The prospects of recognition UNESCO by the way Appiaput a stop to the “marriage factory” in Hagia Sophiaplant trees as a protective anti-smog barrier for the Arch of Trajan, go back to digging in Pietraroja to hopefully find some more Cyrus, protect the many historic centers of the province. He has only been in office for two weeks, but he shows that he already has very clear ideas about what awaits him as the new Delegate Superintendent for Benevento and Caserta Mariano Nuzzo. And moreover, the 47-year-old director of the Ministry of Culture, Superintendent for the metropolitan area of Naples, between Terra di Lavoro and the Sannio has always lived and worked being originally from Santa Maria a Vico. Rigorous protection of heritage or openness to the needs of local authorities: what will your approach be? «Between the two extremes there is room for an intelligent third way, that of case-by-case evaluation. We are not in the nineteenth century, there is the possibility of adapting to modernity by exploiting its opportunities. I mention, for example, photovoltaic installations: you can’t say no regardless, there are innovative tools such as panel tiles to minimize the impact on the natural landscape”.
IDENTIFICATION
Benevento is about to receive, together with other Samnite and national centres, the second UNESCO recognition with the Via Appia. An honor but also a burden, because the limits to be respected increase. But for Nuzzo it must not be experienced as a burden: «A UNESCO recognition is always an added value for a territory, and the citizens of Benevento know this because they show particular pride in their cultural heritage. We must reverse the perspective: if a new UNESCO title will be awarded it is because Benevento has already been able to express and protect a heritage worthy of global recognition. But this does not mean that we must always keep our guard up, otherwise we even risk having our brand removed, as was about to happen years ago even in Pompeii.”
THE CASE
Santa Sofia: part World Heritage Site, part neighborhood church, a very popular location for dozens of weddings a year. A coexistence that requires some correction: «It is an absolute priority of my mandate – assures Nuzzo – I am not prejudicially against the use of monumental assets even for self-financing, as long as it is not excessive. Santa Sofia must not be a wedding factory, and I will make sure that you are not. By applying a very practical criterion: establish what is needed for management and adjust the number of ceremonies accordingly, without going further. The Cathedral of Florence, just to give an example, we don’t remember it for weddings. The monument and its needs must be at the center, not those of the people to whom the monument bends.” The Arch of Trajan is under attack by smog. Yet another restoration is about to begin, but with all the repairs, even the best preserved triumphal arch in Italy may show its rope. Nuzzo has an innovative perspective in this regard: «Arco is pampered like a child by the people of Benevento, and rightly so. The acids from polluting emissions are certainly a deleterious factor for the monument because they tend to calcine the stone surfaces, or to start a chemical process that leads the marble to transform into plaster over time. We must absolutely avoid it or delay this event for as long as possible. To do this, it is clear that the ideal would be to isolate it completely from vehicular traffic. But I guess it’s not easy. So we also need to think about innovative solutions such as the creation of a protective barrier made up of plants that intercept smog, a green buffer between the road and the monument.” Piazza Pacca: great controversy after the archaeological finds, then covered with the approval of the Superintendency to install the infopoint. The new Superintendent also shares the line of precautionary backfills: «In principle, if you don’t have the possibility of digging well, it is better to catalog and cover to protect the finds themselves. But without losing sight of the objective of a new excavation campaign, as soon as the opportunity arises. This is what I also think of Piazza Pacca.” The fossiliferous basin of Pietraroja which gave the world the wonder Ciro is still largely unexplored. Yet the baby dinosaur had to have a father and a mother. Why not try looking for them? «We are in the field of paleontology rather than archeology – Nuzzo points out – but there is no doubt that the Pietraroja site is incredibly interesting, representing a unique example in the world. Going back to digging can certainly be an objective worthy of attention. We will work on it.” At the moment, however, not even the most famous baby dinosaur in the world is valued as it deserves. Such an “archeostar” would generate record numbers anywhere in the world, but in Benevento it is half-hidden. We could think of a different use: «Ciro can be better valorised, I agree – admits the new owner of the Superintendent – even if something in this sense has already been done by reserving a dedicated space for him in the Superintendence. Move it? The exceptional nature of the find even deserves its own museum site. I don’t rule out any options.” Closure on an asset that we too often take for granted: «The protection of historic centers is fundamental – Nuzzo points out – I will ask local administrations to preserve the organic nature of the urban fabric when issuing authorizations for building interventions».
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