Rive Festival in Salò Highlights Tradition, Revitalization and Entertainment
The Rive Festival in Salò will last a couple of days, tomorrow and Sunday. Different moments will be experienced: joy, entertainment, but also reflection and religiosity. Many years ago, the festival mainly expressed devotion to the Madonna, to whom the little church of the neighborhood is dedicated, entrusted by the parish priest Francesco Andreis to the spouses Renata and Giuseppe Comini, who care for it in every detail. Over time, folklore, entertainment, and fun have been added: the ingredients needed to stimulate the still numerous guests on Lake Garda. In short, a way to stay out late. Cheerfully.
Tomorrow, at 8:30 p.m., amidst grilled salamis and beer, the ice will be broken by “I Blue Men”. People will be able to dance in the street, which will obviously be closed to vehicle traffic. On Sunday morning, at 9:30 a.m., the outdoor Mass will be celebrated, with the participation of the choir of the Duomo Chapel. At 8:30 p.m., there will be a performance by the town band and majorettes; at 9 p.m., again, “Blue Men”. Tasting of aole (local typical bread) and French fries will also be available.
Requalification Project and History of the Rive District
This year, on the occasion of the Festival, the mayor of Salò, Giampietro Cipani, will present to residents the final project regarding the renovation of the neighborhood: sewer system, new road surface, cobblestone sidewalks with Verona red marble curbs, lighting. In a recent meeting, held in the presence of shopkeepers, merchants, and artisans, counselor Bernardo Berardinelli and counselor Nirvana Grisi, president of Confcommercio, confirmed that works will begin in early October. They should be completed by March.
Via Rive, which runs from Gas until the Canottieri, has a rich history of humanity and toil, of entrepreneurship, of proven coexistence among different classes and social strata. It has integrated the lake-country relationship, lived alongside a robust network of artisans and merchants, and today, also tourism operators – writes Pino Mongiello, former mayor and current head of the Garda Community, in the book dedicated to the district.
It is the city’s gateway, a melting pot, a bustling thoroughfare, an experience of relationships built on honesty and solidarity. In some situations, time seems to have stood still. Many buildings remain virtually unchanged. In fact, sometimes they appear folded in on themselves, degraded by neglect, sometimes repurposed for improper and precarious uses.
The aspect of untreated wounds, abandonment displayed as an insult and offense to common sense, is the deterioration. Yet, within a context awaiting a true cultural revolution, cracks of intuitive and dynamic entrepreneurship are evident, especially between San Bernardino and la Sirena. An increasing interest in the urban and social recovery of the district is emerging.
It is a humble, frugal, sometimes lazy neighborhood. A lakeside street that needs to restore a more trusting and productive relationship with the lake. Today separated from the gulf by a row of houses, it must reopen its horizons and reflect trustingly in the water that, upon closer inspection, is mainly wealth. The Festival symbolically marks the end of the summer season, opened in June by the feast of San Antonio.
