‘Green’ facade of the cathedral: «Monitored phenomenon»

CEMONA – Spontaneous pests are one of the unwelcome presences that have emerged with the rebirth of nature in numerous parts of the city, also thanks to the rains of recent days. Green is also taking over facade of the Cathedral, shrubs and weeds have grown lush among the stones of the mighty architecture of the Romanesque temple. A presence that has not gone unnoticed but which is destined to last the time necessary to prepare the cleaning operations, already on site.

As explained by the head of cultural heritage of the Diocese, Don Gianluca Gaiardi. «The beautiful season favors the proliferation of greenery, which is more than natural. We have already scheduled the surgery. Among the many things to follow in the ordinary and the extraordinary. The situation is constantly monitored.” The operation will allow us to eliminate the plants that periodically make their way through the stone material, helping to make one of the city’s symbolic monuments in one of the most beautiful squares in Italy even more beautiful (if that were ever possible)..

Cleaning weeds and pests is important not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from a functional point of view, as a prevention of detachments and ‘movement’ of the materials. The treatment must be respectful of the fact that one finds oneself acting on a listed monumental asset. It’s not simply a matter of pulling out the weeds, but you have to cut the grass flush, then proceed with biological herbicides that destroy the roots without affecting the materials. Therefore the main façade as well as those overlooking Largo Boccaccino and Piazza Sant’Antonio Maria Zaccaria will be ‘scanned’ for weeds, in particular the parietaria, known by the popular name of wall grass, wall grass and vitriolar grass. : in the past its rough leaves were in fact used to clean glass.

Some time ago the cleaning operation of Torrazzo was entrusted to the specialists of the Alpine Fluvial Speleo Unit of the Cremona firefightersclimbed to the top to clear the weeds from the tower, like ‘spiders’ before the eyes of dozens of Cremonese with their eyes turned to the symbol of the city and that spectacular intervention.