Where there were walls and houses occupied by the Camorra today there is a square. And there are trees, flowers and hopes. Five thousand square meters are destined to change the history of Via Mare, in Ercolano, and of the neighborhood where Salvatore Barbaro, an innocent victim of organized crime, was killed due to a mistaken identity.
The future is called Piazza Carlo di Borbone, a terrace that offers a spectacular view of the remains of ancient Herculaneum and the sea of the Gulf of Naples; which unites the city buried by the eruption of 79 AD and the new city, with flower-lined avenues that erase the degradation of the last thirty years. «It is not just a work of urban regeneration – says the mayor Ciro Buonajuto – but it is above all a work of social redevelopment which began in 2014 and is a unique work of its kind because it is the result of the partnership between Municipality of HerculaneumArchaeological Park and a philanthropist, the American tycoon David Junior Packard that the city of Herculaneum will never cease to thank. The future of Herculaneum it lies in tourism, culture and legality. And this square is proof of this. Seeing so many citizens but especially teenagers and children is a great satisfaction for a mayor, the best victory for all of Ercolano.”
The ransom
A satisfaction that, yesterday morning, the mayor Good luck shared with the governor of Campania, Vincenzo De Luca and with Matteo Renzi, arrived in town specifically for a ribbon cutting. Together they inaugurated the square which was packed with young and old. Together, and with their hands on their hearts, they sang the Mameli anthem performed by the institute’s choir De Curtis-Ungaretti. The mayor, praised on stage by his friend Matteo – «he is the best mayor in Italy» -, spoke to the citizens who participated in the event and to the people looking out from the balconies, recalling that «those houses, until a few years ago, they were occupied by the Camorra” and paid homage to the young Salvatore Barbaro by thanking the family members present in the audience.
“This work is unique in the world,” the governor confirmed in his speech DeLuca. «Such a large square overlooking an archaeological area, with the sea in the background, is a place blessed by God. We have, you have created a tourist attractor of global value which gives a new, more modern identity to the city of Herculaneum» . Matteo Renzi, who as Prime Minister released the funds to carry out the work, added by exchanging words of understanding and complicity with the governor DeLuca: «This 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. Thanks to the investments of an American private individual, with the help of the Region and with the commitment of the Municipality, 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 day of celebration which, however, was affected by the absences and political differences between the government and the region. In fact, on the most important day for the city, a gate separates the entrance to the excavations from the square Charles of Bourbon, remained closed and tourists and citizens were prevented from using the passage which, according to the original project, should connect the five thousand square meter area and the archaeological park of the ancient Herculaneum. But it was not only the closing of the gate that underlined what could be defined as a political disgrace and marked the probable distance between the entities involved in the construction of the work. Also making noise is the absence of Professor Francesco Sirano, the director of the archaeological park which depends on the Ministry of Culture.
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The morning
