, applied arts and urban design.
Even in Bassa Romagna, in the province of Ravenna, it is still possible to admire beautiful examples of this style, strolling through the historic centres of Lugo and Massa Lombarda.
These two towns preserve significant traces of Art Nouveau and its evolutions, up to Art Deco, which combines elegance and modern geometry.
This itinerary will take you on a discovery of unique buildings and architectural details, witnesses to an era in which decorative art made towns more fascinating and evocative.
In the heart of Lugo, in the area once known as the San Domenico vegetable gardens, lies a charming residential district that emerged between the 1920s and 1930s.
Here, along the Miraglia, Bertacchi and Orsini avenues, you can admire numerous ‘’little villas‘’ of the Lugo neo-bourgeoisie in the early post-war period, single-family houses characterised by an architecture that blends Eclectic, Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences.
Although these buildings vary in structure and size, they share a number of common stylistic elements:
One example, among many, are the geometric patterns typical of Art Deco in Ville Gardenghi and Guiducci in Viale Bertacchi, all dating from between 1923 and 1924 and designed by architect Carlo Paolo Visani. On the eaves of Villa Guiducci, one can also see a decoration with putti and festoons by Domenico Pasi known as Nino, reworking an elegant invention by Galileo Chini, the Italian master of Art Nouveau.
Must-see
Walking among these buildings, one has the impression of reliving the atmosphere of a time when art and architecture reflected the dreams and ambitions of middle-class society, between innovation and tradition.
A few minutes' drive from the centre of Lugo leads to Massa Lombarda.
In the first decades of the 20th century, this town experienced a phase of great development, establishing itself in 1927 as the Italian capital of fruit growing. This prestigious title was conferred on it on the occasion of the Second National Exhibition and National Fruit Growing Congress. Fruit growing not only shaped the local economy, but also fostered the growth of related sectors such as the processing industry, handicrafts, cooperation and the creation of fruit and vegetable warehouses.
In this context of economic and social ferment, the Pueris Sacrum was inaugurated in 1910, a building constructed on the initiative of a society of benefactors from the town to house a nursery school. The structure, recently recovered and renovated by the Municipality, represents one of the best examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Massa Lombarda, with its harmonious lines and elegant decorations, in the perfect style of the period, as can be seen from the relief decorations on the façade.
To see
Today, the Pueris Sacrum houses the Carlo Venturini Cultural Centre, which houses the impressive collection of Dr Carlo Venturini, a famous doctor and collector. The Municipal Library and Art Gallery are located here, offering visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in a cultural heritage that ranges from art to local history.
Massa Lombarda, with its Art Nouveau applied to social and school architecture, recounts a time when aesthetics and functionality merged to create places for the community to meet and grow.
