Riva Redevelopment Plans Include Historic Pool Revival at Spiaggia degli Olivi

The date on the official act of birth of Spiaggia degli Olivi is June 3, 1934, the twelfth year of the fascist era.

After nearly seventy years, and recycled according to the trends of the time, the ideas for reusing the area continue to intertwine. The proposals revolve around the undeniable need for a sports swimming pool by the lake, an infrastructure present in all small towns of Alto Adige, including Spiazzo, Andalo: but not in Riva, as strange or incredible as it may sound.

And the pool, in the original project by Giancarlo Maroni, might have already been there.

Historical Projects and Ideas

The designing architect had in fact drawn a footbridge outside the semicircle between the two protruding structures of the diving board and the Fraglia headquarters, which in the 1960s was still used as a bathing area for children due to its shallow depth. There was a central round area, used for sunbathing.

It was Mario Matteotti who recently revived Maroni’s idea. By excavating and waterproofing the bottom of the crescent, which was initially closed towards the south, on the side of the pier, the pool could be made functional, potentially using lake water.

Architect Camillo Zucchelli went as far as creating a scale model, still preserved at the technical office of the Riva municipality. Winkler, in his comprehensive urban planning of the lakefront, adopted the suggestion: the pool at Spiaggia degli Olivi is part of the plan by the Bavarian architect.

Urban Planning Perspectives and Future Projects

The latest urban redevelopment plan for the area, designed by Cecchetto, is in the same vein. According to the program presented by the president of Lido di Riva, Mauro Malfer, there is a pedestrian pathway, roughly halfway between the lakeside promenade and Viale Rovereto, directly continuing from Viale delle Magnolie, passing through the former bus station.

At its western end, the beach, serving as a gathering spot for travelers and a tourist swimming pool, is integrated into a zone dedicated to sports and leisure, which includes the Fraglia harbor.

The good intentions are clear. The perennial minor obstacle remains—the massive funding required to turn this dream into reality. Let’s see it as a tourist policy issue…