Urban furniture: Snail-shaped stone structure

In the park of my city, there is a structure used as a decoration, and subsequently for entertainment for the youngest, called the snail. The name was assigned for its particular spiral shape or snail shell 🐌. From the photos I hope you can perceive the spiral shape that tends to rise upwards, shrinking more and more in a central point, a small terrace from which you can enjoy the view of the whole structure. Being a few meters from the sea, from the top of the snail you can also enjoy an excellent sea view. There is very little information on its genesis.

Built during the years of Mussolini's fascism, around 1940, the snail actually takes on a very important symbolism: a constant path towards the summit, a wish for young boys to be an inspiration for the achievement of future military and civil hierarchies. In those days, in fact, there was considerable pressure on the children because it was in them that the regime invested for the development and well-being of society.

The snail was built entirely of stone and tuff but over the years there have been renovations and it was preferred to cover it with a rough plaster to protect it from atmospheric agents and the saltiness of the sea. On particularly windy days and when the sea is stormy, a veil of brackish water covers the structure for which over the years the structure has had critical moments, with the danger of partial collapse, for which urgent intervention was necessary.

Along the snail there is a small path that guides the visitor to a slow ascent to the top, offering a suggestive landscape: from the park with the carousels, to the view of the Adriatic Sea and the typical vegetation of the park. a wooden fence has recently been added as protection for the little ones who often walk the path at a brisk pace or even running. Access is via a small stone bridge, very impressive, which has the function of constituting a passage from the snail to the first access point, otherwise inhibited by a moat that surrounds the snail.

Here are linked many memories of when I was a child and we jumped from wall to wall, without stopping, parkour style, and I remember well the falls I took. But the wounds have healed and the good memories remain in my mind and heart. The snail also represented for a period a romantic place to spend time with your other half, observing the enchanting sea. In this post I told you about an apparent bizarre construction, actually with a meaning that adheres to the history of its construction and a more playful evolution but which remains today one of the most popular architectural furnishings in the park and in the city.