An architect who worked primarily under Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime, Giuseppe Terragni served as a pioneer for the modern movement in Italy. The Casa del Fascio, a municipal administration building designed to host massive rallies, is perhaps the most famous example of Terragni's brand of Italian Rationalism.

Terragni studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano before opening a practice with his brother in Como. In 1926 Terragni helped to establish Gruppo Sette (or Group 7), a school of architects opposed to the use of classical and baroque references in the design of buildings.

In 1928 he supported the Italian Movement for Rational Architecture (M.I.A.R) and participated in its first exhibition in Rome. His other buildings in Como include the Novocomum apartments (1927-29) and the Sant'Elia Nursery School (1936).