ABSTRACT
The Italian architectural heritage in the South Aegean built during the occupation of the Dodecanese islands is represented in the case study of the Kallithea thermal bath resort on the island of Rhodes. During the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1912, the Dodecanese islands were formally annexed by Italy as the Possedimenti Italiani dell’Egeo. Italian colonists settled there until 1943. For Mussolini, these Italian-occupied lands provided the opportunity for a program of new infrastructure, urban planning and architecture aimed to realize the dream of fascist modernità in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Built in 1928, the Kallithea resort is tangible evidence of the Italian “colonialist” presence in the aforementioned territories. The foremost idea for this complex was to maintain a romantic and exotic vision in pristine nature perceived more as a tourist attraction than as a site for propaganda delivered through architecture.
The chapter investigates how this complex came into existence and survived until today. After World War II, when the islands were returned to Greece, they represented Fascist occupation and evidence of Italian rule. They were therefore left abandoned and unmaintained for many years. However, recently the resort has been restored and revitalized and now operates as a prominent touristic destination on the island.
