The school on piazza Brennero was designed by Ivan Ricca, chief engineer of the municipality of Savona, and approved by the podestà in December 1931 with a budget of 2,300,000 lire. It was built for one purpose: to give the city’s industrial and vocational schools a single address.
The site was not the first choice. The project was meant for viale Dante Alighieri and moved only later to Villapiana, a district then filling with new housing and new industry. Work went to the Genoese contractor Ivan Manfroni in March 1933 and ended on 27 October 1934.
What it was built for
By 1936 the complex held the three-year Scuola Secondaria di Avviamento Professionale and the two-year Regia Scuola Industriale Paolo Boselli, along with specialised courses, and counted some 620 students. The school had taken Boselli’s name in 1923, after the Savona-born teacher and statesman Paolo Boselli (1838–1932), who had worked for education in his city.
The technical institute later moved to Rocca di Legino. Since the early 1970s the building has housed the Liceo Scientifico Orazio Grassi.
What you see
The elevation is sober and heavy, ordered by tall three-part windows, with the main entrance on piazza Brennero and long flanks running along via Carlo Sardi and via San Lorenzo. Three fasci littori are still carved into the wall facing via Corridoni. The building is listed, and recent structural work inside was carried out under the supervision of the heritage authority.
Details
- Designer: Ivan Ricca, chief engineer of the Comune di Savona
- Approved: December 1931, by the podestà
- Built: March 1933 to 27 October 1934, by the firm Ivan Manfroni of Genoa
- Cost: 2,300,000 lire
- Where: piazza Brennero, Villapiana district, Savona, Liguria
- Then and now: industrial and vocational schools; Liceo Scientifico Orazio Grassi since the early 1970s
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the building?
Ivan Ricca, chief engineer of the municipality of Savona. The podestà approved his project in December 1931 and the work was finished on 27 October 1934.
Why is the school named after Paolo Boselli?
The industrial school took the name in 1923, in honour of Paolo Boselli (1838–1932), a teacher and statesman born in Savona who devoted himself to education in the city.
Can the Fascist-era symbols still be seen?
Yes. Three fasci littori remain carved along the wall facing via Corridoni.
