Herculaneum. A great party, with two exceptional guests: the governor Vincenzo De Luca and the former prime minister Matteo Renzi. Piazza Carlo di Borbone is open to citizens, an area of 5,000 square meters overlooking the excavations and created thanks to the partnership between the Municipality and the Packard Humanities Institute. After a dark past, an important area of the city is coming back to life, a meeting place for tourists and residents. «Piazza Carlo di Borbone is not just a work of urban regeneration, but represents a work of social redevelopment that began in 2014 with the support of the archaeological park and a philanthropist to whom we will never stop saying thank you», the words of the mayor Ciro Buonajuto. «The future of Herculaneum lies in tourism, culture and legality. And this square will become a symbolic place of our community – continued the local leader of Italia Viva – Seeing so many citizens, especially teenagers and children, represents the best victory for all of Ercolano”. The mayor then recalled the murder of Salvatore Barbaro, innocent victim of the feud between clans in the shadow of Vesuvius, killed by mistake in 2009 just a few steps from the new square named after Charles of Bourbon.
De Luca’s broadside
The regional governor Vincenzo De Luca also participated in the event, in the front row at the “baptism” of the square created with Pics funds from the Campania Region. «This is an extraordinary intervention because it brings together culture, archaeology, environment and tourism. We are truly proud – the words of the president of the regional council -. There was also collaboration with American charities which allowed the demolition of some buildings. Then, with funds from the Region we created this beautiful square, included in a program to enhance the entire coastline of the province of Naples.” At the end of the inauguration, Vincenzo De Luca did not spare a jab at Francesco Sirano – director of the archaeological park of Ercolano – who was absent at the ribbon cutting: «They told me that they went to Times Square together», the governor joked. According to rumors, the absence of Francesco Sirano – regularly invited to the event – would be linked to a phone call from the ministry of culture linked precisely to the presence of Vincenzo De Luca. There is bad blood between the governor of Campania and minister Gennaro Sangiuliano and the two – on various occasions – have not spared each other barbs and frontal attacks. The governor wanted to highlight the absence with reporters, making fun of the minister’s slip of the tongue who had confused the famous New York square with Piccadilly Circus. In his speech in the square, the president of the Campania Region then lashed out again against the Government: «This square is dedicated to Charles of Bourbon, one of the exponents of a dynasty that also governed the South of our country. The young people of Italy fought against that dynasty in the mid-nineteenth century to achieve the unity of Italy, the same unity of Italy that the Government is currently trying to destroy with differentiated autonomy.”
Renzi’s applause
Words listened to carefully by former prime minister Matteo Renzi, the historic political godfather of mayor Ciro Buonajuto. «Today is a day of celebration not only for Ercolano, but for the entire Italian community because what the mayor has done in this area is extraordinary – the applause of the national leader of Italia Viva, engaged in an electoral tour for the European elections in the province of Naples -. What were buildings that blocked the beauty of the territory become a square and this leads to the recovery of the entire territory of Herculaneum and opens the relationship between the excavations and the community.” A further sprint for the complete relaunch of the city of the Excavations from a tourist perspective and beyond. «This – underlined the former Prime Minister – leads to the recovery of the entire territory of Herculaneum. This is exactly what Ciro Buonajuto has done in recent years, trying to say that beauty is built with culture and illegality and insecurity are fought. The excavations are no longer something separate from Herculaneum, but are connected to Herculaneum. For me it is a moment of great joy to be together with the mayor, with the president Vincenzo De Luca, with all the friends who are here because it is the demonstration that the plan that Ciro Buonajuto has always carried forward is the plan that is needed in Ercolano, that to the territory of Naples, which serves the South, which serves Italy”. The opening of Piazza Carlo di Borbone is part of a larger project which affects the entire area of via Cortili-via Mare and which will be inaugurated shortly.
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