PROGETTI PER LA CITTÀ DEL MARE
Auditorium Aquarium of Genoa
Genova - June 20, 1997
Relationship by Gian Piero Bertoglio
GENOA, THE SEA TOWN
Genoa is moving. This is an extraordinary event for our city,
habitually absorbed in an atmosphere a little bit sceptic in which
each one is persuaded of "have already given" and anybody
grow exclusively those that he believes to be his own good business.
During the State Owned Companies period, that runs the city economy
for long years, this town had refrained from expressing any own
resources, laying down on situations that today has been proven
as incompatible with her territory and extraneous to her culture.
Now Genoa is changing route, and she is looking for something
of different that could finally can bring to a city more measured
with her inhabitants and with her environment, with a coherent
and sustainable economy, but not that's why less rich.
For instance in the Expo' Area, we are observing a bloom of business
and a coming of visitors up to few years ago unthinkable for Genoa,
such to have imposed the Aquarius like third italian tourist target.
It is a strong success, worth certainly of the good management
of the whole Expo Area; but also is an evident sign of the consistence
of the own potentiality exiting in Genoa and of the course of
their relapse.
Large presence of own potentiality, that consists mainly both
in her maritime tradition, which feed the city through the centuries
and that have become part of the her own spirit, and consists
in her rich environmental patrimony, that is a winning value also
economical thinking, if correctly managed, for a city that is
discovering nowdays a tourist vocation.
And on both them there is her sea, there are the meaning and the
memories of its relationship with Genoa. So recover the own maritime
traditions and replay them in modern key is today an extraordinary
opportunity, coherent with the culture and the territory of the
city; it is a rich resource of economic potentiality compatible
with a town man-measured.
Genoa has stayed the maritime city for excellence. She on the
sea has written a fascinating history, whose prestigious legacies
are still clearly legible around us. In the roads and in the monuments,
for the historical part, in the jobs and in the offices for the
economical part.
A remarkable economic part, that sees the presence in the town
of operators and professionalism of tall level in the maritime
field, with solid traditions and competences in the ownership
and in the management, in the yardships, in the maritime consulence,
in the vessel and insurance brokerage and in so many other shipping
activities. This rich activities, daughters of the past of Genoa,
develop today in her own present in operational environments of
tertiary advanced; they make this town the capital city of the
Italian shipping and they shape a substantial part of the possible
future of the town.
This productive circle, together to the proper port system, is
one of the compatible resources of the city, it creates development
and occupation and it contributes to accredit Genoa as Sea City.
The concept of Sea City could be an objective precise for the
future; to prepare already today, when we must succeed to imagine
us a new dimension for Genoa of the 2000, inserted in a political
cultural and economic context of European measure.
If we want to try, for once, to fly tall, we could imagine Genoa
European Sea City of the Mediterranean Sea on which she appears,
in the middle road between the doors of Suez and of Gibraltar,
as the southern city of the Continental Europe. Of that part of
Europe, therefore, that soon will learn to look at the Mediterranean
Sea with more attention and interest and will feel it more close
to her.
In fact most of the hinge intermodals ways of the transports and
most of the concepts key of the world of tomorrow, as dialogue
north-south, security, cooperation, commerces, will sail above
all on the waves of the Mediterranean Sea.
In this picture, for her position, but also for her potentiality
and for her competences, Genoa can without uncertainties to propose
herself to the role of European interlocutor and capital, as south
door of Europe.
As condition to this development of her, the city should define
an attitude believable and positive, active in pressing and stimulating
the European Comunity, not complaying and craying, but with plans
and innovative proposals, able to generate trust and investments.
The harbor is, from some time, in flood resumption. This is already
a result, vital for city economy, reached partly also thank to
Europe and to her novelty rules.
The dialogue between Genoa and her harbor, that manages large
part of her shore, is one of the strategic knots of the future,
with the necessity, apparently in contrast, to get the seaside
for the city and the necessity to get operational spaces on the
same line for the port.
From a correct equilibrium between these two pushes could rise
the organic scenery able to put Genoa in a new dimension, with
the line of coast enriched of new functions and opportunity.
Opportunity turned to the Genoese citizens, to let them reside
in a city more and more pleasant and of their measure. But revolts
also to the notable circulation of guests, equal to various million
of people/year, that gravitate, for varieties motivate, on the
downtown line of coast between the
Sea Fair and the Lantern. It has been deliberate state in beyond
12.0 [mln] of resident in next areas to the city, living in economic
conditions superior to the italian average the tourist basin more
immediate of Genoa.
To all these people we could force us in offering something more,
something of really special that could characterize the city,
able to turn definitely her future toward a tourist and recreational
offer of large perspective.
So we want to imagine a nonstop connection between the Lantern
to west and the Sea Fair to rising, with the same Lantern, the
Chiappella, the Old Dock, the Expo and the Historical Center,
the yachting landings and the Fair united from an organic, logic,
prevalently recreational promenade, able to give birth to an along
run - rich container of occasions and of attractions, that would
put alla the downtown in an extraordinary dimension.
In good part looked out on the seaside, suitably equipped, far
from the directives of the urban car traffic, we think to an itinerary
including a bike bench, sites of comfort and points of panoramic,
standstill endowed with a strong and suggestive image. We want
to think to an enviroment compatible resource of large calling
for the city of the 2000, coherent with her natural resources,
linked with her sea, integrated in her substainable development.
Inserted in this journey and from it connected, some places key
of strong call.
Some still to imagine. Like a large pole for yachting, equipped
for the maintenance and the reparation, with attached a permanent
floating show, dedicated both to the new and to the used.
Situated to rising, coordinating the landings already existing,
could integrate itself reciprocally with Nautical International
Show, giving birth to a yachting context of tall level, also economic
and occupational talking, strategic for a Sea Town.
Other places are in phase of realization, like the Old Dock or
the Chiappella, where we will not miss the services and the motives
of call, both for touris and for Genoeses, if the works in course
will know how to also look at to the city behind. For instance,
we could think to a characteristic sea food and fish market managed
direcly by the fishermen that moor in the Dock.
Other places are actually already present, like the Expo, the
basic center of this sketch, where the leaving of the commercial
activities in the Ancient Harbour and his restitution to the city
has originated good occasions for Genoa, above all returning to
his downtown a jewel waterfront to the sea.
The first recreational activity connected to the sea, like the
mine cruises in harbor and on the coastsides wings, they have
already begun to give good person results. And is possible to
implement such activities.
From immediately, realizing nautical connections between the diverged
births of the Ancient Harbor and of the city covered by the dike,
between the Fair and Pegli, in a kind of urban cabotage.
More long terms, departing from another of the environmental available
dowries in Genoa. The unusual presence of cetacean in the Ligurian
Sea, inclusive a particular kind of native whale, suggests Genoa
like point of departure for all the connected activity, on the
example of analogous experiences well results elsewhere: from
the cruises of sighting, to the biological and ethological search,
in connection with the equipments and the facilities available
in the Aquarius.
Departing from the Tent of the Sea already existing in Expò
area, we can besides think to a permanent Exposure of the Sea,
oriented to the numerous presences recall from the Aquarius.
A big organized dedicated container to the history, to the culture
and to the economy of the sea, that could be characterized from
different events, like driven visits on the specialized ships
that, for subsequenting periods, they would moor to a dedicated
bench: oceanographic vessels, military, rescue, operational, tugs,
etc.
But the more remarkable function that the Expo could generate
is turned to the Middle Eve Center of Genoa, to which it has always
been stayed tied up from strong cultural social and economical
bonds, today come less.
Therefore one of the priorities consists of the reconstruct of
an integration between the two zones for gather it in an only
circle, where to find both a special urban shore, rich of occasions
and of attractions, and a lived and livable urban nucleus, both
of tall historical, artistic and monumental level.
It would be an important premise for the Historical Center; an
extraordinary place, that get all the possibilities for to presents
itself to the large movement of visitors that gravitates so closely
to it and carry it to its inside, gathering all the benefits that
achieve from a strong tourist influx economy.
The realization and, particularly, the management of the Expo
has certainly achieved positive results. It has created a tourist
pole of exception, it has realized collisions for different billion,
it has given birth to occupation for hundred of people; besides,
it is trying to retrieve spaces and social destined services to
the Old Town, contributing to his rebirth.
However it seem stay still from develop a part of the historical
monumental qualities of the front sea of the Ancient Center and
all the memories of an area which could be allowed in telling
herself in more adequate to her values and memories meaning way.
Also in this sense, present Genoa like the City of the Sea is
what of more coherent and near to his spirit, above all in operation
of what it could be the image of the city.
Perhaps what still is absent from this Genoa in movement it is
a her own image, a symbol of strong visibility to which behavior
reference and with to present around in a convinced and convincing
way.
Unfortunately, if we want to try to overcome the diffused stereotyped
image of Genoa grey city, grey of slate but also in the humor
of the inhabitants, oppressed from the "maccaia" and
victims of the "maniman" still today doesn't stay alternative.
And this is our ticket for more known visit.
Instead Genoa is not like and is more than that; Genoa is from
ever cosmopolitan, she is solar and
bright between the green of her hills, full of colors in the splendid
painted palaces of her Old Town, vivacious and many colored in
her harbor, with the ships always moving going and coming from
the sea, crib of the city and her reason of life. Genoa is a city
to visit, to seen even from beware of the sea, like a Genoese
musician suggests.
We could depart from these new icons for build a new image, more
pleasant and attractive of a city certainly fascinating, but also
nice and pleasant, that doesn't anymore look for, jealous of her,
but is showing herself with a smile.
Probably it will be a difficult challenge for the Genoeses people.
In their old history they have known how to show a lot of extraordinary
virtues, but they now must learn to grumble less and to smile
more. This will be an awful sacrifice, but they will try certainly
to do it, visa that to them is worthwhile: and this, as everybody
know, is a matter much felt in city.