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sponsorship and financing for restoration of: High relief "Justice", Fountain of San Tiziano, Porta veneta del Broletto, Revaluing Brescia, conservation and restoration of the city's most important monuments
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The "Revaluing Brescia" project: a project for the city
by Paolo Corsini - the Mayor of Brescia
"Intervent with the grandeur which a place of such standing and public decorum requires".
("Letter from the Regency of the Academy, 1784")
in the Queriniana library, Manuscripts, F.VI.1m8)
Although these words were inscribed in the XVIII century they are still relevant to this day. As a matter of fact, in promoting a methodical plan for the conservation and restoration of the city's most important monuments, which also involves private sponsors, the town council has made the words its own. They give real substance to the aims of this publication and to the initiatives it makes reference to. The main aim of this project is to make the historical centre, but also the rest of the city more beautiful, better attended to and more functional. It should express an overall urban quality which is worthy of its history and of the stratification of its past.
We feel it is important to mention that the urban development plans for the historical centre of Brescia have been strategically defined by the new general town-planning scheme and fit into three essential guidelines: firstly, we have the
safeguarding and conservation of the role of centrality; secondly, there is the increase in and development of housing availability and thirdly, the conservation and valorisation of the city's urban and architectural framework.
Naturally, such stances call for the detailed and demanding planning of policies and techniques: in terms of commerce (the network of small businesses and the market), public venues (spaces for exhibitions and shows), administrative and business centres, traffic and parking, culture and tourism (museums, libraries, squares, churches, important buildings and monuments).
During this process collaboration between public and private sectors is not simply desirable but, in fact, absolutely necessary.
As a result of this, particular attention is paid both to the updating of infrastructures and to the safeguarding of the inestimable historical and artistic heritage of the city. Given the conviction that the historical centre of the city is, as a whole, cultural heritage, equal care and attention is to be dedicated to all projects: those that are technically or financially more exacting, as well as those that appear more modest. These are just as challenging if their overall design is
correctly interpreted.
The information files which are included in the following pages exemplify the invaluable result obtained. That is to say, the comparison between the situation preceding the restoration work, the various work phases and the monument when restored to its former glory. They also bear witness to a greater insight into some of these relics from our history, which goes back thousands of years, the philological recovery of details and the rediscovery of rarities which had been hidden by the ravages of time and by the insults of man.
Thanks to the sensitivity of the companies who chose to participate in the conservation and restoration plan, Brescia has recovered some important parts of its identity. I refer to the drinking fountains (from time immemorial the pride and joy of our city, described in the past as the "thousand fountains") in Piazza della Loggia or the Arcades of Corso Zanardelli, the monuments dedicated to Arnold of Brescia, Tito Speri, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Giuseppe Zanardelli, Giuseppe Mazzini, the work of the most famous sculptors in our country, the mysterious Mostasù delle Cossere, whose origins are lost in legend, the portal
of the Old Cathedral and the Teatro Grande, the Communal Palace in Piazza Vittoria, a little treasure which evokes the twentieth-century. These all represent the many episodes which have become intertwined in our city.They are the product of their era and the precious heritage of the city's life history.
The restoration of the monuments in our city was made possible by the "Revaluing Brescia" initiative and owes thanks to the praiseworthy and unstinting commitment of Mark Com. Naturally, our hope is that this work may continue in the future or better still, that it may draw fresh inspiration and encouragement from this invaluable testimony of the results achieved.
The "Revaluing Brescia" Project
by Bruno Soranzo
Responsible for the "Revaluing Brescia" project
The ideation of a project is always a process in which knowledge, hopes, facts and convictions come together. When we were planning the "Revaluing Brescia" project we were absolutely sure of a few things. The first of these was the experience gained in Bergamo where we had undertaken a similar initiative called the "Bergamo Project" which, up to then had given us great satisfaction. By that time we had already completed some fifteen restoration works, all of which were financed by local businesses. It was not therefore, utopian to think that we could also have achieved similar success in Brescia.
At the same time, we were aware of and objectively depended on the many positive qualities which characterise Brescia and its province, its dynamic economic structure and its cultural vitality. Nonetheless, we could not exclude the possibility of unknown quantities before actually starting. For example, considering the fact that this was an innovative, methodical, long-term project which was, in theory aimed at a community, but in practice directed at several increasingly diverse organisations, we could not be sure that this project would be given a warm reception.
At that time the mayor of the town was the right honourable Senator Fermo Martinazzoli who was efficiently assisted by the Cultural Advisor Prof. Riccardo Comboni. It goes without saying that the immediate welcoming and unhesitating collaboration of the town council, which made our proposal its own from the very start, thanks to this well-known agreement, encouraged us to face this undertaking with great determination. However the only real hard and fast test, that of the actual work, was still to come.
In fact, we feel that the results speak for themselves. In our opinion, the volume and the quality of the work carried out in just three years, which is also the main reason for this publication, not to mention the standing and the range of the economic sector represented by sponsors, are confirmation which does not call for further interpretation.
There is just one aspect which does not transpire from these results, that is the quality of the relationships between the business world in Brescia and our organisation. In the beginning it was not such an easy task. After all, we were outsiders with a proposal which was neither easy to understand nor to welcome. In essence we were saying, "Give us some of your money and, in return, we will restore one of your city's monuments and therefore, one of your monuments to its former glory"
An thus understandably cool reception was turned around in no time, thanks to the institutional and personal effort of the mayor Prof. Paolo Corsini, who has always followed the "Revaluing Brescia" project very closely, supporting both the project and ourselves, the Mark Com representatives who carry it out.
We would however, like to bear witness to the openness of mind, care and sensitivity which, as the ambassadors responsible for the realization of the project, a great number of our contacts afforded us. They started out in a typically businesslike manner and with time became more personal, human and direct.
We would therefore like to take this opportunity to publicly express our gratitude to the mayors of Brescia, the right honourable Prof. Paolo Corsini and Senator Martinazzoli who believed in our work from the very outset. This document may not be of great editorial value but it certainly holds great value as it is an institutional document.
Three adjectives summarise our state of mind today and define our meeting with Brescia and its province: we are delighted that our first impressions were not misleading; we are grateful to the town council who believed in us and thankful to our sponsors, who have followed us right up to now and to the many others who, we feel confident, will join us in the future.
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