Lonato Citadel Redevelopment Begins in 2023 with €1.5B Investment
The construction site aimed at completely «revisiting» the citadel, the heart of Lonato’s historic center, begins today. A very important project that involves underground utilities, existing technological networks, paving, and lighting of this significant neighborhood. Cost? Overall, one and a half billion euros.
“This is a major redevelopment effort,” explains Emilio Baresi, Public Works Councilor, “considering the citadel as a tourist landmark representative of the city of Lonato. The project’s goal is to enhance the area of the Rocca by viewing the entire neighborhood as a single entity, fully accessible to visitors. To this end, all alleys are connected to the existing pathway at the foot of the castle without in any way altering the traffic flow.”
Future Projects and Interventions in the Area
The citadel will nevertheless be the first step in the center-left municipal administration’s plan, which outlines future efforts (subject to securing adequate funding) to restore Piazza Martiri della Libertà and Piazza Mercato. Basically, to breathe new life and energy into a historic center that has been abandoned for many years, too many, left to itself.
This was also part of the electoral program. The new paving, made of river pebbles, will feature pedestrian pathways in gray stone, aimed at clearly and legibly distinguishing pedestrian routes from vehicle routes. The choice of materials, in terms of shape and color, was made to create visual continuity with the existing historic structures.
The project extends onto Ugo Da Como avenue, where a pedestrian pathway in gray stone will be defined, transforming the function of the avenue, which currently appears as a vehicle route with disorganized parking. The avenue will be revitalized as a path characterized by key elements: the staircase adjacent to the civic tower, the belvedere overlooking the square of Matteotti, the pedestrian walkway leading to the Colo parking lot, traffic decongestion, and regulation of vehicle parking.
The walk to the Citadel will start from the staircase bordering the civic tower, conceived as a true urban element. Shapes and colors are chosen to create visual continuity between the tower and the rest of the structure. The materials used for the paving are local stones: river pebbles, Verona red marble, Botticino white marble, and Sarnico gray stone.
