«Former hostel, that space remains at the service of young tourists»

The renovation of the building was goodformer Ave Gratia Plena hostel in via dei Canali. But now the Municipality does not try to change its intended use, transforming the structure which over the years has welcomed thousands of tourists, especially young people, into a luxury resort or, even worse, into apartments to be used by wealthy individuals. This is the appeal that comes from residents and area committees following the news of the allocation of over one million euros of direct and indirect European funds for the restyling of the late sixteenth-century structure which at the end of the seventeenth century hosted the Conservatory and who from 2003 to 2021 worked with an annual average of twenty thousand foreigners from all over the world.

THE WORDS
«We can only be pleased with this given that on more than one occasion we have urged the administration to ensure that the former hostel, which is one of the jewels of the historic centre, does not remain behind closed doors – he explains Sabrina Prisco of the upper historic center committee – I hope this time City Palace adopt the line of foresight and, before proceeding with a tender and the assignment of the works, establish what to do with this wonderful complex which is unfortunately falling to pieces. As far as I’m concerned, its original function must not be touched: youth tourism must be a property that could be combined with a modern feminine design to recover what was its historical tradition, as a Conservatory intended for fragile women. The large spaces at its disposal – he continues – would lend themselves very well to hosting film festivals, literary meetings, exhibitions, shows, in short it could be reborn as a cultural hub”. Prisco has forwarded a request to the administration to be able to manage the internal courtyard of Ave Gratia Plena during the month of June. He also questions the intended use of the former hostel Dario Renda, founder of Facebook page Salerno Mia Territorial Committee: «The Ave Gratia plena must remain a low-cost accommodation facility to allow individuals, groups and groups from all over the world to visit our beautiful city. Among other things, there is a strong shortage of hotel accommodation and I don’t think so Salerno still needs luxurious buildings, but spaces to make the territory grow through comparison with other cultures – he says – My hope is that these funds can also serve to guarantee the restyling of the surrounding area. I am referring to the long-running Via dei Canali, transformed into an illegal open-air car park, where at least three micro-landfills are periodically found. Furthermore, I believe that a part of the building, which is enormous, could be used, already in the tender that will be drawn up, for cultural events.”

THE STORY
In November 2021 the municipal administration evicted the Stargate srl who had managed the space since 2003. as the expiry of the loan contract (nine years plus nine) coincided with the bankruptcy of theItalian Youth Hostel Association, which in turn, through a business branch lease, had chosen Stargate. A tender for the new assignment was drawn up in April 2022. After a direct comparison with other properties intended for non-hotel activities, the Municipality’s technicians decided to establish the annual rent at 152,674.68 euros for a period of nine years, renewable for another nine. But in the following months no entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs showed real interest in taking over the premises.

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