Daniele Calabi’s Seaside Holiday Camp at Lido di Venezia: From Knowledge to Reuse Strategies

Abstract

The Lido of Venice, a strip of land between the sea and the lagoon, has been the favourite vacation spot for Venetians for over a century. Since the establishment of the first bathhouse (1857), during the nineteenth century the beaches of the Lido had become a tourist destination, thanks to the edification of important luxury hotels and Art Nouveau houses. In this context of great change, the seaside holiday camp “Principi di Piemonte” was designed by Daniele Calabi and erected between 1936 and 1937, commissioned by the Municipality of Padua in order to have a touristic location on Venetian land. Located on a plot of more than 14.000 m2, the holiday camp consists of buildings organized around a large courtyard cut out in a rigid geometric grid, originally open to the sea. However, significant transformative processes have changed the layout over time, in some cases betraying the architect’s original idea.

Through the analysis of the archival documentation held in the Archivio Progetti of the Università Iuav di Venezia, the paper analyzes both the design and the construction of the complex, and highlights the peculiar context of experimentation and innovation on building materials and techniques connected to the Italian autarchic years. The paper also considers the current process aimed at reusing the site by involving public and private stakeholders, and highlights how holiday camps represent a chance to investigate cultural, technical, and economic issues while preserving modern heritage.