Gran caffè Margherita - Viareggio - Tuscany

Originally built in wood in 1902, it was demolished and rebuilt in masonry in 1928 to a design by engineer Alfredo Belluomini in close collaboration with decorator Tito Chini, who supervised the numerous ornamental elements, which give the building that exotic aspect that makes it unique. makes. The Gran Caffè Margherita represents one of the last works of the eclectic-deco Viareggio period.

Interesting is the central gallery of the building, originally open to the sea, later closed and now used as a restaurant.

Having survived the dramatic fire of 1917, which destroyed most of the bathing establishments on Viale Margherita, it was demolished in the 1920s.

Various changes were made in the two wings for the location of the services related to the new use, with the marble floor slabs, the fixtures and part of the furniture being renewed, while the covered gallery still retains the rich interior decoration with its decorations and precious ceiling ornaments. The hall has recently been stripped of its beautiful interior design and chandeliers.

It currently houses (2022) the Mondadori bookshop in Viareggio, a large restaurant and the historic Café.
The building has an aura of distinct oriental flavor and is dominated by the symmetry of the two side turrets, covered by domes typical of Moorish architecture.

The shell of the domes is made of ceramic scales in different colors, mainly yellow and green; the small columns of the balustrade of the main terrace on the top floor are also made of ceramic (metallic luster) by the Fornaci San Lorenzo factory along the entire main facade.

Characteristic and architecturally significant is the covered gallery, formerly open and an evocative filter between the promenade and the sandy shore, now enclosed by glass and in use as a restaurant hall.

Inside, there are geometric decorations on the partition walls, while the ceiling paneled by the beams of the decorative paneling which are alternating pictorial elements with painted and stained glass from the Fornaci San Lorenzo factory in Borgo San Lorenzo, works by Tito Chini from 1928.

The space of considerable size is dominated in plan by a series of piers and beams in conglomerate cement, while the parts placed on the wings are in traditional masonry

Willem Vandenameele