Shameful in Piedmont: UNESCO heritage site Moncalieri Castle closes because it is left with only one employee

It had been left with only one employee: thus, the Castle of Moncalieri (province of Turin), one of the most beautiful places in Piedmont, included since 1997 in the UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other Savoy residences, was forced in recent days to close its doors to the public. The decision to close came from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage: and to think that the castle had only reopened a little over a year ago, on November 9, 2017. It had taken a full nine years to allow it to reopen after a devastating fire in 2008 destroyed one wing. Despite its 20,000 total admissions in one year (and out of a total of only twelve days per month available for visiting), MiBAC has not been able to secure enough staff to allow a regular opening. That is, there are not enough staff for the services essential to the proper functioning of the facility.

At the moment, school groups that had already booked a visit to the castle are secured by the carabinieri, who take charge of accompanying students in groups to the sumptuous halls of the residence. For everyone else, the doors remain closed. The news registered the outrage of the mayor of Moncalieri, Paolo Montagna, who called the closure of the castle “a disgrace that has precise responsibilities.” “It cannot be accepted,” the first citizen wrote on his Facebook page, “that a World Heritage property, restored a year ago, is closed because it lacks a janitor. What kind of country do we live in? A UNESCO treasure for the restoration of which more than 4 million euros were spent. A treasure that with the weekend for visits alone had more than 20 thousand visitors in one year. A treasure on which we have invested 70 thousand euros and are investing much more to enhance the Park and return it to the citizens. A treasure that is the heritage not only of the Moncalieresi, but of Italy.”

But that’s not all, the mayor adds. “At the end of 2018,” he explains, “I wrote a letter to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, receiving no response. In this letter I offered the absolute willingness of the Municipality of Moncalieri to immediately sign an agreement with the Ministry that would allow the opening of the Castle, offering planning capabilities and even human and economic resources. To make up for the shortcomings of others. We received no response. But we go ahead anyway.” The mayor also thanked the Carabinieri for their willingness to accommodate the students and let it be known that the council will approve “an enhancement project presented by the Friends of the Royal Castle Association, which we provide to ensure that our Castle reopens as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, in the regional council, Councilor Andrea Appiano (of the PD, like the mayor of Moncalieri) has submitted a question for immediate answer, asking the Piedmont region’s culture councilor what actions the region can take to support the Moncalieri municipal administration in reopening the castle. The voice of MiBAC has also been heard, through Ilaria Ivaldi, director of the Polo Museale del Piemonte (on which Moncalieri Castle depends), who told AgCult agency that the Polo “has for some time now to obtain from the Ministry the necessary staff to manage the openings on its own, and the General Directorate of Museums of MiBAC is following the issue and evaluating the possibility of assigning to the said place of culture, ALES staff that would allow it to make up, at least in part, for this shortage; we should have news in this regard shortly.” Ivaldi assured that the attention is maximum and that work is being done so that the Castle will reopen as soon as possible. However, he also stressed that the situation is not easy.

Until now, the Castle had remained open thanks to an enhancement agreement between Polo Museale, Consorzio Residenze Reali Sabaude, the Municipality of Moncalieri and the Friends of the Royal Castle and Park of Moncalieri Association. The expiration of the agreement has produced the current situation. Therefore, the solution could also come through a new agreement to bring staff into the halls of Moncalieri Castle. In the meantime, however, the monument remains inaccessible to the public.

In the photo, the King’s apartment of Moncalieri Castle (credit Polo Museale del Piemonte)

Shameful in Piedmont: UNESCO heritage site Moncalieri Castle closes because it is left with only one employee

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