Two million for the restoration of the magnificent Building Chigi from Ariccia, and position the city of the Roman province more and more on the axis of quality tourism. This is the decision of the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiulianwho remembered how “This is a place of exceptional culture, based on two elements: on the one hand the Via Appia Regina Viarum, of which Ariccia is the first consular station, and on the other hand this magnificent palace designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.” The funds will now be spread over three years, with a first tranche of EUR 600,000 in 2023, then EUR 700,000 in 2024 and a further EUR 700,000 in 2025.
Brief history of Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia
The Ducal Palace of Ariccia was acquired in 1661 by Prince Agostino Chigi along with his cousin and Cardinal Flavio Chigi because it is close to the residence chosen by Pope Alexander VII (Fabio Chigi, her relative) as a holiday resort, namely Castel Gandolfo. The palace, restored between 1664 and 1672, had been entrusted to him carol Springfollowing an idea of his master Gian Lorenzo Bernini which envisaged a “modern hybrid” between a villa, a castle and a palace. Next to the residence there was and still is a huge park, a vestige of the Nemus aricinum sacred to Diana, made up of a forest that shelters numerous “patriarchs”, including some Californian redwoods, among the oldest in Europe. Several films, music videos and television dramas have been filmed inside the building, including: The leopard From Luchino Viscontithe fiction of Elisha of Rivombrosa, The Story of Stories From Matthew Garrone and even the movie Me Against You, The Mystery of the Enchanted School. After all, with Cinecittà we are very close…
The (new) fortune of Ariccia
It’s just the city Aricciaa center of fewer than 20,000 people 25km south of Rome, is set to be the focus of a broader program by the ministry:“We are committed to one great work to enhance this territory and above all its cultural potential. We have already committed 2 million euros with which we will realize a major project aimed at a major redesign of Palazzo Chigi Square and later the Via Appia. A project that gives respite and attractiveness, expanding the cultural offer of the nation whose geography of identity is well recognized in the museums‘ commented Sangiuliano. The program envisages “shifting the major axes of tourism from the great iconic places to other places that have the same value for cultural content, in order to enrich the program that we offer to the whole world,” said the minister, adding: “Thanks to the Palazzo Chigi and the Via Appia, Ariccia can become an attractive place for tourism and culture (…). intercept the Roman tourist streams and bring them here. Ariccia must become a lively place, aimed primarily at the younger generations. In places like these, beauty is experienced“.
Julia Giaume