GRADO Beach City – An exhibition about architecture and urbanism

Considering ourselves very lucky to live and work here on the island of Grado, today we are very proud to present a new exhibition dedicated to architecture and urbanism from its origins back in 1872 to a modern beach city in 2017.

Brief summary:

• The birth of Grado as a beach and spa town is traced back to the time between 1872 and 1873. Florentine pediatrician Giuseppe Barellai began building a marine hospice for children suffering from organic weakness and joint and bony diseases. Later, for the “village of peasants”, a slow but steady development will develop: in 1892 the island is included in the official list of places of health resorts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
• The construction of the first hotels like Hotel Fonzari and the complex of the Ville Bianchi, built around 1900 marked a big step forward but still had little impact on the growth of the urban system of Grado
• In 1901 the land reclamation of the area today considered the center of Grado provided a further framework for the next urban plan. In the area thus obtained, corresponding to today’s Via Europa Unita, adjacent streets like Via Marina and Via Orseolo, around Riva Camperio, Via Rossini, Via Roma, Via Venezia and Largo San Grisogono form new areas for residential buildings, shops and restaurants 
• In the post-war period the development of the island became dense, starting finally with the restoration of the old town and the creation of new residential districts for residents, calibrated on parameters comparatively different compared to the past. In this context, in addition to the long and difficult work on the Castrum buildings and their “hygiene”, the land reclamation of San Vito and the Island of Schiusa, neighborhoods built in the immediate vicinity of the historic center,  were designed to meet the housing needs of a steadily increasing employment
• Last but not least, several attempts have been made for further expansion of the urban space with the occupation of the last undeveloped areas left: the Val Cavarera and the Sacca dei Moreri

An interesting detail is the section dedicated to Mid-Century Modern architecture like the Condominio Zipser designed and built by Marcello d’Olivo between 1960 and 1964.

Casa della Musica Grado, Piazza Bingo Marin
The exhibition is open every day from 7.30 pm – 10.30 pm until October 1st, 2017

Free admission

Images: units.it

PS: If you like our projects and if you would like to invest and live on the beautiful island of Grado please don’t hesitate to contact us!