Mario Ridolfi (5 May 1904 – 11 November 1984) was an Italian architect and urban planner associated with Italian rationalism and later with Neorealist architecture. He was one of the leading figures involved in the INA-Casa public housing programme after World War II, designing the Tiburtino district in Rome together with Ludovico Quaroni. He also contributed to the Manuale dell'architetto (Architect's Manual), published in 1945–46.
Among Ridolfi's best-known works are the Piazza Bologna Post Office, the FAO Headquarters and the INA Towers in Rome, as well as numerous residential projects in Terni. In 1953 he received the Feltrinelli Prize from the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
Early life and education Ridolfi was born in Rome on 5 May 1904 to Salvatore Ridolfi, an artisan painter and decorator originally from the Marche, and Egle Sestili, a native of Terni. Raised in an environment steeped in traditional building trades, he completed lower secondary schooling before attending evening classes in furniture and architectural drafting at the Museo Artistico Industriale in Rome. Between 1918 and 1923, he worked as a clerk and draftsman in the engineering practice of Vittorio Ribaudi, who recognized his talents and supported his academic progression.
In 1924, Ridolfi enrolled in the Scuola Superiore di Architettura di Roma (now part of Sapienza University of Rome). During his studies, he established a close friendship and professional rivalry with Adalberto Libera. He graduated in 1929 with a thesis project for a seaside resort in Castel Fusano (Colonia marina a Castelfusano). In 1930, he won the national competition for the Pensionato Artistico Nazionale, which provided a travel scholarship for study abroad.
Career Ridolfi began his career within the vanguard of Italian Rationalism. In 1928, while still an undergraduate, he participated in the First Italian Exhibition of Rational Architecture (I Esposizione Italiana di Architettura Razionale) in Rome, exhibiting five projects including the spiraling Torre dei ristoranti ("Tower of Restaurants"). He subsequently joined the Movimento Italiano per l'Architettura Razionale (MIAR) and exhibited at its second national exhibition in 1931, presenting his graduation project and the nursery school on Isola del Giglio, his first built work.
In 1932, the Ministry of Communications organized a national competition for four branch post offices in Rome. In partnership with Mario Fagiolo, Ridolfi won the commission for the Nomentano Post Office in Piazza Bologna. Completed in October 1935, the building is regarded as a hallmark of Italian interwar Rationalism. Adapting to the elliptical layout of the square, the structure features a dual-curving travertine facade, horizontal ribbon glazing, and a double-height public hall illuminated by translucent termolux panels. Disagreements regarding the execution drawings and formal authorship led to the dissolution of the partnership with Fagiolo.
In late 1933, Libera introduced Ridolfi to Wolfgang Frankl, a German architect who had left Nazi Germany. The son of art historian Paul Frankl, Wolfgang introduced Central European polytechnic rigor and the concept of Werkgerechtigkeit (the principle of ethical construction appropriate to materials) into the practice. Their collaborative partnership lasted for five decades. Their interwar work included the Zodiac Fountain in Piazza Tacito, Terni (1932–1936, featuring mosaics by Corrado Cagli), the Antonio Bordoni Technical Institute in Pavia (1935), and the Rea and Colombo apartment buildings in Rome.
In 1937–1938, a consortium led by Ridolfi and Frankl with Vittorio Cafiero and Ernesto Rossi won the competition for the Palazzo del Ministero dell'Africa Italiana in Rome (completed in 1952 and today serving as the FAO Headquarters).
Later life and death In his later years, Ridolfi's health deteriorated, accompanied by progressive loss of mobility and failing eyesight. Following the death of his son Fabio in Toronto in December 1982, he grew increasingly withdrawn. On 11 November 1984, he died by suicide in the Nera River near Terni.
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