Debating the Value of City Enhancements: The Case of the Lapidarium

It is with a neophobic logic and full of prejudice that the Democratic Party approached the debate on the works financed by the Pics program: more than points of view, they seem like pinnacles of envy. The city lights up, others - we can understand - are a bit dimmed because of this. Thus, in a note, the Deputy Mayor with responsibility for the implementation of the Pics, Francesco De Pierro. Saying that the lapidarium 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 symbolic monument. An interactive and all-around experience is built around the visit, as happens in all the main Italian tourist destinations. Passing off the lapidarium as a monstrosity is not only a grammatical mistake institutionally in respect to the Superintendence that obviously authorized it, but it is the umpteenth, excessive expression of ungenerous hostility towards a work that instead enhances and promotes the beauty of the Arch. We also communicate to the Democratic Party - adds the same De Pierro, that the relics will be there. An ad hoc Commission of experts has been established, with the participation of the Superintendence: the display case will be a small treasure chest of beauty. And it will be a complement to a work that is also something else: light, green, 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. Enduring 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 enhanced, illuminated and innovated in its centuries-old beauty.