I - 147 : Mussolini's Tourists in Rhodes

Italian Poster promoting Tourism in Rhodes in 1935

When writing my previous blog, I found the above poster on the internet. First, I glanced over it without paying much attention. Designed in a post-1945 style, it reminded me of tourist posters in my home country. On closer inspection I noticed that the poster dated from 1935. It showed Italian Rodi (Rhodes) with tourists enjoying the beach, walking around modern hotel compounds and going for land trips from their ocean liner. In a nut-shell, it shows Rhodes as a holiday paradise. But mass tourism - as this poster depicts - is something we only know since the 1960s. Did fascist Italy invent tourism before World War II?

The scenic Port of San Remo became a Hot Spot for European Nobles in late 19th Century

Tourism came to Italy in the late 19th century. Wrote about the first tourists in San Remo and Liguria in my 2023 blogs. After the Côte d’Azur and Switzerland, the Costa dei Fiori was the third big destination. The western part of Liguria pulled in a glamorous crowd. Royal families and nobles from all over Europe came to spend the colder months here. There was a direct train from St Petersburg to San Remo. Many royal yachts wintered in San Remo. The old, fancy Grand Palais style hotels and the orthodox church still dominate the town's skyline and remind of past glorious days. But this was high end luxury tourism for royals and the ultra-rich. Ordinary citizens could not afford such holidays. It ended with World War I and never fully recovered.

Mussolini's Stadium for the 1940 Olympics in Rome (today the Foro Italico) was never used

Italy’s fascist regime emerged 1922 from the turbulent years after the First World War. It was a blend of ultra-nationalists and disillusioned socialists, had many modern ideas but also a megalomaniac streak from the very beginning. Mussolini wanted to have the world’s first highway (he got it near Milan), cars for everybody (he did not), modernize Italy’s decaying towns (he did), create jobs for millions of poor citizens (he did), the world’s best air force and navy (he did until 1935), a film industry that rivalled none (he did with the Venice film festival) and holidays for the working and middle class, his political base. He also got the Olympic games for 1940 but the outbreak of World War II nine months earlier disrupted his plan. The site was built though – the Foro Italico in Rome is still in use today for sports events.

Italian Colonia Marina "XXVIII Ottobre" in Cattolica, built in 1932

Soon after Mussolini took power, his government established nationwide standards for the hotel industry, created tourist boards and built seaside and mountain resorts. The new regime also promoted tours to the country’s newly acquired territories like Istria, the towns and islands of Dalmatia, South Tirol and the Dodecanese. Also, Mussolini made Ferragosto a national holiday - for everybody. The word derives from Feriae Augusti (Augustus' Holiday). During Ferragosto, people who never could afford to travel, were able to jump on a bus to Rome, book a holiday in the new seaside resorts or travel by train to the mountains. Ferragosto was very popular and Mussolini got a lot of the kudos for his creation.

The Colonia Marina Novarese in Rimini, one of Mussolini's Seaside Resorts

This was the time when the beaches of Rimini and in Liguria were developed – the new hotels, restaurants and resorts created many jobs for these once poor parts of Italy from where - only a few decades earlier - millions had emigrated to the USA and Argentina. For Mussolini, tourism was a vital propaganda tool. It fostered an Italian identity and was supposed to show all Italians how superior and modern their - now - fascist state was.

Grande Albergo delle Rose in Rhodes - built in Mussolini's time

The fascist government not only promoted trips, mountain and beach holidays, it also commissioned several new ocean liners. The most famous two were the Rex (King) and the Conte di Savoia. They were the fastest passenger ships at the time and both captured the Blue Ribbon for the fastest Atlantic crossing in 1934.

The SS Rex (Latin for King) arriving in 1934 in New York

The two ocean liners were primarily built for the Atlantic route but occasionally used as cruise ships in the Mediterranean. The SS Rex went in 1935 on a widely publizised cruise calling on ports in Gibraltar, Cannes, Monaco, Naples, Port Said and Rhodes. Mussolini wanted to demonstrate his achievements. The cruise was never repeated again. I guess it was highly unprofitable. Wonder how Mussolini made tickets available? The Rex had three classes. Am sure First Class passengers paid full but would not be surprised if 2nd and 3rd class had subsidized tickets. Could not find out from my sources - does anybody know?

The fast Ocean Liner Rex at anchor just outside the ancient Port of Rhodes in 1935 - sadly the beautiful ship did not survive WW2. It was bombed in 1944 and capsized.

Mussolini was an active promotor of Rhodes as tourist destination. He built himself a splendid villa on the island - albeit never used it. Not only should Italians have a fabulous time in the Aegean, he wanted to showcase to the Greek inhabitants how well their island was run under his leadership. Italians accounted for less than 8% of people living on Rhodes but their influence reached much further. Italy was a colonizer with a mission - its way of life was the only way forward. The most remarkable building Mussolini's government built during this period is the Governor’s Palace in Rhodes, which was clearly inspired by the Doge Palace in Venice. Also in 1927, the Grande Albergo delle Rose was completed. It now is a luxurious boutique hotel and casino.

The Italian Governor's Palace was built in 1927. It serves today

as Head Quarter for the South Aegean Region

Sadly, I could not find any statistics showing how many Italian tourists actually went to Rhodes between the two World Wars. Just a few? A small trickle to support Mussolini's propaganda? Or was it indeed a broader movement? Since I could only find one Italian hotel on the island, I tend to believe that vacation in Rhodes were more a product. of Italian propaganda. Travelling in the 1920s and 1930s was still very expensive. People did not have cars and there were no budget airlines. But the concept was invented. No wonder Mussolini's architects restored the living quarters of the Knights of Saint John and their castle in Rhodes - it was part of their tourism fantasy.

All Ways lead to Rome - A Board Game with Mediterranean Travel Routes in the 1920s