Sirmione Plans to Reclaim Castello Scaligero for Extended Public Access
The Comune di Sirmione is back at it: they want to acquire the Castello Scaligero. After a long dormant period of 13 years, the Ferrari administration has revived the idea of taking possession of the fortress, of course in order to manage it.
The administration’s plans primarily aim to provide visitors with extended opening hours, considering reopening the rooms currently closed for structural repairs. Ultimately, they want to make the most of the castle resource.
For example, the Chagall exhibition, initially scheduled right inside the fortress, was diverted ten days before the opening to the smaller spaces of the gallery in Piazza Flaminia. A real setback.
The historical events and administrative procedures
To recount the events, we must go back to July 1987, although the story of the proposed transfer of the fortress from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage to the Municipality dates back to June 10, 1986, when the first request for a loan in kind was submitted to Rome.
On July 10, 1987, the Finance Office of Brescia wrote to the Superintendency of Lombardy asking for an opinion regarding the Municipality’s request.
Then, on July 28, the union — the Territorial Federation of Public Service of Garda (at the time, the Chamber of Labour Cgil was organized into peripheral offices) — expressed to the ministry and the Superintendency “concern about the rumored donation of the Castello Scaligero to Sirmione.”
The clear motive: to defend the state personnel who, in case of transfer to the local authority, could face layoffs. The letter seems to have had an effect, as nothing more happened until October 7.
Subsequently, the ministry again wrote to the Superintendency of Brescia requesting an “assessment of the rumors concerning a possible lease.”
By November 5, 1987, the “big day” seemed imminent, as the ministry issued a favorable opinion for the concession to the Ministry of Finance. The response arrived after four months.
However, then a “mystery” unfolded. On November 28 of the same year, the ministry inexplicably informed the Finance Ministry that it had revoked the previous favorable opinion.
The Finance Ministry then asked for clarifications from the Cultural Heritage authorities about the reasons for the reversal, leading to a prolonged silence, until last February when Sirmione urged the Ministry of Finance to hand over the fortress for management, considering the favorable opinion issued four years earlier.
The series of communications ended (for now) on March 9: the ministry and the Superintendency wrote to the Municipality stating that the opinion was revoked in November ’87. This was already well known, but sindaco Maurizio Ferrari intended to proceed anyway.
As we said, also to better exploit this treasure.