Enrico Del Debbio e Alberto Calza Bini ad Anagni: due interventi urbanistico-architettonici degli anni Venti del Novecento

Abstract

This essay examines the execution of two projects undertaken in Anagni in the 1920s by the architects Enrico Del Debbio
and Alberto Calza Bini: a War memorial and its overlooking memorial park; and a College-Boarding school dedicated to the
“Principe di Piemonte”. The first project entails the requalification of a large space in the historic town centre, just inside the medieval
city walls; the second, concerns a suburban area, overlooking the north city gate, on which lie the remains of an ancient
monastery dating back to the 12th century. Both reflect the political and cultural choices of those years. The fascist regime, on
the rise and seeking affirmation and popularity, was particularly dedicated to pedagogical aspects – through the ‘culto dei caduti’
(cult of the fallen) – and innovative ones, depicting itself as the transformer of the whole society via the creation of numerous
government and welfare bodies. The two works are analysed in their historical-constructional stages, supported by a significant
number of archival documents, and compared to the planning work of the two professionals throughout their careers.