Torre del Mare Architectural Park: Mario Galvagni's Unfinished Modernist Vision

Mario Galvagni designed twenty residential buildings, urban furniture, landscape plans, and infrastructure for the Torre del Mare Architectural Park between 1954 and 1960, commissioned by Milanese entrepreneur Pierino Tizzoni. The project aimed to create a comprehensive urban plan controlling site development, with Galvagni reshaping the landscape as the main subject. Early villas and the original office building (1954) exemplify his 'Ecology of Form' concept, exploring form in relation to landscape context. Later experiments included self-supporting shells with metal mesh and cement mortar, as seen in Casa Gianoglio and Casa Reale (1958-1960). The project faced public opposition in the 1960s over the planned central square and Ninfee complex, criticized as an attack on Bergeggi's landscape values. Superintendent Armando Dillon and a commission from Savona's architects' order and Italia Nostra demanded Galvagni's removal. Tizzoni sold the properties, and Galvagni abandoned the morphologically incomplete work. Today, the park's modernist heritage and conservation raise questions, with the local superintendent's office applying landscape constraints and urban regulations. The festival 'Abitare la Vacanza_off' promoted by Bergeggi Municipality and Isola di Bergeggi Marine Protected Area, funded by Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, curates the site's legacy.