The Liberty epic in the
Province of Varese started at the dawn of the 20th century. Dynamic
entrepreneurs, mostly from nearby Milan, had cast their eye on this
scenic pre-alpine location. They would soon become the patrons of a
group of progressive young architects, such as Sommaruga, Stacchini and
Gambini, who would launch a new international style, contrasting with
the eclectic style which had arisen after the unification of Italy. Art
Nouveau, or Liberty as it was known in Italy, answered the drive for
modernity and internationalism while not excluding the knowledge based
on local, and sometimes ancient, traditions of craftsmanship.
An increasingly confident middle-class made plans for buildings in the
city, factories on the outskirts; large hotels; villas large and small,
exploiting the carefully planned rail and tramways spread over the
territory. The men welcoming the new century here and trusting in
progress, acted as real futurists even before Marinetti, in Paris, wrote
the well-known manifesto proclaiming to live in the future dynamically,
in 1909. The roar of the plane, car and motorcycle engines echoed
everywhere here. On the lake of Varese and on the Ticino the seaplanes
would compete with the oarsmen, taking lively and joyful possession of
land and airways.
At the Kursaal of Masnago gamblers tried their luck, others did
clay-pigeon shooting, or spent their time leisurely in the sumptuous
rooms of the Grand Hotel Campo dei Fiori or the Palace Grand Hotel, all
designed by Giuseppe Sommaruga. In its beautiful little Liberty theatre,
unfortunately destroyed in the Second World War, Varese cultivated the
emerging passion for theatrical culture.
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