“Chalet Miramare”, the city’s first beach establishment, was created in the area that has been known as Lido Cluana since 1922. The chalet was destroyed by a fire in 1930 and the Lido Cluana buildings were erected on the same site in 1933. These are two twin buildings designed by the engineer Gaetano Caradonna and positioned symmetrically on the old axis joining the Sforza-Cesarini municipal hall with the sea, along Piazza XX Settembre. The frontal decoration of these buildings is an example of the Art Nouveau style in its later development. Throughout the 1930s, nationally renowned dance festivals and social events were held in Portocivitanova, which had become a well-known holiday and amusement location. The Lido Cluana services were suspended during the Second World War and resumed afterwards with evening programmes on the seashore. After a period of abandonment and use for various inappropriate purposes, restoration work began in 2003 to reclaim one the region’s most interesting Art Nouveau monuments for posterity and the city.
