Riva City Aesthetic Committee to Preserve and Restore Historic Charm

Facades of dilapidated houses, rusty drainage channels, unsafe greenhouses, degraded old streets, crumbling 18th-century gates, or even works of art — and this is also a matter for debate — controversially located in corners of great historical and scenic value such as the Rocca Park. Small but significant “blemishes” for a tourist town like Riva, often invisible to locals who live and work here, but unfortunately painfully obvious to the eyes of the hundreds of thousands of guests who arrive from all over Europe each year. To try to erase these blemishes and give voice to citizens “at the palace,” a group of Riva residents has decided to establish a “Committee for Aesthetics” and actively commit themselves.

Commitment to the city’s aesthetic

“While public and private constructions are being carried out,” write the committee founders, “people do not realize that simple things — an old door, a window, an ancient alley — are losing their historical and aesthetic significance. The city is full of small and large imperfections, but no one cares. Electrical or gas utility boxes, signs that disturb the view: we are losing the sense of beauty.” In short, an end to bad taste.

And to implement this slogan, Germano Michelotti and Nerino Versini have decided to actively involve themselves. “Anyone who believes,” they explain, “as we do, that this problem is far from trivial — can contact us. Riva’s economy relies heavily on tourism and, consequently, on aesthetics. An aesthetic rooted in architectural style that must be respected down to the smallest detail if we want to highlight the beauty of Riva.”

Program and objectives of the Committee

To achieve this, the founders have already drafted a program-law that sets the objectives of the newly formed “Comitato bella Riva – Società dell’adorno”. Among the main points is the creation of a historical archive and, if possible, a photographic one accessible to private citizens and organizations. A periodic bulletin on the committee’s activities, with reports and plans for future interventions, is also foreseen.

All citizens can join the committee (except for those holding public office in the administration), and subsequently, a steering committee will be appointed. This committee should include, among others, “two experts in legal issues, an accounting expert, two (or more) surveyors or architects, two (or more) master masons, one (or more) plumber, one (or more) electrician, one (or more) carpenter, one (or more) tiler, one (or more) interior designer, three (or more) painters, sculptors, ceramists, and decorators active in Riva for at least ten years.”

The main objects of activity — which involves preservation, renovation, and restoration — will be roads, squares, streets, buildings, or parts of buildings of historical, artistic, and cultural interest that have been part of the city’s heritage for at least 30 years. There will also be studies of the territory, projects, and events to be coordinated with public administration. To join or learn more, contact Germano Michelotti at 0338/2199554 or Nerino Versini at 0464/511268.