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Sofia Bosco: competent action in defense of cultural identity
Sweet and captivating like a promise kept, exciting as the desire to be reborn that makes the hearts of the people of L'Aquila beat in unison. In late January the FAI set in motion the project for the restoration of the Fountain of the 99 Spouts, the symbolic monument of L'Aquila devastated by the April 6, 2009 earthquake. It is the first restoration site for the recovery of a historic/artistic monument in L'Aquila, made possible thanks to the many Italians who responded to the "SOS Monumenti Abruzzo" fundraising campaign. The FAI became the spokesperson and representative for concrete civil action involving businesses, private individuals, professionals and corporations.
Sofia Bosco, the Director of the FAI Office in Rome and coordinator of the project, explains: "The obstacles we have faced were of both a practical nature, due to the continuing of the tremors in the months following the quake, and of an administrative nature. The FAI had to sign a special convention with the Civil Defense department, assigned by the government to handle work on the cultural heritage as well. Along with the Superintendence of Abruzzo, we studied the historical and artistic documents on the monument in order to understand the damage and weak points, before drawing up a project divided into two stages, which should be completed by the end of 2010. The first stage is aimed at making the monument safe, guaranteeing its aseismatic solidity. In this stage the damage and cracks will be repaired, extending the restoration work to the surrounding wall and the entrance gate to the square where the fountain is located. The second stage calls instead for repairing the damage done to the facing and the cleaning and consolidating of the basins. The FAI was aided in this project by the reliability and competence it has shown over the years, succeeding in getting numerous professionals and companies involved: the main sponsors, Borsa Italiana and Assosim; the Studio Salvatici Ripa di Meana, which will be in charge of planning and works supervision; the technical sponsors Mapei, Edimo Restauri, Eugeni Pericle, and Keen Comunicazione."
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