MUNICIPIO SQUARE: TWO ARCHITECTS, TWO STORIES

Napoli | 23 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

In the occasion of the opening ceremony of Metropolitan Station of Municipio Square, after 15 years of works, two architects and friends met up: Alvaro Siza e Michele Capasso. The first has the occasion to see finished (almost) his artwork: a complex and interesting challenge between past and future. The second, after 25 years of struggle for peace and dialogue, can attend to the work for multimedia reallocation of MAMT, which has its entrance in Municipio Square and which from this square will tell and  moved the audience in a travel to the Mediterranean. Two stories, two friends linked by mutual respect and the belief that only  a serious engagement and real knowledge could be the antidote for lack of morals and the banality of our days.

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OPENING CEREMONY OF MUNICIPIO SQUARE METRO STATION

Napoli | 23 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

The Line 1 of Municipio Square Metro Station – projected by the Portoguese architects Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura - was inaugurated by the ministry for transportation Graziano Delrio and by the mayor Luigi De Magistris. This is the 17˚metro station of linea 1, the project of which started in December 1976. «We are supporters of railway transportation» said Delrio to the mayor announcing a meeting in order to «make the agenda about works».
«We need to improve public transportation in order to decrease the urban mobility» added.
«The metro of Naples is an important national artwork – said De Magistris – and is the result of an important cooperation with the Government. The municipality really supported this project and helped in order to obtain the grants for the completion of the line and the completion of line 6, which has a strategic relevance. When a journalist questioned about the works which started 40 years ago, De Magistris replied saying “ We gave an acceleration and catched up the inactivity».
«Since September – as was stated by the regional assessor of Transportation Sergio Vetrella – the regularity of the trains, for which the Region allocate 78 millions, will be around 8 minutes, and since 2016, with the arrival of new trains, every 4-5 minutes». The expenses for the construction of Station Municipio – according to what was stated by the President of «Società Metropolitana di Napoli», Gian Egidio Silva, which is the director since 1995 – stands at 1 million and 700 million of Euro.
«We will reach the sum of 3 million», added Silva. When questions were asked about the total costs of work and the cost for km, Silva said wasn’t able at the moment to give some data. The line 1 covers little more than 20 km. In order to realise the first 13, 5 km 34 years passed for a cost of 1 miliard and 400 milion of Italian liras for km.
The metro will run since the 2th of June.
In the occasion, as stated by De Magistris will be showed a commemorative stone for Salvatore Renna, a workmen of 41 years old who lost his life after a fall in the construction site of Metro on date 20 September 2014.
The president Michele Capasso remembered the friendship with Alvaro Siza and 15 years–and also the works of reallocation of Fondazione and MAMT museum which start today in order to render Municipio Square, Metro and MAMT something unique in its genre and an heritage of humanity.

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MUNICIPIO METRO STATION: A PROJECT WHICH FOLLOWS THE HISTORY

Napoli | 23 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

The day of the opening of Municipio Metro Station the President of  Fondazione Mediterraneo  prof. arch. Michele Capasso showed the most important steps of the project “Follow the History” in a big city able to think in an European and in particularly Mediterranean way. Capasso also remembered Alvaro Siza and the workshops held in the headquarter of Fondazione which is in the surroundings of the square.

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THE PRESIDENT CAPASSO PAYS HOMAGE TO THE MARTYRS OF AZERBAIJAN

Baku | 21 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

The President of Fondazione Mediterraneo Michele Capasso paid homage to the martyrs of Azerbaijan  putting wreaths of flowers. From the diary “Nostro Mare Nostro”, written by president Capasso:

“Baku, 21 May 2015. 10.00. I drop in the Funicular and reached the hill.
The whole area is dedicated to the sad memories of a century of wars and tragedies. The first thing I saw was a recently built mosque in Turkish style: in the background the profiles of the three
“Flame Towers”, flame shaped crystal skyscrapers which in the night are illuminated by lights which reproduce the colours of Azeri flag. There is also a mausoleum in memorial of Ottoman soldiers who lost their lives in the route to Baku during the first world war; their names take place in brass plates under a little half-moon. The arrival of Turks was warmly welcomed by “Azeri” brothers and this is the reason why the gravestone dedicated to English fallens, who came back in the aftermath of Russian advance in order to stop Ottomans, raised not a few polemics. The recent history is not less tragic. In 1990 the red army massacred the protesters in the streets of Baku; their graves can be found in the Martyrs path which goes  until the mausoleum in the square which looks to  the sea.
Only two years later, in 1992 there was another war towards Armenia in order to take possession of the area of Nagorno Karabakh: the graves of fallens in this conflict can be found in a path surrounded by roses in bloom. In the black marble are printed the pictures of young deads: some of them now would have been younger than me but they are dead since 23 years! Even though for 25 years I spent my life for dialogue and peace, even though I’m aware of the slaughters of Srebrenica, Gaza and other cities, still now, in front of this monuments I don’t think that every nation needs his martyrs, but I reflect about the need of peace and the uselessness of war. Only a warm sunny day can be a consolation for the sorrowing soul. From this hill there is a wonderful view of the city; not taking in account the Vesuvius this city could look alike my Naples, which with Baku is twin city for 43 years. I laugh: now the “Vesuvius” is here, I laugh, while I take a selfie with the panorama thinking about the nickname that some friends of mine gave me some years ago: “VESUVIO”!.
Before the graves there is a group of kids who, silent and with the lowered head, pay homage to the fathers or parents dead in war. The teacher starts a prayer in Azeri language saying that their goal is the peace. Giving a last hug to the kids, keeping in the heart their hopefully eyes I took my way: Baku – Naples”.

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