Tra memoria e uso: il caso del Centro Italo Svizzero a Rimini e il valore relazionale del patrimonio / Between Memory and Use: The Case of the Italo-Swiss Centre in Rimini and the Relational Value of Heritage

Abstract

The Centro Educativo Italo Svizzero (CEIS) in Rimini, built in 1946 on the remains of the Roman amphitheatre, is a notable example of modern educational architecture rooted in the principles of the Nouvelle École, promoting inclusion, child-centred pedagogy, and integration between learning environments, nature, and community. In the 1950s, the complex was expanded with the residential centre ‘La Betulla’ by Giancarlo De Carlo and an administrative building by Giuseppe Vaccaro. Although protected, it has yet to receive formal recognition as a cultural asset. In 2020, DoCoMoMo Italia identified it as a significant exemplar. The proposal to dismantle the complex to reveal the Roman remains risks destroying a living heritage where memory, social practices, and everyday use are intertwined. The essay reflects on contemporary understandings of ‘heritage’, which now extend beyond material value to include collective identities and lived spaces, emphasising that cultural value lies in evolving networks of meaning over time.