La Mostra d’Oltremare e il Teatro Mediterraneo

The plan for “Mostra d’Oltremare” is strictly connected to the one for the new neighbourhood of Fuorigrotta: the former was started in January 1938 and the latter was completed in 1937; responsible for both of them is the architect Marcello Canino, professor at the university of Naples. Moreover, in the same years the general town plan of Naples was accomplished, then published in 1936. It was drawn up by a team including Canino and Luigi Piccinato, who was the main inspiring figure, so that it is also known as “Piccinato’s plan”. The two architects worked together and taught in the same institution. Piccinato, who was the first real town planner in Italy and had planned one of the new fascist cities, Sabaudia, dealt with the problem of the new neighbourhood while working in the town plan commission. The results influenced the plan of Fuorigrotta, which was drawn up by the city technical office after Canino’s work. Piccinato’s work for Mostra d’Oltremare consists of Teatro Mediterraneo, the zoological garden, the funfair with “Teatro dei Piccoli” and, in cooperation with Carlo Cocchia, of the complete garden plan. This last one cannot be thought as separated from Canino’s street and building plan, so that it is possible to conclude that, in a dialectic relationship between the two plans, Piccinato’s contribution to the fair plan is not minimal. The monumental “Fontana dell’Esedra”, which was designed with Cocchia, is the heart of the “green axis” and is able to give a pause to visitors walking from the main entrance. Together with this axis, other three orthogonal axes are created as a palm boulevard, a pine boulevard and a connection with the greenhouse. In conclusion, through archive research and with the generous support of the Archivio Luigi Piccinato, it has been possible to reconsider his contribution for the urban plan and the architecture of this important step in the growth of Naples.