Rationalism in Como

Rationalism in Como: When Architecture Sculpts the City

The transition from the 19th to the 20th century was experienced throughout the Western world as an epochal change. This renewal was evident across all technical and economic sectors and was reflected in architecture, where the availability of new technologies applied to materials allowed for constructions that were unthinkable just a few decades earlier. Instead of continuing to think in terms of form, the focus shifted to the function that architectural objects had to fulfill.
Consequently, Rationalism took hold in architecture.

In Como, the first signs of architectural renewal were felt through the work of Antonio Sant’Elia, a Futurist who created forward-looking visions of cities composed of skyscrapers and multi-level roads.
However, it was only in the years following the First World War that a group of young architects and engineers began to incorporate elements inspired by the most modern international experiences into their professional practice.
A leading role was certainly played by Giuseppe Terragni, who, during his final years of study, founded "Gruppo 7" with several Milanese colleagues. He was responsible for the city's first overtly Rationalist work, the Novocomum, as well as the Casa del Fascio and the Asilo Sant’Elia.

To discover all the secrets of Rationalist architecture in the city of Como, we provide some suggestions below; please note that some buildings are for private use, and therefore it will not be possible to visit their interiors.
Starting with the aforementioned Novocomum on Via Sinigaglia, the former Casa del Fascio in Piazza del Popolo behind the Cathedral (now the headquarters of the Guardia di Finanza), and the Asilo Sant’Elia on Via dei Mille, other sites of great architectural significance include: the Monumento ai Caduti (War Memorial), located on Viale V. Veneto; and in the city center, Hotel Posta on Via Garibaldi and Hotel Metropole Suisse in Piazza Cavour, which creates one of the most iconic images of the city.