New Cultural and Wine Center at Porta Verona Barracks Opening Soon
Countdown to the inauguration of the new cultural, multimedia, tourist, and enological center at the Artiglieria di Porta Verona barracks. The completion of the renovation (although only half of the buildings will be accessible immediately and the other half by the end of the year), commissioned by the Municipal Administration in collaboration with the Bardolino, Custoza, Lugana, Garda, and Valdadige-Terra dei Forti wine protection consortia and the social cooperative Beta, was announced yesterday at Vinitaly.
Details on the renovation and objectives
The choice of this major global wine showcase is no coincidence, as the agreement signed by the Municipality with the managing cooperative stipulates that the primary goal will be promoting the activities and products of the lake region.
Within it, by the end of the year, an enoteca will be opened, housed on the ground floor of the Artiglieria di Porta Verona barracks (built by the Austrians between 1854 and 1857), covering 4,000 square meters and restored in accordance with original designs, shapes, and materials.
The complex, situated between Porta Verona fortifications and the San Marco bastions, includes, besides the enological zone, the Piccard representative hall, conference and exhibition rooms, a piazza for events, and outdoor activities. It is also an ideal location to host a taste fair.
Meetings and official opening
Next Thursday, the Municipality, together with the protection consortia and the Beta social cooperative, will conduct a guided tour of the facility for institutional and private representatives from the wine industry.
The official inauguration will take place on the first Saturday of May.
Historical and architectural details
«The Artillerie Etablissement is the French name given by the designer, Major Gedeon von Radò, to the arsenal commissioned by Radetzky in the fortress of Peschiera del Garda,» explained Claudio Zanoni, president of Beta.
«A monumental complex of European resonance, unique of its kind on the lake and not only on Garda.»
But the first spectacle is the monument itself, a masterpiece of architecture on two floors with a giant order between Porta Verona (evoking the shapes of Guidobaldo della Rovere and Michele Sanmicheli) and the San Marco bastion, both from the sixteenth century.
The facades are decorated with Doric pilasters and rusticated arches, made of yellow tuff stone and Verona red. (Yellow is also the symbolic color of Italian artillery, and red that of Austrian artillery).
The restoration was directed by architects Lino Vittorio Bozzeto and Oscar Cofani.
Features of the former establishment
The artillery complex includes the barracks, the pyrotechnic laboratory, the powder magazine, part of Porta Verona, and the San Marco bastion.
The laboratory, located on the ground floor, was used for carpentry work, charge packaging, casting, and everything needed to maintain the fortress’s armory.
The transformation of a fortification such as the Porta Verona Barracks into a public space for culture, entertainment, promotion of local assets, and community activities is a sign of lively evolution towards the integration of tourism and environmental assets.
