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Mayor Cialente: the rebirth of L'Aquila has already begun
This is an important moment for the reconstruction of the city of L'Aquila, the concrete demonstration of the will of the people of L'Aquila to rise again after last year's dramatic earthquake, starting with the city's symbolic monument, the Fountain of the 99 Spouts. According to Massimo Cialente, mayor of L'Aquila, the restoration of the Fountain of the 99 Spouts begun by the FAI last January "is an emblem of the rebirth and new stimulus of the life of L'Aquila and its people. Not only because it is a monument intimately tied to the city's history and origins, but above all because the FAI restoration is the first recovery intervention on a work of art in the city. Struck to the core by the earthquake, suffering from its many dead, the exodus of its inhabitants, and the total destruction of its social fabric, L'Aquila has shown and continues to show that it has the energy and determination to move forward. With stubbornness, pride, and dignity."
It is in fact thanks to the concrete and immediate intervention by the FAI, continues mayor Cialente, "which once again has demonstrated sensitivity and commitment to artistic and cultural values. From this place in the soul of every aquilano, the new city will arise. A city that is fascinating for its art and architectural treasures, proud of the testimonies of its thousand-year history, but also modern and functional. Just as beautiful, and even more so, than before."
FAI: L'Aquila, where are the institutions?
The rubble of the houses is the rubble of lives! This is the starting point of the reflections of FAI President Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, who calls out for strong, concrete action by the institutions to restore life and pride to the city of L'Aquila, devastated by last year's tragic earthquake. "The spontaneous protests of the people of L'Aquila," Ilaria Borletti Buitoni explains, "inspire an important and necessary reflection on how to deal with reconstruction after disastrous events such as the earthquakes, floods, and landslides that have followed one another in our country. Giving people who have lost their homes the chance to have a roof over their head for the time being is definitely the number one priority, but it must be immediately followed by the necessity, which cannot be delayed, to begin the reconstruction of the city and to restore its identity."
The FAI president emphasizes in particular that "those who have suffered a serious trauma, such as the people of L'Aquila, have a pressing need to know that a road is being followed that may be long, but that will bring them back to their homes, their city, their landmarks - in other words, the touchstones of their lives and of their memories. The institutions have to maintain this commitment. The FAI, which protects our country's art heritage, a heritage that is also our identity, is on the front lines in supporting the recovery of the historic center of L'Aquila with the project of the restoration of the Fountain of the 99 Spouts, a symbol of the town and a part of its identity for the people, and thus it asks the institutions to give people clear information on how and when they can expect the work will be done for the reconstruction of the capital of Abruzzo. No newly built house, no matter how perfect, can fill the emptiness and compensate for the pain suffered by those who continue to see the ruins of what once was and experienced it, without a glimpse of hope for rebirth."
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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