Too long times and partial answers: this is what the deputies of the 5 Star Movement Anna Laura Orrico, Alfonso Colucci and Riccardo Tucci denounce on the situation of the underground church of Piedigrotta, in Pizzo.
The parliamentarians presented a question to the Culture Committee to clarify the status of the agreement between the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Reggio Calabria and Vibo Valentia and the Calabria Region, aimed at unlocking the resources intended for the restoration of the property. “The answer is reassuring only up to a certain point,” they say.
Timings under observation
At the center of the critical issues, according to the deputies, are the times of the administrative process. The resources, equal to 1 million and 850 thousand euros, were foreseen with a managerial decree of the Calabria Region in September 2025, while the agreement reached the Ministry of Culture only on 23 March 2026, a date which coincides – they underline – with the filing of the question.
A delay considered significant, especially in light of the conditions of the site. “Last February we carried out an inspection, once again noting the uniqueness of the property and its fragility”, they explain, highlighting how the structure, dug into the sandstone rock, is exposed to atmospheric agents and weather events that have affected Calabria.
No response on additional funds
The deputies also highlight the lack of feedback on another point considered fundamental: the possibility of allocating further extraordinary resources for the protection of the Piedigrotta church.
“We have not received any response on this aspect,” they specify.
The appeal: “Intervene immediately”
Hence the request for concrete acceleration. For parliamentarians, in fact, the site – among the most visited and well-known in Calabria and considered unique in Europe – would be at risk due to coastal erosion and atmospheric agents.
“We ask that the funds be used quickly and that work begins, to avoid definitively compromising the property,” conclude Orrico, Colucci and Tucci.