“Providing for the revitalization of the waterfront, with excellent results, is what we have done in Palermo, where a declining area has become a development opportunity”
“From today at least two million people will move through this area every year: we can say that the connection between the port and the historic center is now assured and the objective of finding an element of identity in the sea has been substantially achieved. Now the symbols and values of this space have become culture, fantasy, play, leisure, the defense of the sea, the exhibition of the excellences of Made in Sicily, around the engine of the place, namely the Castello a Mare, valorised and ready to increase the city’s cultural offering”. This was stated by the President of the Western Sicily Port Authority Pasqualino Monti. “But in addition to the archaeological site, there is the artistic fountain with its moving water, there is the small theater overlooking Monte Pellegrino, there will be the city’s multimedia museum. – he says – A nice leap in quality, there is no doubt, as it is not only a change in the seaside area, but above all a true and innovative idea of a city with a strong impact, with open spaces that allow you to completely immerse yourself in the maritime experience. A new neighborhood that we must all commit to safeguarding.”
“Providing for the revitalization of the waterfront, with excellent results, is what we have done in Palermo, where a declining area has become a development opportunity. We are aware that the competitive capacity of the territories is clearly related to the modernization of their infrastructural equipment and the services offered. So even the pier, from a jumble of concrete and functions, has changed, acquiring completely new uses that have to do with cultural redevelopment and tourist hospitality. Those created on the Trapezoidale pier, today Palermo Marina Yachting, are modifications of functional structures that do not distort the genius loci, on the contrary they give an indelible character to the landscapes, emphasize symbols and values linked to historical events and project the visitor – be it a resident or a tourist – within the world of flows and emotions that port cities can produce and arouse”.
“We immediately got to work thanks to an investment of almost 600 million in Palermo alone to build the cruise terminal and to create this wonderful work that we are inaugurating. The work, in the wake of a redevelopment program and path , therefore reunification of its port with the city, will allow us to have an economic return, because it is on the infrastructures and accommodation facilities that we are building that we will convince various possible industrial partners to invest”.
“An example above all is the Sicily Gate company, created to manage the Palermo Cruise Terminal, made up of two of the three most important players in the world for cruises: MSC and Carnival corporation with the Costa brand – Monti continues – This year we will close with around 950,000 passengers. I remind everyone that in 2017 all traffic in Sicily was almost one million passengers”.
“The port of Palermo has a monumental site that we have included in the UNESCO route portal and which today is a wonderful place that can be visited. Where once there was a restaurant and a car park, today we tell the story of what the old castello a mare, the castle that in the 16th century overlooked the sea. To represent the sea. We created an 8500 square meter lake, bringing to light the ancient walls of the castle and redeveloped an area for the sale of Sicilian food and wine excellence managed , for the next thirty years, by 43 Sicilian food and wine brands. Finally, we will lead tourists into the virtual museum that will tell the story of these places”, concluded Pasqualino Monti.
Source-www.adnkronos.com