Controversy Surrounding the Lapidarium Project in Benevento

A few days ago, while discussing the Pics, Deputy Mayor De Pierro told the press that the images of the "showcase", or "Lapidarium", illuminated at night left him "speechless" because of its beauty. Besides being speechless, De Pierro also lacks the artifacts from the showcase, which - we remember - had been conceived precisely to host and display important ones," said the PD council group of the City of Benevento. "To date there are none and soon there will be the ribbon cutting - the democrats press on. In short, something is being inaugurated that currently seems to have no utility and that citizens also describe as awkward and harmful, since it ruins the view of one of the main beauties of the city, a magnet for tourists and enthusiasts of art and history. The approximation and lack of ideas of this administration are evident once again, but this time, in addition to generating useless projects, it also damages the enjoyment of a monument symbolizing Benevento." In the afternoon, the reply from Deputy Mayor with delegation for the Implementation of the Pics, Francesco De Pierro: "A neophobic logic and full of prejudice with which the PD approached the debate on the works financed by the Pics program: more than points of view, they seem like points of envy. The city lights up, others - we can understand - are also a bit dimmed because of this." "To say that the Lapidarium - he insists - obstructs the view of the Arch is a trivial lie: on the contrary, it is a qualifying element that will allow an interactive and multidimensional enjoyment of the city's symbol-monument. An interactive and all-around experience is built around the visit, as happens in all the main Italian tourist destinations. To pass off the Lapidarium as an eyesore is not only an institutional grammatical error with respect to the Superintendency that obviously authorized it, but it is the latest, excessive expression of ungenerous hostility towards a work that instead enhances and promotes the beauty of the Arch." "We also communicate to the PD that the artifacts will be there. We have established an ad hoc Commission of experts, which includes the Superintendency: the showcase will be a small treasure chest of beauty. And it will be a complement to a work that is also something else: light, greenery, requalification of the area with a repaving that respects historical tradition while at the same time renewing its charm. We will also inaugurate this work and others. Bearing some dislikes in the style of De Filippo's nativity scenes and those who have something to complain about: we are sure that they will be much fewer than those who will feel joy and emotion in seeing a city increasingly valued, illuminated, and innovated in its centuries-old beauty," concludes De Pierro.