Industrialization by CasMez and factories made of steel in Southern Italy

The “questione meridionale” refers to the extremely slow industrial development of Southern Italy which has been a crucial yet unsolved problem for the entire nation since the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Since that time several governments have attempted to find a workable solution through the support of specific institutions in order to advance industrialization. The “Cassa del Mezzogiorno” (Funds for the South) was one such organization that emerged among the initiatives to resolve this problem. The paper aims to connect these events in order to place them in the general scenario of industrialization promoted by Casmez. The goal is to identify the outcomes of the link between architecture for productive spaces and steel structures highlighting the role played by public institutions and private finance that have frequently intervened in this decades–long process.