A Infância da modernidade: Holiday Camps for Children from Fascist Italy to Salazar’s Portugal

Abstract

In Portugal, Salazar’s government, after the creation of the Estado Novo (1933–74), introduced a series of welfare policies following the example of what had been implemented in Italy. Although with different declinations, closely linked to the Lusitanian nationalist identity, Italy became a model for Salazarism. Various organizations such as the Fundação Nacional para a Alegria no Trabalho (FNAT), the Organização Nacional Mocidade Portuguesa (ONMP) and the Obra das Mães pela Educação Nacional (OMEN) were involved in building holiday camps for children in the country: they were located on the seaside, on the hills, and in mountain valleys, with functional programs related to childcare and leisure. Numerous leading figures in Portuguese politics were sent by the government to study and visit fascist welfare organizations in Italy, while architects – engaged since the late 1930s in drawing up layouts for summer camps – were urged to use a traditional architectural language. Based on a research conducted in several Portuguese archives, the essay traces the relationship between the two regimes to highlight, through political ideology and built works, similarities, and differences in the relationship between the modernity of architecture and the needs to represent national identity.