Palazzo delle Poste

Palazzo delle Poste is Cesare Bazzani's post and telegraph building of 1931–1932 on Forlì's Piazza Aurelio Saffi. Its setback frontage and contrast of travertine with brick introduced a substantial twentieth-century intervention into the historic square.

Why it matters

The project changed the square's geometry rather than simply replacing an existing frontage. Demolition of older houses and the new setback opened views towards San Mercuriale and Palazzo Paulucci-De Calboli, making urban space part of the architectural design.

What to notice

A deep portico extends the square's arcaded character. The long facade, articulated in two orders, is balanced by raised lateral towers. Pale travertine contrasts with the brickwork. Behind the frontage, a courtyard provides light to the large semicircular public hall, linking the exterior composition with the building's original administrative function.

Context and history

The palace belongs to the programme of public building undertaken during the Fascist period. Bazzani's historicist classicism differs from the more explicitly Rationalist architecture also associated with Forlì in those years. Its classical architectural language gave the modern postal administration a monumental presence within a much older civic setting.