Garda’s Piazza Calderini Redevelopment Plan Seeks Historic and Traffic Harmony
A new face for Piazza Calderini? This is the possibility proposed at the end of the mandate by the municipal administration led by Giorgio Comencini.
The preliminary project has already been planned: the cost is estimated at around four hundred million euros.
Piazza Calderini is one of the traffic nodes in Garda. It is located just behind the clock tower, at the intersection of Via XX Settembre, Via Verdi, and the Gardesana road: those heading to the town hall or the center from the new part of town almost certainly pass through here.
However, what should be a sort of Garda lounge does not seem to be in an ideal state of preservation: the unpleasant, unattractive asphalt does not give the impression that you are entering the historic center.
There is also the issue that this area is an important traffic hub, connecting the lakefront road to the Gardesana.
Moreover, the small square hosts a busy, limited-duration parking lot.
Yet, the corner has its charms. On the square overlooks Palazzo Calderini, which, as Massimo Ragnolini mentions in his Garda guide, «belonged to an ancient and noble Veronese family, which owned properties and homes not only in Garda but also in Torri, where the learned humanist Domizio Calderini was born».
The palace was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century, and nearby, toward the Gusa stream, a new building was added—where, as a plaque commemorates, the Duke of Genoa stayed during military operations of the First Italian War of Independence.
Redevelopment Initiatives
Now, a substantial makeover is envisaged for the small Garda square.
«The redevelopment project», explains the outgoing public works councilor, Pierlorenzo Vantini, «aims to preserve the current functions of the square while improving its exterior appearance through a complete overhaul of the paving and pedestrian pathways».
The pedestrian traffic flow from the underpass is maintained, with the creation of a new sidewalk compliant with disability standards, while on the other sides, a wide strip of stone flush with the street is planned to highlight the paths.
The roadway will be mainly paved with cobblestones of porphyry, interspersed with slabs of the same material, laid just outside the clock tower, to visually soften the transition from the diagonal slabs on Corso Vittorio Emanuele to the cobblestones of the square.»
Other planned interventions for the square include enhancing the lighting system with new lamps identical to the existing ones, while projectors will illuminate the facades of the interesting historic buildings facing the square.
To complete the work, paving of the Rudini Carlotti alley, connecting Piazza Calderini with the lakefront passing in front of the Palazzo Pompei – Carlotti, which was recently left to the Municipality of Garda as an inheritance from Liliana Pincini, is also planned.
