Brescia Council Supports Idea Competition for Piazza Tre Novembre Porticoes
It is not accurate to say that the Rivana administration welcomed with relief the proposal to open a competition of ideas to solve the long-standing and delicate issue of closing the porticoes in Piazza Tre Novembre. This is stated by Pietro Matteotti, the assessor, who clarifies the circumstances under which the decision of the administration was made.
Disputes over the administration’s decision
As is remembered, the Municipality had appealed to the Tar against the province after the Cultural Heritage department rejected the Winkler-Campetti project, sponsored by the Municipality itself and initially positively evaluated also by the provincial manager, engineer Carlini.
Before deciding on the merits, the court decided to seek an expert opinion from someone of national fame. The expert refrained from declaring that the designed solution (glassthat had no framing, directly fixed into the grey stone of the arches) was compatible with the historical and artistic dignity of the sixteenth-century arches. Instead, he suggested holding a nationwide competition to find the best solution.
Interventions and opinions on the expert
The Municipality’s lawyer, Mauro Vecchietti, expressed suspicion that the expert’s opinion might lead to a ruling against the Municipality, especially given the inexplicable haste of the provincial opposition to conclude the matter.
In these circumstances, the best decision, according to the administration, was to withdraw the appeal and hold the competition — a decision that was approved by the council.
Possible risks and expectations
The lack of enthusiasm from the executive is promptly explained: to date, there is no certainty that the future winner of the competition will propose an idea acceptable to the Cultural Heritage. In other words, there is a risk of wasting time and money.
Meanwhile, the merchants of the square are waiting for instructions regarding the type of closure that has been promised for three years.
