“Piazza del Popolo returns to the People”. This was stated by the mayor of Reggio Calabria Giuseppe Falcomatà. In a post on his social channels, the mayor explains the intentions of the Reggio municipal administration for the future of Piazza del Popolo, a historic urban space located close to the city center, a few hundred meters from the new Piazza De Nava and the Archaeological Museum National.
“In recent weeks – explains Falcomatà – we have experimented with a new formula for the use of Piazza del Popolo, with the function of free parking close to the city centre. Citizens and tourists appreciated it, so much so that the square was often almost completely full “.
“In the summer – continues the mayor – we often used the square as an open-air arena for events and maxi concerts, always with excellent satisfaction from citizens and tourists, who even during the Christmas holidays showed that they wanted to fully experience the public spaces, through cultural events and manifestations”.
“Well, I believe that our action on Piazza del Popolo must go exactly in this direction. Temporarily maintain the parking formula and work immediately on an overall redevelopment of the square, in agreement with the State Property Office and the Superintendency, to use it as a large space for music, for art, for events, for culture”.
“The market no longer has any reason to exist – states the mayor of Reggio Calabria – in recent years we have carried out in-depth checks as a result of which there were only three regular sellers, albeit with several delays in payments. And they will be relocated to a small area adjacent to the square, protecting honest traders. All the others were illegal and only created dirt, insecurity, illegality and disorder as well as a significant cost for the daily cleaning of the square”.
“Like Piazza Duomo, like Piazza Italia, like Piazza De Nava, like the Tempietto, like the Urban Park of Rione Marconi, like Piazza del Soccorso, like Via Mercalli, like the Pentimele Fair, Piazza del Popolo also deserves a new life – concludes the mayor – in line with its history and with an eye towards the future”.