The Music Kiosk of Rapallo and the Frescoes by Prof. Giovanni Grifo
The Music Kiosk of Rapallo
and the frescoes inside its dome, by Prof. Giovanni Grifo
Standing at the very center of the Vittorio Veneto promenade is the Chiosco della Musica, a unique Liberty‑style structure unlike anything else in the area, reminiscent of the elegant pavilions found in the gardens of celebrated European spa towns of the Belle Époque.
Inaugurated in 1929 (specifically on Sunday, 3 November), it was commissioned by Rapallo natives who had emigrated to Chile and wished to donate to their hometown a suitable venue for band concerts. The Rapallo families living in South America launched a subscription campaign which, within three years, achieved full success.
The project, designed by surveyor Luigi Devoto, was built on a diameter of ten meters and a height of nine, with twelve columns supporting the dome. The graceful kiosk was further embellished by the splendid frescoes inside the dome, the work of Prof. Giovanni Grifo, an artist already admired for The Four Seasons of Cosmopolitan Rapallo on the façade of the Hotel Savoia and for other works.
The fresco is a true anthology of the most famous composers: depicted in the dome are Verdi, Rossini, Bellini, Boito, Beethoven, Auber, Meyerbeer, Palestrina, Mozart, Berlioz, and Gluck, each accompanied by characters from their major works. Set within the medallions on the arches are Bach, Spontini, Pergolesi, Cimarosa, Bizet, Ponchielli, Gounod, Donizetti, Monteverdi, Händel, Haydn, and Puccini. A veritable temple of music, the kiosk in the 1930s hosted a rich program of band concerts as well as classical music performances for piano and strings. The audience would sit on chairs arranged around the kiosk.
During the Second World War, the structure was used by the German army to store cement sacks intended for the construction of the anti‑landing seawall, and a bomb exploding nearby chipped the columns. Even more serious, however, was the damage caused to the frescoes by sea salt and humidity.
A very recent restoration has safeguarded the frescoes and also involved the renovation and recovery of the surrounding Piazza Martiri della Libertà, now repaved in stone and made pedestrian‑only. During the works, the remains of the ancient pier were uncovered and returned to the city, made partially visible through a glass pyramid.
The area where the Music Kiosk stands has long been known as the “Marina delle barche,” and the buildings surrounding Piazza Martiri della Libertà are the houses of the old fishermen’s village, whose arcades were once touched by the waves.
(From the official Rapallo Tourism website: https://www.comune.rapallo.ge.it/pagina645_il-chiosco-della-musica.html)
A nephew of the celebrated painter Gamba, Giovanni Grifo attended drawing courses at the Accademia Albertina in Turin, and in 1883 moved to Genoa, where he continued his artistic studies. There he developed a particular admiration for the work of Nicolo Barabino and worked as a set designer in the theatres of Chiavari, Albenga, and Alessandria.
He mastered all painting techniques—fresco, tempera, watercolor, and oil—excelling especially in easel painting. After distinguishing himself in the competition for the decoration of the façade of Palazzo San Giorgio in Genoa, he increasingly specialized in large historical and celebratory compositions, enlivened by a skilful use of color.
In 1892 he received wide acclaim for the decoration of the lunettes of the entrance pavilion of the Columbian Exposition; in those same years he also executed a cycle of frescoes in the church of Zerli, near Genoa.