Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station, Florence

The Gruppo Toscano (Tuscan Group), including Giovanni Michelucci and Italo Gamberini, designed the Florence train station. Though these architects were Futurists, the railway station is decidedly Fascist, with a floor-plan inspired by a bundle of sticks, the very symbol of Fascism.

The universal dynamism and bare-boned structure of Futurist architecture can be seen. The basic elements of the station’s function and structure were abstracted to the essential and then treated as a machine. Great grids of skylights lead the passenger to the platform, where open-aired slits stand above the waiting train. It is as bare as a factory yet sculpted carefully for each space’s function.

Fascism is more to be seen on the exterior, with a sand colored brick that strips all ornament and gratuity. It ignores all context and precedence in an effort to be relevant to the now and unite all classes of people. It is a vigorous style which conforms to all people and cultures, yet imposes a dominant authoritative dogma. The Novella Station is the essential link between optimistic Futurism and destructive Fascism. Today’s schemes are just as optimistic, and considering the social unrest of today, could turn out just the same!

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