Church of San Giovanni Battista, Autostrada del Sole
Giovanni Michelucci · Campi Bisenzio, Italy · 1964
Michelucci's motorway church was conceived as a memorial to workers who died building the Autostrada del Sole and as a place of pause for travelers. An irregular stone base supports a folded copper roof whose tent-like profile appears different from every approach. Inside, branching reinforced-concrete supports, rough masonry and changing levels create a processional landscape rather than a conventional axial nave. Light enters through narrow joints and glazed edges, intensifying the contrast between heavy walls and suspended roof. The building is one of postwar Italy's most original churches and an important statement about community, movement and the expressive possibilities of structure.