"What are your assessments and what initiatives, within your competence, do you intend to take to protect the Capannelle racecourse and the Brunori tower?" This is what the FI-BP-PPE senator asked yesterday in the Chamber, Maurizo Gasparri (pictured), in a question with a request for a written response addressed to the Minister of Culture.
Below is the full text of the question:
“Given that: the Capannelle racecourse, inaugurated in 1881 and located south-east of the city of Rome, in the XVIII Capannelle area, on the Appian Way, is the first and oldest racecourse in Italy, also known for having hosted, over the course of of the years, illustrious people and legendary champions. The total facility extends over 134 hectares and consists of four stands and the parterre, with accommodation for over 20.000 people;
the racecourse was structured to host racehorses for galloping races and, since 2014, following the closure of the Tor di Valle racecourse, also for trotting races, for which the obstacle course was decommissioned ;
in addition to equestrian activities, the racecourse hosts prestigious music festivals, exhibitions and important sporting events;
the structure is located in an area of great historical-archaeological importance, consisting of the Appia Antica park and the surrounding areas, from which the Claudio aqueduct and the Roman Lucrezia villa are visible, and included among the areas of landscape interest indicated in article 142, paragraph 1, letter m), of the “Code of cultural heritage and landscape, pursuant to article 10 of law 6 July 2002, n. 137”, pursuant to Legislative Decree 22 January 2004, n. 42, and is therefore subject to the constraints and requirements established by the provisions contained therein;
the same structure also includes a special area, equipped with a small grandstand, dedicated to the practice of cricket, two areas intended for stables, a riding school which could also become a welcoming place for the disabled, hospitality areas, bar, restaurant, spaces equipped for children;
the entire structure, due to its characteristics and large spaces for training, could host a school for student jockeys and coaches, an athletics school, cross-country racing and youth games;
with reference to the management of the sports facility for horse racing, it appears that the Municipality is in the process of prepare a tender for the assignment of the maintenance of the horse training tracks and for the organization of the races;
although the racecourse has undergone restoration work in recent years, it would be necessary to plan interventions to enhance the part relating to the entrance on the Appian Way, aimed at recovering the ruin, located in the center of the tracks, and the stands located in front of this 'last;
the Brunori tower, also called Morone, is a ruin of a tower dating back to the 12th or XNUMXth century AD, located along the Viale dei Caduti per la Resistenza, in the urban planning area XNUMXG Spinaceto, also in the municipality of Rome;
at present, the tower is almost invisible and is in a state of absolute decay;
the IX municipality of the Municipality of Rome has taken action in order to find a solution for the reclamation and recovery of the tower and its assignment, which is pending availability of the Heritage Department of the Capitoline Superintendency,
you ask to know:
whether the Minister in question is aware of the above;
what its assessments are and what initiatives, within its competence, it intends to take to protect the Capannelle racecourse and the Brunori tower".
