Gardasee Municipality Explores Underground Parking Concessions for Tourism
The parking lot? Do it yourself: on municipal land. This is roughly the message conveyed in a notice circulated in recent days by the Gardesane municipal administration led by Giorgio Comencini. “This administration, the notice reads, is considering the possibility of transferring public areas to private entities for the creation, under a temporary concession regime, of underground parking facilities for public or private use.”
The parking issues and recent initiatives
Parking has traditionally been one of the most debated topics during the long tourist seasons on Lake Garda. Garda is certainly not lacking in parking spaces, especially now that the town has opened the new parking area on via Preite on land acquired from the Colonie Alpine Veronesi, close to the town center and behind the large private parking lot “dei Tigli.” However, the demand for car spaces remains extremely high.
Therefore, the municipality invites economic operators to come forward: land and multi-decade concessions in exchange for new parking spots. “The proposal,” explains Comencini, “was already launched about a year ago during an assembly held with hoteliers. Now, it has been formalized with an invitation primarily addressed to economic categories—those most interested, I believe, in having covered parking areas.”
If there are requests, we confirm that we are willing to lease public areas for several decades. Of course, the parking facilities must be strictly underground,” he affirms.
The identified areas and the project at Largo Pisanello
The announcement issued by the Municipality specifies that “the areas in question could be located both within the historic center and in the remaining territory.” The area that seems best suited for such an intervention is undoubtedly Largo Pisanello, the large square in the Borgo, between the congress palace and the church. Certainly, constructing an underground parking lot there could entail significant costs, but it would be the only parking area downhill of the Gardesana road, literally just a few steps from the lakefront.
The invitation explicitly targets hoteliers and merchants. “It is considered appropriate to proactively gather expressions of interest, even if non-binding, from tourism operators operating within the municipality,” reads the notices and flyers distributed in recent days. But will anyone actually come forward? “I sincerely hope so,” says Comencini, “and if no one steps up, it will still have been an exciting challenge directed at our local tourism and economic operators.”