“A project that is the result of teamwork, which involves the entire community and looks in particular at young people. A proposal developed with the clear objective of giving new economic and cultural impetus to the territory (and therefore to its social fabric), starting from the beauties that historically characterize it. A plan that aims to build a bridge between generations to ferry a heritage rich in history into the future. All reasons that lead me to believe that the Pnrr funds invested by the Ministry of Culture will bear excellent results, transforming the Borgo into one of the flagships of our country”. So the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture Lucia Borgonzoni during the press conference organized in the church of Santa Maria Alemanna in Messina to present the launch of the project ‘Cultural and social regeneration of the Sacred Village of Santa Lucia del Mela’, as part of the funding provided for in the ‘Attractiveness of Historic Villages’ tender, which represented the first test bench on the resources of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan for small municipalities. “We are very satisfied – added Carlotta Previti, administrator of C-eve and the mayor of Santa Lucia del Mepa Matteo Sciotto – because today a project will begin that will operate a regeneration of the Borgo, through projects that will provide new lifeblood to the economic, social , artistic, touristic and cultural, making it repopulate the Municipality with young people and attracting new tourist flows, in an eco-sustainable and attractive context, for an authentic rebirth of the territory”.
The Municipality of Santa Lucia del Mela was the first in Sicily to obtain, individually and not aggregated with other municipalities, the funds of the Pnrr: one million six hundred thousand euros, financed by the European Union in the NextGenerationeu program and by the Ministry of Culture. During the meeting, organized by the C-Eve company, after greetings from the Mayor of Santa Lucia Del Mela Matteo Sciotto, the bishop of Messina Monsignor Cesare di Pietro, the deputy prefect Cosimo Gambadauro, the project was illustrated by the sole administrator of C-Eve, Carlotta Previti. Also present were some partners of the project, the well-known director Giuseppe La Spada, the artist Linda Schipani, the president of the Consortium Center for the Development of Cultural Tourism for Sicily Gaetano Majolino, the Consortium of Management of the Milazzo Marine Protected Area Giovanni Mangano.
“The Borgo – also highlighted Monsignor Di Pietro – is already known for its monumental churches, noble palaces, magnificent examples of medieval and Renaissance architecture, we are happy that thanks to this funding many historical and architectural finds will be recovered and restored”.
“Our project – explained Carlotta Previti – is very ambitious and develops in several directions. On the one hand, the focus will be on the enhancement of architectural and historical beauties, on the promotion of popular festivals, historical processions and food and wine traditions of the Borgo, enhancing connections with other points of interest in various nearby municipalities including Milazzo; on the other, it will bet on new technologies, from immersive reality to virtual tours, and on the concept of slow tourism, with the use of sustainable mobility systems (electric vehicles) for environmental tourist itineraries, thus combining the attractiveness of artistic resources -cultural- technological with naturalistic tours immersed in nature, creating and other possibilities for using the territory. Forms of unique and exciting experiential visits, developing innovative synergies and more points of attraction. Immersive reality, for example, could represent great opportunities to attract young people to learn about the Borgo and its history. A virtual reality journey through the streets of the Borgo is also planned, where it will be possible to discover the culture of the place in an interactive way”. “It will be – continued Carlotta Previti – a shocking transformation of the Borgo – focusing on the GDP of well-being, now more relevant for most citizens than the traditional GDP, because it focuses on the change of uses and customs by focusing on widespread well-being. And how can we forget that the village of Santa Lucia del Mela was also loved by Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, the “Stupor Mundi” who considered it a privileged destination for his holidays, describing it as “Urbs Deliciae Nostrae”, a place of gifts and delights , which had its roots in a mythical and illustrious past”.
“Furthermore – commented the mayor Matteo Sciotto – to encourage the creation of companies thanks to the Lab Welcome Point, a laboratory for the accompaniment and development of micro-enterprises in the mountain villages, new companies will be set up which will settle in the shops owned by the common within the Borgo in some sectors: creative and artistic craftsmanship in the sector of recycling waste for private, commercial and industrial use; catering and gastronomy. Among the most innovative companies that will be born there will be that of the director Giuseppe La Spada, who will create a school of directing and photography to involve the youngest in the rebirth of the country. La Spada in his commitment combines Art and sustainability, through projects that aim to disseminate and increase awareness of environmental and cultural issues, especially in the new generations and will give rise to several videos to represent the change that will take place in the Borgo. In 2007 he won the prestigious Webby Award in New York (The Oscars of the Internet) for a Net Art project related to ecology. He has collaborated and made videos for artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Franco Battiato, Marco Mengoni. La Spada, who boasts national and international experience, returns to his native Sicily to create a training center of excellence and clarified: “I hope this project can give more opportunities for the future to young people who have the same passions”.
Source-www.adnkronos.com