GENOA – After six years of restoration, studies and scientific investigations, the Complesso di Sant’Agostino in Pietrasanta is once again fully usable. The intervention, made possible thanks to an investment of over 900 thousand euros by the Fondazione Paolo e Giuliana Clerici, represents one of the most significant examples of private cultural patronage realized in recent years in Tuscany and marks the beginning of a new phase dedicated to research and the enhancement of the monument.
The ceremony of return to the city took place on June 27 in the presence of the founders of the Foundation, Paolo and Giuliana Clerici, the CEO of the Coeclerici Group and vice president of the Foundation Andrea Clavarino, the mayor of Pietrasanta Alberto Stefano Giovannetti, the restorers and professionals who participated in the recovery of the monumental complex, as well as numerous citizens and representatives of institutions.
The intervention involved the church and the monumental spaces of the complex, with a detailed restoration program that allowed not only the recovery of the architectural value of the building, but also the deepening of its historical knowledge through an important scientific research activity.
«We believe that cultural heritage must be a living asset, capable of generating knowledge, identity and participation. Returning Sant’Agostino to the community means concretely contributing to the protection of an important part of our history and demonstrating how contemporary patronage can produce lasting value for territories and for future generations», declared Paolo Clerici, president of the Fondazione Paolo e Giuliana Clerici.
During the ceremony, the Municipality of Pietrasanta wished to thank the Clerici family by delivering the work *Ebe* by master Romano Cosci, cast in bronze by the Fonderia Artistica Mariani, as recognition for the contribution offered to the protection of the city’s heritage.
READ ALL
Zim, new transpacific service on Asia – Vancouver and by train to United States East Coast
«Paolo and Giuliana have taken care, with generosity and respect, of some of the places most dear to our city. As a sign of gratitude, we wish to offer them a piece of the artisan and artistic excellence of Pietrasanta: the work “Ebe” by master Romano Cosci, cast in bronze by the Fonderia Artistica Mariani, a symbol of health and youth, the same that the Fondazione Clerici has returned to the Church of Sant’Agostino and to the Salone dell’Annunziata», stated mayor Alberto Stefano Giovannetti.
A restoration that rewrites the history of the Apuan marbles
The intervention produced results of particular importance also on a scientific level.
The analyses conducted during the construction site have indeed made it possible to identify numerous varieties of stone materials from the Apuan Alps, transforming the church facade into a veritable map of the Versilian marble tradition.
The investigations have also led to the discovery of fragments of ancient medieval tomb slabs reused in the construction of the front, offering new elements to reconstruct the various construction phases of the complex.
Among the most significant interventions is also the recovery of the bronze lunette by Igor Mitoraj, returned to the city precisely in the year of the opening of the museum dedicated to the famous artist.
Eight centuries of history between Michelangelo and Barsanti
The Complesso di Sant’Agostino represents one of the symbolic places in the history of Pietrasanta. According to scholars, Michelangelo Buonarroti had the opportunity to observe the marble cladding of the church during his stay in the city in 1518. In the same building, Father Eugenio Barsanti also celebrated his first masses, considered, together with Felice Matteucci, the inventor of the first internal combustion engine.
The restoration opens a new season of studies
READ ALL
X Forum Conftrasporto–Confcommercio: «Decarbonisation, the ETS generates almost 8 billion in costs»
The conclusion of the construction site does not represent an end point, but the beginning of a new research path. The results of the investigations carried out will in fact be at the center of a scientific conference promoted by the Fondazione Paolo e Giuliana Clerici, in collaboration with the Municipality of Pietrasanta and the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio, with the aim of sharing the outcomes of the research and further enhancing the historical heritage of the complex.
The commitment of the Foundation between culture and solidarity
The recovery of the Complesso di Sant’Agostino is part of the activity that the Fondazione Paolo e Giuliana Clerici has been carrying out since 2017 to support the protection of Italian cultural heritage.
Among the most significant projects are the rescue and enhancement of the Francesco Leoni Photographic Archive of Genoa, which collects over four million images and has already given rise to numerous exhibitions, support for the Galata Museo del Mare through the Sala Coeclerici Navigare nell’Arte and the promotion of the Maritime Collection of the Foundation.
Alongside cultural interventions, the Foundation has for years supported important organizations engaged in scientific research and social work, including FAI, Fondazione AIRC, Fondazione IEO CCM, Flying Angels, Fondazione San Patrignano, Progetto Itaca, Amici di Cometa and Friends of Genoa.
Among the next commitments is the contribution to the restoration of the monumental statues of the Albergo dei Poveri in Genoa, a new project to enhance the city’s historical heritage that will be presented in the coming months.
