A view of the Estense Castle in Ferrara
The skyscraper that the Ferrara writer Giorgio Bassani called “ignobile casone” is the new symbol of Ferrara. Over 30 floors in the popular Gad neighbourhood, populated by migrants and synonymous with the ghetto, on the landings two women died of overdoses in two years while the public garden next door where foreigners were dealing was fenced off and renovated. Let’s start from here to find the hopes and contradictions of a city that for years has associated immigration and insecurity, but ignores the problem of increasing drug consumption in Italy.
Ferrara is in last place for foreign residents in Emilia Romagna. Yet with the economy at a standstill and demographics in negative balance, migrants would serve to relaunch agriculture and tourism. The chemical center still dominates the city, for Fellini a “precious spaceship placed in the center of Emilia” where Natta invented Moplen, now divided into several companies. The vice-president of the Ferrara Chamber of Commerce Paolo Govoni: the relaunch passes through the renewed chemical industry. «Development must be based on research, for example – he claims – for the production of green plastic. On May 2, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the government and local institutions. The university has developed an energy efficiency and ecological transition project with the reuse of water to reduce withdrawals from the Po by up to 53%”.
The rebirth also passes through coordination between the various companies of the hub for the president of the Ferrara Acli and vice-president of the regional ones Paolo Pastorello. «For example in the research from which good employment arises – he states – which serves to relaunch the territory by connecting Ravenna and Marghera. We need a common project in which the institutions collaborate together.” Instead, the political climate, not only for the June administrative elections, has been incandescent since 2016, when the inhabitants of Gorino raised the barricades to prevent the access of 12 African refugees, one pregnant and the others with children, who had left the Libyan concentration camps. The political career of the organizer of the road blocks took off there, the controversial outgoing Northern League deputy mayor Nicola “Naomo” Lodi who in 2019 with the election of Alan Fabbri as mayor, made the centre-right conquer Palazzo Ducale by focusing on the hamlets detached from the center and intercepting the mood of a city disappointed by 73 years of left-wing government and angry with the Democratic Party, in particular with the Renzi government, for not having compensated the victims of the collapse of the Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara in 2015. Compensation of up to 40% of the sums lost arrived at the end of 2023. Social housing was the subject of an attempt to pass a new regulation based on historic residence to exclude immigrants. But the junta was defeated in court. This is why Fabbri attacked Archbishop Giancarlo Perego last January – guilty of having commented that poverty and a state of need prevail over citizenship in Italian systems – inviting him to take migrants into his own home.
Since there is no shortage of twists and turns, last month the former president of the Nigerian community Evelyn Aghom ran on the Northern League list. But “Citizens of the World” warns that here «immigrants are treated badly in the streets and in municipal offices». The association monitors the local press with the site “Watch out for the media” which for 14 years has held a review curated by Robert Elliot, English, 72 years old, with a group of immigrant or second generation young people collaborating on the report of the Charter of Rome of the Fnsi on migratory issues in the Italian media. «Those from Ferrara fuel racism by creating a situation of non-existent insecurity – he explains -. In our study “It’s just words” we highlight how 70% of the articles on migrants concern crime and security, the only sources are the police. Migrants are never the protagonists of positive stories.”
Communication is a very delicate matter. Fabbri sued the director of the online newspaper Estense.com Marco Zavagli who had defined the institutional communication for which 400 thousand euros per year over two years had been spent as “propaganda”. Case followed by “Oxygen for information”. But the improper use of institutional communication for propaganda purposes with public money on the Municipality’s online newspaper and on his Facebook profile cost the mayor a conviction in the Agcom on Friday.
Fierce competitor is the wide-field centre-left candidate Fabio Anselmo, well-known lawyer in the cases of Federico Aldrovandi, Stefano Cucchi and the footballer Denis Bergamini and partner of Ilaria Cucchi. «In addition – explains Anselmo – to having had problems finding spaces for rallies and posters, we have taken those responsible for the Facebook page “Penguini Estensi”, in the Northern League area, to court for defamation of numerous critical citizens. I ran because there is an opaque power system that does not have the city’s interests at heart, I want to unmask the narrative aimed at tacky propaganda. Ferrara is at a standstill. We are in 101st place out of 107 among the oldest Italian cities. But the center-right’s priority is to defend itself, it’s not clear from whom.” Part of civil society mobilized with him. Patrizio Fergnani, a pacifist who lives in the suburbs, a former trade unionist and president of the large families association, was at the time the object of the unpleasant “attention” of the “Penguins” and then was a candidate in the civic list “Ferrara common good” with Anselmo.. « There is no project, the city only offers young people concerts and spritzes. The climate is heavy.”
One of the founders of the civic list, Dario Maresca, former leader of the provincial and national Catholic Action, after two difficult mandates, will not stand for re-election and draws a heavy budget. «The junta has blocked social spending for five years while poverty has grown. It does not have a relaunch plan. Young people are leaving, we have always been at the forefront of Emilia, now we are in decline.” Another candidate from Anselmo’s civic list Claudia Zamorani, spokesperson for the “Finamente 2024″ association, wants a happy city. «We aim to redesign mobility. Cars with this coupling circulate everywhere.” The environment and the integration of migrants are the strong point of Anna Zonari, psychologist, founder of a Mediterranea ground crew and candidate for mayor of the left-wing “Ferrara comune” list. «To restart we must promote the energy transition and energy communities and we need a sustainable mobility plan making public transport free. And while Caritas and Catholic volunteers confirm the increase in poverty, we lack an observatory to quantify it.” The other candidate for mayor is the centrist entrepreneur Daniele Botti of “Ferrara Futura”. «In this city – he states – you don’t have children. The theme is youth unemployment and the problem linked to industrial and commercial desertification. We want to start again from the family quotient in the ISEE to reduce municipal taxes.”
Presenting the civic list of support with entrepreneurs and traders, the mayor Alan Fabbri claims 140 million euros collected by the Pnrr which must be finalised. On safety it lights up. «Compared to 2019 we have removed several areas from degradation, the battle continues. We gave a different vision of the city thanks to the local and state police. Today, Gad is something else.” On cuts to social spending? «I haven’t seen all these problems, we tried to invest in families and the elderly and we are certain of winning» he cuts short. As for the housing market saturated by 18,000 off-campus university students, he explains that the Municipality wants to create student residences. As for communication costs, “I have a staff with several collaborators,” he concludes, “perhaps my direct relationship with people is annoying.” While waiting for the June vote of the city with its 11 fractions to create new balances in the center-right or the center-left to return to the municipality, civil society looks forward and upwards.
The president of Fism, Biagio Missanelli, is committed to saving the 52 Catholic nursery schools in Ferrara from closure with a new model. «We went from parish management to social cooperatives». Instead, the Palazzo Cini school for the political training of the diocese is tackling new themes with its 64 students, from ecology to political communication to hospitality to create a new ruling class through associations, broadening horizons. We end at Casa Betania, where the diocesan Caritas welcomes 36 women and 14 minors – single-parent female families that the bishop brought “home” – and where, at least here, nine children were born.
The archbishop of Ferrara Perego: «Growing disconnect»
Archbishop of Ferrara since 2017 and president of the CEI Migrantes Foundation, Monsignor Giancarlo Perego has a clear vision of the future of the city of Este which starts from openness. With him, who finally reopened the cathedral that was hit by the earthquake in 2012 for Palm Sunday, we talk about development and relaunch. «Topics such as roads and the Delta park, the connections of the chemical hub with the port of Marghera and Ravenna or credit concern the national and regional government, the Municipality can facilitate and participate. But other issues require greater social cohesion and greater collaboration between local entities. In fact, I see a disconnect that makes it difficult to achieve common objectives, regardless of sides.”
What are the critical issues?
The city has always been penalized by its geographical position with respect to the Via Emilia and by its particular conformation that distances the center and the suburbs. Tourism in the city, recovering everywhere, is decreasing due to the cultural assets closed because they are still affected by the earthquake, including numerous churches. We have reopened the cathedral, for example, but it will still take years to complete the external restoration. The university with almost 30 thousand students, two thirds of whom are off-site, is an asset, but the city inevitably lacks rental accommodation for young couples. We are focusing on the construction of student residences, but without good employment prospects, young people are leaving and Ferrara is one of the oldest cities in Italy from a demographic point of view. Foreign labor would also be needed for agriculture, for example, the refugees in our centers immediately find employment even if it is mostly seasonal and not all of them reach the minimum amount necessary for autonomy (6 thousand euros) and the farmers ask for three times as much. But this is the city that attracts the fewest immigrants in Emilia Romagna. And then agriculture, which boasts excellence here such as fruit, is losing the small businesses that sell to large companies. The large estates are thus being recreated, which the reform of 70 years ago abolished while the blue crab destroyed the fishing economy of 1,400 families who raised mussels who are now forced to look for work on the Lidos, where tourism, especially among foreigners, is booming with two million attendees. But there is a lack of long-term programs for young people, I only see events such as concerts in the city, but the problems remain. Let’s take the drug phenomenon, if drug seizures double every year, it is a sign that the problem is growing.
How important is chemistry still?
It is strategic, the university’s new project involves the reduction of half of the withdrawal of water from the Po which will be used for agriculture. It is an important and pilot project for the care of Creation, as well as innovative projects for the recycling of plastic.
In your opinion, how can his regeneration take place?
Only through openness to new families and new people who must be integrated into our reality. Otherwise cities and territories are destined to die. For example, we are no longer able to cultivate our land ourselves or follow tourists with essential services. Without openness we are destined to impoverishment. Planning should be the goal of those who want the common good.
