Basic Geometries or Hidden Figures? Aldo Rossi and the Memorial That Was Not

Despite not being built, the monument in honour of the fallen of the Italian Resistance, designed by Aldo Rossi for the 1962 competition in Cuneo, represents an important stage in the complex relationship between architecture and historical memory. The tradition of commemorative monuments dates back to ancient Rome as exaltation of nobility to confirm the leading role of the upper class. With the rise of Romantic nationalism, monuments had to remember past history and glorify patriotic virtues, often celebrating sovereigns and military victories. According to pedagogical intentions, the public space of a nation recently established as a state like Italy was thus populated with statues aimed at preserving a conservative ideology. The national rhetoric was inexorably demolished by World War II, when the Resistance revealed the ability of the lower class to rebel against occupation and fascism. The tragic blood toll paid by the Italian people required monuments, such as the memorial designed by Aldo Rossi, that could express the values of sacrifice in a dignified, severe, and anti-rhetorical manner. The geometric frame of Cuneo memorial is extremely simple but, nevertheless, reveals profound formal matrices. The urban layout marks the territory with a concise and austere, albeit human, gesture. The solid geometry of an accessible monument summons visitors to a demanding physical experience, which tends to alter their faculties. The proportions of the steps are only apparently the result of quantitative calculations. On the contrary, they impose an effort on the human being to provoke mental and emotional involvement. The monument, which almost seems to recall classical legacy, can therefore be read as a democratic testament to coexistence and peace.