Beyond Italianization. Conflicts, stories, and reactions of the afterlives of fascism in Bolzano/Bozen

Bolzano/Bozen represents an epitome in the history of Italian Fascism and an intriguing case of its afterlife. After the First World War, it was annexed to the Reign of Italy and massively Italianized. The fascist regime imposed the development of the western and southern areas of the city. During this period all the main figures of Italian modern architecture converged to Bolzano/Bozen by proposing inspiring visions and provocative projects for this new part of the city. After the Fascist period this area of the city was massively demolished and reconstructed with completely different strategies of urban development and public space design. The two ethnic groups — the German and the Italian — have been in opposition for decades, and the geographical conformation of the city still underlines this separation. The river Talvera has been the inner border of the two communities: the German historic city on the east side and the new Italian development neighborhood on the west side. Today the two communities live in one compact and unified city, coexisting with oppositions and frictions. The essay critically examines the urban development of the western part of Bolzano/Bozen through the architecture of its public spaces by exploring how the dynamic and paradoxical actions of domination and reinterpretation have shaped transformations, and how these events, in turn, went on irrevocably shaping the city itself.