Region, the renovation of the Verbumcaudo farm in Polizzi begins

April 22, 2024, 1.05pm

2 min read

POLIZZI GENEROSA – The renovation works on the Verbumcaudo farm have started, the property confiscated from the mafia in the territory of Polizzi Generosa, in the Palermo area, acquired by the Sicilian Region and managed since 2019 by the Verbumcaudo social cooperative.

The delivery of the works took place this morning in the presence of the President of the Region, of the councilor for Economy, of the president of the Anti-Mafia commission of the Ars, of the bishop of Cefalù, of the mayors of various centers in the Madonie, of military authorities, of the president of Confcooperative and of the members of the Verbumcaudo coop.

As part of mission 5 “Cohesion and inclusion” of the Pnrr which involves substantial investments in favor of confiscated assets, especially in the South, the Region was able to secure a loan of over five million euros, thanks to the agreement between the Department of Economy, through the Finance Department, and the Department of Infrastructure, through the regional Technical department, for the drafting of a redevelopment project which also includes the restoration of part of the access road.

An important milestone in the valorisation of confiscated assets, through collaboration between public and private entities, a concrete sign of the strength of the State against the mafia, for the redemption of the territory and the protection of work.

The path undertaken by the Region, also the result of a close collaborative relationship with the National Agency for Seized and Confiscated Assets, aims to give back to citizens, especially the younger generations, what mafia violence has taken away for too long.

The works will be carried out by the Icored-Scancarello association of Bagheria (Pa) and will last 650 days. The renovation of the north-east wing of the farm is planned, testimony to the Sicilian feudal architecture of the sixteenth century, covering 960 square metres; the entire farm covers a total of approximately 150 hectares in the Madonie territory.

The planned interventions will be useful to support the production activities of the farm, but also for the purposes of social promotion and the culture of legality implemented by the “Verbumcaudo” cooperative, including workshops for schools and young people, socio-work inclusion of vulnerable subjects, dissemination.

The refunctionalization of the farm is planned through the creation of multimedia spaces and the purchase of agricultural equipment for the production of oil, wine and cheese, the energy requalification of the structure and the renovation of some sections of the provincial roads leading to the farm, for a plan with a total value of 5.3 million euros.