Cariplo Foundation allocates 6 million euros for cultural projects in Lombardy, from Palazzo Te to Vittoriale

Fondazione Cariplo continues to support cultural initiatives even during the health emergency for the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Within the framework of the Bando Beni aperti (Open Assets Call ), in fact, 14 cultural projects on the territory have been chosen, for investments touching 6 million euros. The interventions concern the restoration of assets of historical-architectural interest and the establishment within them of new activities and services. The sum will go to private nonprofit organizations, public and ecclesiastical bodies holding or entrusting valuable cultural assets throughout Lombardy and the provinces of Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

A contribution that takes on special value during the crisis due to the pandemic: the Council’s decision also comes just days after another substantial support for culture, thanks to the call for proposals “Places of Cultural Innovation,” through which 3 million euros were allocated to organizations that own or manage cultural places and intend to establish concrete and lasting innovation there.

The projects, selected from 58 applicants on the Goods call opened in July 2019, embrace different types of interventions: from the redevelopment of historic diocesan-owned properties (in the cities of Bergamo and Cremona) that will be returned to the use of communities as cultural centers and enhancement of the local tourist offer destined to play a central role in the economy of the future, to the reopening of a movie theater in the city of Lecco that, upon completion of the redevelopment works, will be able to restart with a programming of projections and shows. Then there are plans for new spaces at the historic Teatro Coccia in Novara, which will be redeveloped to launch educational activities in the field of live entertainment, just as redevelopment and management renovations will be carried out at Palazzo Te, one of Mantua’s best-known and most visited monuments. In Cernobbio, in the province of Como, educational and cultural activities at the Villa Erba compendium, the historic home of Luchino Visconti, now publicly owned, will be enhanced through the redevelopment of the area of the villa’s former greenhouse. In the municipalities of the inland areas of Argegno (Valle Intelvi, province of Como) and Malegno (Valle Camonica, province of Brescia), actions will be carried out to strengthen the accommodation system in terms of tourism and culture, also in connection with local production chains. Also in the province of Brescia, in Gardone Riviera, at the Vittoriale degli Italiani Complex, the home of Gabriele d’Annunzio, the home of architect Maroni, the historic designer of the Vate’s residence, will be reopened to the public through the creation of a dedicated museum and exhibition itinerary.

“Especially in a time of emergency,” says Giovanni Fosti, president of Fondazione Cariplo, “it is necessary to have a hopeful look at the future, resting on what already represents a great value for our country. The cultural heritage of our territory is a crucial asset and represents a sector in which Italy has an enormous competitive advantage that must be protected and enhanced. But its value is even deeper: culture is in fact the ability to give a shared meaning to what we are living in the present in order to generate a new look towards tomorrow. Fondazione Cariplo has always invested in culture, as a factor of cohesion and growth for people but also as a strategic lever for economic development. Today the scenario is dominated by the health emergency, which must be tackled with great commitment from everyone; we know that the weight of social needs will increase, we will continue to engage on this front, but with the awareness that investment in culture, as well as in the environment and scientific research, cannot be abandoned to contribute to the rebirth of our communities.”

Pictured: Palazzo Te, Mantua

Cariplo Foundation allocates 6 million euros for cultural projects in Lombardy, from Palazzo Te to Vittoriale

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