«Caper, what an honor. President and CEO Anas, minister, deputy minister, governor of Piedmont and also Molinari not in Cuneo, Alba or Saluzzo, but in Fossano, “center of the world”, campaigning. Evidently, they believe that my opponent is the weak link.” This is the joke of Francesco Balocco, 71 years old, mayor of Fossano from 2004 to 2014, regional councilor for Transport (from 2014 to 2019), historic exponent of the Democratic Party and candidate for the next municipal elections with five civic lists, on the event organized by Anas Friday, at the Brut e Bon room in Piazza Dompè. Entitled «Roads and mobility. Piedmont connects with the future”, in addition to the minister and deputy prime minister of the League Matteo Salvini, the deputy minister Edoardo Rixi, the presidents Alberto Cirio (Region) and Luca Robaldo (Province), the Anas national leaders, the CEO Aldo Isi are expected and the president Edoardo Valente. Start at 10.30, an hour and a half later Salvini will go up to the Castello Principi d’Acaja, with the president of the Lega group in the Chamber Riccardo Molinari and the outgoing Northern League mayor Dario Tallone (supported by Carroccio, FdI, Forza Italia and three lists civic), to present the candidates of the province.
On The printon Sunday, the mayor of Cuneo Patrizia Manassero took a position on the minister’s choice to go to Fossano with “great forces” when on March 6, in a letter still unanswered, she had invited him to Cuneo to “definitively clarify the construction site del Tenda”, broaden the discussion on the Cuneo-Ventimiglia railway and the infrastructural isolation of the Granda.
«Reaction that surprises us – the reply from Rixi, who invited us to “bury the ideological axe” -. Fossano meets the needs of all local administrations involved in construction sites on new infrastructures. Location chosen because Anas, on May 31st, will reopen 4 of the 5 viaducts affected by the interventions on the Fossanese ring road. An opportunity to also take stock of Tenda, Asti-Cuneo, the Demonte and Mondovì ring roads, state road 28 and Armo-Cantarana”. And he promised: «We will go to Cuneo for the opening of the Tenda and a focus on the railways», from the doubling of the Cuneo-Fossano to the strengthening of the Cuneo-Ventimiglia. «So we will certainly see them in the provincial capital after the elections, or rather in 2025, when I believe the tunnel will open – continues Balocco -. I will go to the Anas meeting with the geologist Giorgio Martinotti (su The printhas always made harsh criticisms of the construction site, ed.), I hope they will let us talk”.
And in the words of Manassero: «Full solidarity with my friend Patrizia. The venue and the speakers on Friday also raise a question of “inappropriateness”, which is very reminiscent of the recent controversies in Pescara (the head of the cybersecurity agency Bruno Frattasi and the president of Leonardo, former Finmeccanica, Stefano Pontecorvo, public managers, have exhibited the FdI t-shirt, ed.). The Fossano ring road is fine, we are happy, even if 7 years of work is too much, 85 million will not be enough to finance the second lane and an extra will be needed for the junction on Via Torino, essential for traffic in the industrial area. But the most urgent issues today are Tenda and the Turin-Cuneo-Ventimiglia-Nice railway.”
Mayor Dario Tallone dampens the controversy. «Anas organized the event, I don’t see any conflict of interest due to Salvini’s presence and the elections. It could be done in Alba for the Cuneo-Asti motorway, in Mondovì or Demonte for the ring roads. But Fossano is central to the province, the choice is also logical.” Salvini doesn’t respond to Manassero and goes to Fossano: institutional rudeness? “I won’t go into detail, I don’t know their relationships.” On the ring road: «Seven years of waiting are too many, but too much “political” time was wasted in 2017: if they had immediately put pressure on Anas at a regional level, the dismantling could have started sooner. Since 2019, the works have resumed very quickly, also thanks to the Cogefa company. Fossano has also received several road clearing, asphalting and restoration works, two above all via Circonvallazione and viale Regina Elena. On Friday I want confirmation on the opening at the end of May and the resources for the second lane.”
