Villa Mussolini remains in Riccione: the "Sabauda" flag is excluded, the Municipality wins

The Savoy flag will not fly over "Villa Mussolini" in Riccione. The summer residence of the Duce, auctioned by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini and for which the Municipality of Riccione and the Turin-based "David2", a company close to entrepreneur and art collector Massimo Massano, a former deputy of the Msi, were competing, remains with the Municipality of the Romagna city, which has managed the structure since 1997, turning it into a cultural hub overlooking the seafront just steps away from the famous Viale Ceccarini.

Last night, the Board of Directors of the same Foundation crowned the seaside municipality, which put forward the sum of 1,206,000 euros, stating that it "decided by majority" regarding the assignment of the property, following a "evaluation of the offers made in a comprehensive, economic, and project-based manner".

The achievement in the race for "Villa Mussolini" "is a victory for the city, for the city - emphasizes the mayor of Riccione, Daniela Angelini -: today we are not just celebrating a purchase, but an act of identity reclamation". It is not, she continues, "a simple valuable property, but a historic building that tells our evolution: from its birth as an elite seaside resort to its transformation into a public place dedicated to culture". The final institutional step is expected in the city council, an act that will confirm the definitive public ownership of the property, which is set to be included in an integrated museum system that includes Villa Franceschi, Villa Lodi Fè, Spazio Tondelli, and the Museum of the Territory, with programming open all year round.

"Bringing the Villa back to the people of Riccione - Angelini further argues - is a visionary choice: Riccione does not erase its complex memory, but critically reworks it through culture to make it a infrastructure for the future".

The summer residence of the Duce, which hosted the head of Fascism and his family for years by the Adriatic Sea, had been up for auction since last October. The Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Rimini, which acquired the property in 1997, initially faced three offers: that of the Municipality of Riccione, which has the structure on loan; that of the Turin-based 'David2', and that of a piadina-producing company that almost immediately withdrew from the challenge.

The Piedmontese company, in competition with the Municipality, reportedly intended to host in the villa the futurist and modernist collection of Elena and Massimo Massano, featuring works by Umberto Boccioni and Romagna artists.

Built in 1893 as "Villa Margherita", the house was purchased in 1934 by Rachele Mussolini. After the fall of Fascism, it became property of the State. From 1966 to 1983, it housed a restaurant and after years of abandonment, in 1997, it was transferred to the Fondazione Carim through Riminicultura.

In recent months, the entry of the Savoy company had raised some concerns in the local political world, with former mayor of Riccione, Daniele Imola, whose Administration had revitalized Villa Mussolini, worried that the residence could become a gathering place for nostalgics.