The “Sanatorium” of Salerno. Knowledge, restoration and enhancement of a forgotten coastal heritage

Referring to a case study, the Sanatorium of Salerno, the proposed contribution aims to deepen the knowledge, the conservation status and potential for enhancement of holiday colonies in Campania built during the fascist regime. These State’s institutions, located along the coasts of the Italian peninsula, were part of the wider program of education and training for children organized by the fascist government during the ‘20s and ‘30s of the XXth century. The colonies had in fact the task of welcoming the young people during the summer holidays to entertain them with educational activities, often fulfilling a social purpose, to host orphans or tuberculosis patients. The rationalist language and the contribution of famous architects working during the Fascist period have made these buildings important evidence not only in a social field, but also for the history of architecture, during a time when the debate on modern architecture features was strongly turned on. The presence of colonies in Campania was conspicuous and was represented by important architectures, particularly in Torre Annunziata and Naples, in the Bagnoli area, in Maiori and Salerno. These buildings today are in a state of abandon and decay that compromised in many cases the recognisability of formal and architectural values. The paper aims to deepen the knowledge of historical events, construction techniques, and the state of conservation of these buildings, starting from the paradigmatic case of the sanatorium in Torre Angellara in Salerno, designed in the ‘30s of the XXth century by Camillo Guerra and architects Flavio Cermola. The building was already operating in 1933 and hosted children for summer camps and children affected by tuberculosis. The complex, called Sanatorium, consisted of four buildings situated in an area – Torre Angellara – that was ideal for buildings with this feature: far from the city, but connected to it by way of Calabria, and near the beach. The building is today included within the new port centre of the city, in an area that is currently subjected to radical urban transformation. The proposed study, with the aim of preserving the historic and formal values these buildings represent, intend to propose good practice for a possible intervention of reuse and restoration that aim to preserve a highly compromised coastal heritage.