by Gabriele Masiero
PISA
In a couple of weeks the new Piazza Viviani (photo Del Punta for Valtriani) will be officially inaugurated. Yes, new. Because the square in Marina di Pisa, as shown by the aerial images and not only, has completely changed its appearance compared to how generations of Pisans have known it up to now. What was once a dusty, poorly maintained open space used as a parking lot is now a green square with street furniture and games for children, embellished by the “telescope that from the sea allows a breathtaking view all the way to the church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice (and vice versa), perfectly inserted in the Marina di Pisa seafront. “In a few more days – said the mayor Michele Conti in a recent inspection – and the construction site will be finished. After decades Marina and the people of Marina di Pisa, but also the many visitors accustomed to frequenting our coast, are rediscovering a square that, in fact, wasn’t there before. And without losing even the parking lots, which will be arranged around the circular shape of the same, balancing the need to increase the decorum, with the equally necessary need to leave the car to walk in front of our sea”. “Today – says Francesco Lepri, architect and great-grandson of Giuseppe Viviani – what for the people of Marino and not only was ‘the paduletto’, a space so narrow that it was called the ‘excrement square’, becomes usable and presents itself with a splendid telescope on the church of Santa Maria Ausiliatrice. The attention to certain decorous details, such as the walkway for the disabled up to the study of the small flowerbed next to the chalet that surrounds and integrates it, and the view of the house, unfortunately suffering, where Giuseppe Viviani lived with his partner Angela Romano called Naby, his inspiring muse who he himself immortalized in an engraving where she waits on the balcony for her Prince of Boccadarno, make this place even more magical. I would define the new Piazza Viviani as a ‘polite’ square, which leads and should lead to respect for greenery, for places, for children’s games, for relationships with others”. The cost of the works is 1.3 million euros, to which must be added the 385 thousand euros paid by the administration to Aoup to become the sole owner of the land and finally start the restyling: the lawn area, with precautions adopted from time to time to protect the greenery, is also intended as an auditorium for cultural and entertainment events.
