Nadia Ghisalberti greets Palazzo Frizzoni: “Ten extraordinary years”

Bergamo. “They have been ten extraordinary years, perhaps unrepeatable.” Thus the Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Bergamo, Nadia Ghisalbertigreets Palazzo Frizzoni at the end of the double mandate held in the Gori council.

“As I had already announced in recent months – he states – I will not stand for re-election in the next elections. They have been years full of wonderful experiences, we have completed many projects and now, personally, I feel like I have concluded a cycle. I am happy to have been involved in the administration of the city: my civic journey, outside of the parties, began alongside Roberto Bruni first being part of the minority in the city council and continued in the role of councilor with Giorgio Gori. Being on the opposition benches allowed me to acquire good training, while being part of the council, together with my colleagues, I experienced the administration first hand”.

The story of this decade of service to the community has given life to a book, printed in a limited edition, in memory and testimony of the work carried out by Nadia Ghisalberti. Illustrating how the idea of ​​creating this volume was born, the councilor states: “While I was drafting the end-of-term report, I realized that my writing had a narrative slant. I thought that by giving it a suitable graphic design it could become a publication and so it was. In the introduction I explained the motivations that pushed me to get involved, my idea of ​​participation and my vision of culture, its meaning and the importance it has for the development of the territory. Subsequently I retraced the most significant stages of these ten years but also the changes that affected the various city realities operating in culture. Despite being a city of 120 thousand inhabitants, Bergamo boasts a very rich cultural fabric of bodies, foundations, theatres, museums, libraries, associations and groups that constitute enormous wealth. Thanks to a fruitful collaboration, initiatives, festivals, reviews and events have taken shape and been implemented, as well as extensive schedules of appointments to fully experience anniversaries, important dates in our history and holidays such as the patron saint, Sant’Alessandro. In collaboration with the diocese, which welcomed the proposal with great benevolence, for example, to celebrate the saint every year a virtue was placed at the center of attention that embraced both the religious and civic aspects of the celebration”.

From 2014 to 2024, many construction sites were completed in Bergamo and significant interventions concerned cultural realities. “Urban redevelopment – ​​highlights the councilor – was one of the priorities to which the administration dedicated itself. At the beginning of the last mandate, the Carrara Academy, which had undergone restyling, was inaugurated, completing the work started with the Bruni administration. Over time, then, it has had several rearrangements because a museum must never be the same as itself for prolonged periods, it renews and evolves. There have been many works carried out in these ten years and among these the restoration of the Donizetti Theater certainly stands out, which has given renewed splendor to this prestigious reference for the city. Finally, among the most innovative projects, I mention the agreement signed with the Teatro Tascabile of Bergamo which is committed to the recovery and valorisation of the former Carmine Monastery”.

“Certainly – continues the councilor – the experience of Bergamo Brescia, the Italian capital of culture, will remain indelible, which marked a notable injection of enthusiasm to restart after the Covid-19 emergency, led to an increase in the cultural production of the two cities and increased the flow of tourists with many positive effects for local economic activities. In the book I have not included all the material relating to the numerous initiatives organized in the year of Bergamo-Brescia 2023 because an encyclopedia would have been needed, but the site will remain online which aims to always keep alive the spirit that animated that year and invite the visitors to go to the two cities. Working on this project, right from the initial contacts we noticed that there were many similarities between the Bergamo and Brescia administrations and we understood that we could grow together. This is the message that was the basis of the entire program but also represents a precious legacy, that is, the invitation to follow up on this driving force. And I take this opportunity to thank the former deputy mayor of Brescia Laura Castelletti (current mayor, ed.) for the support and work done together.”

“The pandemic – notes Ghisalberti – was a real trauma and represented a caesura that altered the perception of time, so much so that the years before that drama seem very distant. Despite the difficulties, even during the lockdown period many cultural realities reorganized themselves by offering online activities that can be used remotely, while as soon as it was possible, in compliance with the various restrictions, we created the series of shows at the Lazzaretto, which was a symbol of the determination to resume events and more generally to return to normality”.

Finally, councilor Ghisalberti concludes: “Looking to the future, I have no particular concerns about culture in Bergamo. Whoever takes over my role will be able to count on a solid network of local bodies, a lively context characterized by excellent directors and passionate operators. With Elena (Elena Carnevali, mayoral candidate for the centre-left, ed.) there has been an ongoing dialogue and discussion on what has been done for some time and I am sure that it can do an excellent job. I bring with me the many relationships I have built while carrying out my role and I thank everyone for their collaboration, starting with the mayor Giorgio Gori, who has always believed strongly in culture, the councillors, all the members of the administration and the staff of the Municipality offices. There has been a strong connection with each of the people who work there and I will miss them very much.”

“As for any new commitments, perhaps in other guises and modalities – adds Nadia Ghisalberti – it is still early. At the end of my mandate at Palazzo Frizzoni I will take a break and we’ll see in the future.”