Desenzano Protests Rise Over Lakeside Development and Town Market Changes
Spontaneous initiatives are flourishing in Desenzano to contest certain decisions by the Anelli administration: the project of Desenzano’s lakeside promenade and the relocation of the Sunday market in Rivoltella. The tone of local protests against the center-right council is increasing, and these protests are often organized into committees. This phenomenon should prompt reflection within political forces, especially as committees are emerging everywhere these days. In the past, the ‘spokesperson’ for citizens’ concerns was usually the municipal councilor of the neighborhood, regardless of party affiliation. Let’s take the case of the project for Desenzano’s lakeside promenade.
Initiatives against the Desenzano lakeside promenade project
Alongside the Partito Lega‘s petition drive last weekend—an initiative that, according to councilor Rino Polloni, achieved “extraordinary success with about a thousand signatures”—a spontaneously formed “Citizens’ Committee for the Protection of the Lakeside” has begun distributing a statement door-to-door, outlining the reasons to “say no” to the Ramella project. The opposition can be summarized as follows: “We are absolutely opposed,” say the promoters, “to the construction of the over 30-meter-high lakeside embankment in front of the Europa Hotel, to widening the paved promenade to 10 meters, and to the green area planned to be another 7 meters wide.”
Furthermore, they request that the development of the “lakeside square” be minimized, consideration be given to not constructing the steel and glass fountain nicknamed “Queen of the Lake,” and that the lakeside intervention be scaled down from 17 meters in length to a size appropriate for pedestrian walkways. The center-left and RC parties have announced that they are “particularly critical of the project.”
Additionally, the Lega plans to set up gazebos to collect signatures on Friday and Saturday as well. Moving from Desenzano, let’s shift our focus to Rivoltella, where the atmosphere is perhaps even more heated.
The protest methods in Rivoltella
After statements regarding the future lakeside promenade and the square in front of Villa Brunati, the Comitato Piazza Grande has asked the Anelli administration for a commitment to revitalize the neighborhood, particularly regarding the construction of Piazza Grande, a pedestrian area long awaited and deemed essential in Rivoltella.
Recently, another issue has emerged: the Sunday market, which the administration would like to move from the historic center to the end of Via Giovanni XXIII.
The center-left and RC parties issued a statement yesterday, “inviting the Anelli administration to seriously reconsider this decision and urging citizens to sign the petition.” The center-left argues that “the market is a vital element for Rivoltella, fitting well with the commercial activities of the center, serving as a draw for residents and tourists.”
In response, the Anelli government reiterates that the decision is driven by the presence of numerous new apartments (under construction along Via Di Vittorio): closing the street and adjacent roads on all Sundays would cause significant inconvenience. Moving the market to Via Giovanni XXIII would not economically harm the businesses in the historic center.
Finally, road traffic would not suffer during the Sunday markets. As can be seen, the positions are quite distant, so a reversal from either side appears unlikely.
