Pierre Mortier, Bergamo, ville des Venitiens dans le Bergamasque, Amsterdam, 1704

Transcription

1 Walled Cities & Open Societies: Managing Historic Walls in Urban World Heritage P roperties Siena, Italy January 2017 Pierre Mortier, Bergamo, ville des Venitiens dans le Bergamasque, Amsterdam, 1704 Bergamo (Italy) Info sheet i

2 1. General i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e c i t y A new town on the hill is documented from the 6 th century B.C.; with the arrival of the Romans in the 2 nd century BC (197 BC) the settlement assumed the role of the military district in order to control the Empire s borders. The city took on the ancient strategic and military vocation and, for its strategic position in the Pianura Padana commercial network, it also stated as an important administrative and economic center. In this scenario the urban area on the hill was structuring around the two main roads included in the perimeter of the walls and suburbia extra moenia. With the fall of the Empire a long period of political instability started. The riots were determined from the alternation of new local forces, bishop's government and landowners. A turnaround occurred in the 12 th century when the city of Bergamo, that in the meantime became a free Commune, knew an extraordinary economic expansion and a significant population growth. It was in that period the fertile building season which gave the urban layout of Bergamo, promoting the construction of the seats of the religious and civil power, such as the Palazzo della Ragione, nowadays a urban and community pole of great importance. In the late Middle Ages it was consolidating therefore the highly representative role of the upper town (now called Città Alta ) as opposed to the productive and economic function of each villages developed on the plane (now called Città Bassa ), according to a relationship that has never ceased to manifest itself. From 1428 the control exercised for the next three centuries (1797) by the Republic of Venice sanctioned finally the role of Bergamo as a city of representation and location of ancient military tradition; during the long Venetian rule the urban scenery mainly underwent considerable changes caused by the construction of a big bastioned walls. Inside, some of the most famous architects of the Renaissance period redrew the urban space through architecture of inestimable value, almost intact to this day. Between 1797 and 1815, Bergamo was included in the political entities born in North Italy during the French and Napoleonic dominion and then it was assigned to the Austrian Empire. Giuseppe Garibaldi freed it in 1859 during the Second Italian War of Independence, when Bergamo became part of the Kingdom of Italy. For its contribution to "Il Risorgimento" the city is also known as "Città dei Mille". During the 20th century Bergamo became one of Italy's most industrialized cities. It is also one of the few Italian cities that did not suffer major destruction during World War II. 2. B a s i c d e s c r i p t i o n a n d b r i e f h i s t o r y o f t h e w a l l s Bergamo is an extraordinary example of hill fortification. Having almost completely maintained its integrity, the articulated and complex walled city is representative of the skill of Venice s military engineers in adopting unusual solutions that are compatible with the geomorphology of the site developed upwards. In fact, the site is located in an area that is particularly for its orographic characteristics, extending on the eastern slopes of a series of hills situated on the point of convergence between the Alpine valleys and the plains towards the south. Siena, Italy January 2017 (page 2)

3 Bergamo, aereal fhotograph 2010, Alberto Ghilardi The bastioned wall determines a clean break between the hill-top urban centre ( Città Alta ) and the plain land villages ( Città bassa ) which, starting from the Venetian period, were constantly changing and expanding towards the plains. The defence work is greatly representative of the most advanced alla moderna project criteria; it is a system made up of a series of elements: the city walls, two external elements denominated Fort of San Vigilio and Fort of San Domenico. Finally, the system is completed with some additional works today perfectly integrated into the urban fabric. The urban walls built between 15t h and 17 th extending continually for more than 5120 m. The planimetric trace of the walls is made up of broken lines which converge on 11 ramparts and 5 platforms, interconnected by abutments, courtyards and tenailles in differing geometries. Above the ramparts there are the terraces, platforms and walkways along the curtains: here the urban centre fuses with the defence system. Of great significance, is the Fort of St Mark fully integrated within western area. The fort was conceived by the Venetian military engineers as a formally, technically, constrictively and functionally autonomous organism. Siena, Italy January 2017 (page 3)

4 An urban hub is the Rocca built in a dominating and central position of the urban fabric. The continued use of the military structure from Ancient times until the fall of the Austrian domination (1859) means this area has become a place of remembrance for the entire community who find their very identity in this spot. The second military urban hub is the Cittadella built by commission of the Viscounts in the second half of the 14 th century and then converted into the residence of the Serenissima s Captain. Undeniably linked to the walls, the branching underground system is a real underground maze made up primarily of open gun ports on the external walls through wide gun holes which still today can be seen through the corresponding manoeuvre chambers In such a compact and continuous structure, the four monumental city gates carried out a vital role. Each one has its own characteristics linked to its location in the walls and its specific use. Decorated with the emblem of Venice, the lion of St Mark, the gates are still today the only points of entry to the Città Alta. The San Vigilio Fort is in front of the north-western sector of the bastioned walls. The current conformation of the fort is the result of Venetian reconstruction which started in 1482 and was completed over the two following centuries. The castle, with a polygonal plan, is made up of 4 cylindrical towers raised on a sloping foundation, armed with gun ports and embrasures, linked by a city wall. The San Domenico Fort was completely re-built by the Venetians in 1578 in order to expand the defence ability of the gate of the same name. The Fortino is built like an original structure that looks like a ravelin thanks to the design of its walls and the front defence setup. 3. C u r r e n t f u n c t i o n s a n d m a n a g e m e n t / g o v e r n a n c e f r a m e w o r k The walled city is subject to a complex system of planning tools which answer to the various organisations involved in governing the territory and specific regional regulations. These tools guarantee the protection and valorisation of the substantial values of the site, and it favour an integrated management of the various peculiarities that distinguish the defence work. The local planning process is structured hierarchically in regional and provincial plans, and council tools which in coherences with higher plans translate the objectives and strategic lines into purpose and methods of use, obligations and limitations. For example, the Territorial Government Plan indicates the area included within the Venetian walls as zones of highest protection in which only interventions of renovation or preservation are allowed (reinforcement, recovery, elimination of elements outside of the construction organism, renewal of the elements making up the building, insertion of systems required by the use of the building). A type of particularly relevant protection is guaranteed by the constraints of the panoramic cones found in the urban planning tool in acknowledgement of Cultural and Landscape Property Code. In compliance with these tools the City of Bergamo has launched several important projects to enhance the fortified heritage thanks to the involvement of public and private financing. For example, since the 1970s the bastioned wall has been periodically restored and subjected to routine maintenance work carried out by local associations. Above the bastions, the pedestrian roads connected platforms -all public open areas- used for recreation and walks which also give users a striking view over the surrounding Siena, Italy January 2017 (page 4)

5 territory. A large-scale conservative restoration project was carried out from by Municipality of Bergamo and the Ministry of Culture Heritage and Tourism. The Fort of St. Vigilio was restored in 2004 and today is open; recently, the renovated spaces next to the fort takes place the master Urban & Landscape Design. The underground system was the subject of a development program conducted by various experts who since 1970 explore the galleries and sensitize the local authorities on the protection and enhancement of these historic places. Palazzo del Podestà was restored followed by the creation of the Museum of Venetian Age in M a i n c h a l l e n g e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s c o n c e r n i n g w a l l s m a n a g e m e n t The walled city of Bergamo is currently in evaluation process for the UNESCO World Heritage List as a component of the serial transnational property The Venetian Works of defence between 15 th and 17 th centuries. This nomination process is for the enhancement of fortified heritage of Bergamo. The site is rather complex, involving three different Countries (Italy, Croatia, Montenegro) and 15 components. Consequently, the matter of management becomes of fundamental importance, both with a view to coordinating actions on the territory and strategic aims. In order to guarantee uniformity of intent, the State Parties setting up a management structure capable of intercepting the needs and expectations of the site as a whole. The Transnational Memorandum of Understanding is an agreement between the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, the Croatian Ministry of Culture, the Montenegrin Ministry of Culture. The aim of this International Coordination are approved and accepted by all the State Parties, with a view to common and shared management. In specific terms, the International Coordination Team: 1. it is responsible for the joint international management of the serial transnational heritages; 2. ensures the respect of the obligations deriving from the World Heritage Convention relating to the property; 3. provides support for its members for the conservation and management of the heritages concerned; 4. coordinates trans-frontier management and the network of national, regional and local bodies concerned; 5. contributes to the general presentation of the structure to the public, according to the indications of the Management Plan. Diagram of the site management structure (SiTI-Higher Institute on Territorial Systems for Innovation) Siena, Italy January 2017 (page 5)

6 5. M a i n p a s t, o n - g o i n g o r p l a n n e d a c t i v i t i e s f o r e n h a n c i n g t h e w a l l s ( w i t h r e g a r d t o c o n s e r v a t i o n, p r o m o t i o n, h e r i t a g e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n, e t c. ) In addition to the ordinary programming carried out by the competent public cultural institutions (Superintendent, Region, Municipality), the enhancement and conservation projects will take into account the Outstanding Universal Value of The Venetian Works of Defence between 15 th and 17 th centuries. Having said that, on-going and planned activities have been illustrated in the management plan attached in the proposal submitted. The projects are divided in network projects that take into account the transnational dimension of the property and local projects with direct impact on the walled city of Bergamo. In brief, both types of projects, contribute to the full realisation of the plan s objectives. The main results expected following the realisation of the projects are: renovation and cleaning of the defence works; reuse, refunctionalisation and improvement of use of the defence works; deepening of the awareness and communication of the value of the transnational serial site; awareness and participation of local communities in relation to the exceptionality of the cultural values of the monumental heritage of the nominated serial site; involvement of the scientific communities; promotion and communication of the local culture; broadening of the integrated cultural offer, which would link all the defence works up; management of tourist flow (accessibility, spreading out of tourist flow throughout the seasons). Methodological diagram of the management plan with methods for applying the Heritage Impact Assessment (SiTI-Higher Institute on Territorial Systems for Innovation) (i) This document has been drafted by the City of Bergamo. Authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this paper and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Siena, Italy January 2017 (page 6)