THE EAGLE. Move the statue of Sallust from Piazza Palazzo to bring back the ancient Jesuit fountain. It is the shock proposal of the deputy mayor Raffaele Danielewhich raised a hornet’s nest of controversy.
THE IDEA
«We thought of bringing back here (to Piazza Palazzo, ndc) the ancient fountain which today is located in Piazza dei Gesuiti and which, for many centuries, was precisely on this square. An idea that, if shared by the people of L’Aquila, we would like to carry forward”, Daniele declared to Capoluogo.it. The proposal also includes a new location for the monument to the Roman historian, politician and senator, who has been the symbol of Piazza Palazzo since the beginning of the 20th century, standing right in front of the former classical high school. The statue would in fact be moved to Piazza dei Gesuiti, where, however, there is already another monument, that of Charles II of Habsburg.
THE PERPLEXITIES
Precisely this unusual situation (the coexistence of two statues of two different characters on the same square) creates many doubts for the historian and architect Maurizio D’Antonio. «It seems inappropriate to me for two statues to stand on the same square. Among other things, when the fountain was moved from Piazza Palazzo to Piazza dei Gesuiti, the statue of Charles II was in the center and was moved to the side (in front of the Palazzetto dei Nobili) to make room for the construction. Finally, since this operation would not be free, I wonder what need there is for the move. Why do we have to go back, what is the reason?”. Even the former councilor Vladimiro Placidi he is sceptical: «It is an eventuality that contrasts with decades of restoration culture and good practice, trying not to disconnect from history, even the less ancient one, the signs and motivations that led to a choice that must always be contextualized».
AN ERROR OF HISTORY
The architect is in favor of moving the statue Luca Carosi, designer of the Belvedere bridge and recently director of works for the recovery of the Campo Imperatore hotel. «Our beloved city, like many others, has undergone important changes due to destructive earthquakes, but also to urban planning choices that are not always completely acceptable», he says. «The relocation of the fountain in Piazza Palazzo, which involved moving the statue of Charles II to allow the placement of the monument to Sallust in 1903, was in my opinion a mistake».
WHAT MOTIVATIONS?
Instead, he wants to see clearly Dino Di Vincenzo, former regional director of Cultural Heritage: «When a monument has been placed in a place for over a century, the monument and the place in which it is located become historicized», he explains. «This does not mean that a monument cannot be moved, but there must be reasons. I’d like to understand what they are.”
THE VICEROY
«The statue of Sallust positioned in Piazza Palazzo after the Unification of Italy accompanied the political and social life of the city for over a century. Today, there are no historical or cultural reasons for its relocation, on the contrary, the desire behind the restoration of the nineteenth-century fountain erected in the Bourbon era and certainly in a climate that was not exactly democratic appears disturbing.” As Carla Mannetti (League). «The deputy mayor should abandon neo-Spanish impulses which recall the tendency to dominate the people of L’Aquila in that historical period, realizing that he is a pro-tempore public administrator, like all those who hold elective positions, and not a viceroy, much less an urban planner of fame, and therefore has the duty to historically justify his arbitrary choices on the layout of the city”.
AND THE SUPERINTENDENCE?
He echoes her Lorenzo Rotellini, city councilor: «The deputy mayor’s delusions of omnipotence never end, thinking of furnishing the historic center as if it were the living room of his home and having rediscovered Renzo Piano. There are other problems, such as the lack of parking and efficient public transport that allows you to reach the center without a car. The most ridiculous thing is that the Superintendence allows everything, but when a simple citizen wants to choose a color to paint his house or a different color for the shutters he gets you into trouble.”
