Originally named “Corso del Littorio,” later “Corso Nuova Italia,” and finally renamed “Corso Italia,” this elegant boulevard was created in the early 1930s as a modern promenade connecting Piazza Gabriele Rossetti to the newly built Villa Comunale, located 500 meters further south at the Piana dell’Aragona.
The first section, overlooking Piazza Rossetti, has recently undergone redevelopment, including the restoration of historic school buildings and the construction of a staircase leading down to the square. The history of this new district begins with these two buildings. On February 19, 1925, the foundation stone of the first school was laid in the presence of local authorities and a large crowd gathered in what was then called Piazza Cavour, before it was renamed Piazza Rossetti.
The first building was completed in just over a year and inaugurated on September 12, 1926, alongside the Monument to Gabriele Rossetti and the Sinello Aqueduct. The second school building followed in 1931. These structures housed elementary schools, the “Gabriele Rossetti” Vocational School, a middle school, and, on the ground floor of the second building, municipal offices.
Following the arrival of Allied troops on November 5, 1943, under General Montgomery’s command, the school buildings were repurposed as a military hospital. A wooden bridge was even built between two upper-floor windows facing Via XXIV Maggio to connect the buildings. It was only in late June 1944, after the departure of the British Eighth Army, that the schools resumed their original educational function. By the 1990s, however, they had become outdated and were repurposed for commercial and administrative use.
Continuing south towards the Villa Comunale, Corso Italia opens up to traffic, lined with elegant homes and refined storefronts. The street retains a sophisticated character, thanks to the harmonious proportions of the surrounding buildings, most of which were constructed in the 1930s.
At the intersection with Via XXIV Maggio stands a distinctive Art Nouveau structure: the Politeama Ruzzi, completed in 1927. Its façade features a five-arch portico, with the initials of its commissioner, industrialist Giovanni Ruzzi, engraved on the keystones. The plastered façade is adorned with pilasters decorated with botanical motifs. Originally intended to serve both as a cultural venue and as a gathering place for the National Fascist Party, the building still bears the Latin inscription “Delectando docet” above its entrance, meaning “It teaches by delighting.”
Further along Corso Italia, numerous Liberty-style buildings can be admired. Notable among them are Palazzo Bottari, directly opposite the Politeama Ruzzi, and Palazzo De Sanctis, just beyond it on the same side of the street.
Beyond Via IV Novembre, after a post-war building, stands Palazzo Martella, once home to the historic Martella pasta factory, followed by Palazzo Vicoli. Across from it, at the intersection with Via Asmara, is Palazzo Cieri-Cavallone.
The Liberty-style architectural tour of Corso Italia extends into the nearby Via Asmara, which begins at the southern end of the boulevard. At its junction with Via Smargiassi, one finds the most stunning of all these buildings: Palazzo Melle-Molino. Built in 1929, this two-story structure is distinguished by an integrated three-story tower, where the balcony doors are adorned with delicate floral-patterned trifora windows, adding to its refined elegance.
