More than on the lake, and above all on the first day of summer, it seems to be on the moor where Conan Doyle set The Hound of the Baskervilles. The clouds are heavy and fill the waters of the Massaciuccoli with various shades of grey, while the Albionic style street lamps complete the scenography.
In these conditions, it is not easy to guess the profile of the new Belvedere Puccini, and the impact that the redevelopment could have on clear days remains confined to the imagination. And yet, since yesterday morning a pilgrimage of curious people began who wanted to be ahead of the times, in order to get an idea of what has come out of the work of these months.
The verdict, at least among the local population – there are also several tourists… but it is difficult to ask them for a comparison between before and after – is positive. A balanced opinion is given by Luigi Manfredi, an inhabitant of the Puccini hamlet who has witnessed the vicissitudes of the lakefront for decades. “It is still early to understand what the Belvedere will really be like – he explains – also because the works are still in progress (yesterday morning there was a coming and going of workers to complete the operations on the public greenery, and a good part of the area was still cordoned off; ed. ) do not allow us to get a precise idea. From what I know, when they have finished arranging the plants, the cleaning operations will begin, and already the appearance will be different concrete near the lake, someone called it “the airport”, and because of the proportion between the concrete and the greenery, I like it a good job came out. And then, let’s face it: it’s impossible to please everyone, so someone might as well take charge of the situation. Then, if there is a need to make corrections, they will be done.”
What is certain is that, as (very) often happens in Viareggio, Guelphs and Ghibellines have started to glare at each other even on the lakeside. For example regarding the parapets on the lake. “There is talk of replacing them with steps that reach down to the water level, like on northern lakes – continues Manfredi – and someone has brought up safety… As regards the very large space between the flowerbeds and the chalet , from what I see it could also be functional in case of minor events. When the Giro d’Italia started, the impression was very positive”.
From another angle, that of those who not only live on, but also in the Belvedere, comes the verdict of Giacomo Bini (like Puccini… “but in Torre del Lago, who knows why, we are all called Giacomo”), of the Chalet on the Lake. “It’s too early to say whether people will like it or not – he says –; what I know is that the works have brought about a lot of curiosity, which has translated into a newfound movement in this area of Torre del Lago. In the last two, three years , the situation here on the Belvedere had cooled down a bit, some operators had been in difficulty. Now, however, the passage has grown in terms of volume. Let’s hope that the redevelopment is a harbinger of a rediscovery of the Belvedere. My opinion I am an architect and I cannot have the overall vision of an expert in the sector – concludes Bini – but from what I have been able to see, it seems to me that the square is enjoyable from an aesthetic point of view”.
