Maderno Inaugurates Renovated Palazzo Benamati as New Tourism Centre
Grand ceremony in Maderno for the inauguration of the renovated Palazzo Benamati. The municipal-owned building, restored and furnished at a cost of 750 million lire, will become the Tourism Palace, housing the offices of the Assessorato and the locations for cultural and sporting associations of the town.
In the beautiful main hall, capable of hosting about seventy people, will be used for congresses, exhibitions, as well as for meetings of the City Council, which finally finds a worthy venue.
Donated to the local community by the priest Benamati four centuries ago, the building, located in Maderno’s historic center, has over the years housed elementary schools, professional courses, and finally the parish nursery. In the seventies, with the transfer of the nursery, the Benamati fell into disuse. In the eighties, it underwent an initial restoration, followed by the initiation of the recovery project in autumn 1999, which was completed in recent months.
Restoration and Dedications of the Renovated Rooms
The four restored rooms have been dedicated to four personalities deeply connected to the local community, remembered by Prof. Antonio Foglio. The new council chamber bears the name of the Venetian painter Andrea Celesti, who arrived in Toscolano between 1684 and 1688, likely exiled following disagreements with the Doge.
The legend of the donkey ears associated with how he depicted the Doge, accused of expressing a negative judgment about one of his paintings, is well known. In Toscolano, Celesti received important commissions. Among other works, he completed two large cycle paintings: one commissioned by the Delai family for the palace at the port, depicting scenes from the Old Testament, and the other, vast, preserved in the parish church of Toscolano, considered one of the masterpieces of Venitian painting of the 17th century.
The other rooms are dedicated to Giacomo Benvenuti, Paolo Nino Gaoso, and Andrea Grazioli. Benvenuti, born in Toscolano in 1885, was a musician and composer, known for his instrumental and vocal works that earned him widespread fame. Andrea Grazioli, native of Toscolano, was a doctor who treated the plague victims in Desenzano in 1567. He was also a learned Greek and Latin scholar.
The cav. Gaoso (1892-1978), ultimately, was president of the local Casa di riposo from 1952 to 1977. In the 1950s, with foresight of the emerging tourist development, he was also a promoter of the establishment of the Pro loco. He also served as mayor of the town.
Homage and Inauguration Procession
Following the procession of the town band and the blessing of the building by don Gianfranco Mascher, the mayor Paolo Elena, the Vice Prefect Giaccani, Hon. Adriano Paroli, and provincial tourism councilor Ermes Buffoli expressed satisfaction with the new municipal structure.