The Museum of Origins (MOA) was inaugurated this morning in Accadia, inside Palazzo Di Stefano (former Remand prison), in presence of the authorities, at the end of Via Borgo and right in front of the Clock Tower Square, which leads to Rione Fossi, chosen as the Pilot Village for the socio-economic and cultural regeneration project financed with twenty million euros from the PNRR.
The renovation, functional recovery and new outfitting of Palazzo De Stefano is the realisation of a project that was financed for Euro 1,1150,000.00 in 2017 from the FSC 2007-2013 later acquired with the ERDF of the ROP 2014-2020 for consistency. The original project was to create a multimedia museum dedicated to illusionism and magic, but it took several years after the funding was granted for construction work to begin, due to delays caused by the previous administration in the initial stages of the technical design and construction site. In the meantime, the municipality of Accadia has been chosen for a far-reaching strategic project that is already investing in Borgo ‘Rione Fossi’; in this context, the Palazzo Di Stefano project has taken on a new importance and strategic value, with the complete renovation of the site, which has taken on the form of an archaeological and civic museum and is now the calling card for the entire Rione Fossi. Bringing together in the same building sculptures and archaeological artefacts previously found in various municipal buildings means, for example, that Palazzo Vassalli, located directly opposite the new museum and whose first floor has already benefited from a major refurbishment to house the Community Library (another ROP 2014-2020 grant from the Region of Apulia for approximately 650,000.00 euros), will soon benefit from a second renovation that will affect the entire ground floor, which will be used to house the House of Associations and cultural and musical workshops.
The brand-new MOA – Accadia’s Museum of Origins is an authentic bridge between the present and the future, not only because it allows this redistribution of spaces and enhances Accadia’s cultural offer with an archaeological museum of great interest and the possibility of freeing up other spaces for new cultural destinations, but also because the layout itself is a bridge between the antiquity and the future, thanks to the new technologies of the layouts designed and created by ETT S.p.A. in collaboration with Space S.p.A., leader in Italy and Europe in the field of experience design with innovative immersive installations and solutions capable of attracting new audiences and offering much more attractive and complete experiences, rich in history, art and culture. “It is truly a great satisfaction for the Region that I have the honour to represent – said Raffaele Piemontese, Vice-President of the Regional Council and Councillor for Budget and Planning – to inaugurate today this place of culture, a container of history and a symbol of rebirth for Rione Fossi and for the whole town of Accadia, because when the cultural offer and the attractiveness of an area grow, it is easier to bet on the future, to create a new economy linked to the beauty and quality of life of these places, and thus also to bet on the repopulation of these small towns, which are increasingly able to offer a high quality of life and a real alternative to city life, without having to give up many dimensions of well-being for work and family life. Today, Accadia is the symbol of a new beginning for the entire Monti Dauni area.”. “The decision to opt for an innovative setting for our Museum of Origins in the rooms of Palazzo di Stefano – said the Mayor of the Municipality of Accadia, Agostino De Paolis – will allow us to rehouse the interesting collection of archaeological finds that were already on the ground floor of Palazzo Vassalli and to concentrate in one place important pieces such as the Mother Goddess, which until now has been located in the atrium of the Town Hall, thus finding a suitable place for a sculpture of great symbolic value for the history and identity of Accadia. For the entire Akkadian community, today marks the symbolic beginning of a new challenge: the repopulation and revitalisation of Rione Fossi as the new centre of Accadia’s cultural, tourist and economic rebirth. And may it be a good omen for all the communes of the Monti Dauni”.
Giovanni Verreschi, Managing Director of ETT S.p.A., a company of the SCAI “Group which, in cooperation with Space S.p.A., realised the exhibition route, said:: We have been happy to offer our support to the Municipality of Accadia in developing the project of the new Museum of Origins, with the help of local stakeholders, as part of a wider framework for the revitalisation of the Rione Fossi district, in the context of the opportunities created by the PNRR. Technology, in fact, is seen in this context as the tool of choice to restore the legibility of local history, not only to attract a tourist audience that today is very interested in deepening content through multimedia, but also as a service to the inhabitants of the area, supporting and enhancing the value of identity. Archaeology and local history come to life through storytelling and the new digital languages, involving the visitor in a story that, accompanied by the evidence of local artefacts and memories, uses the emotional key to convey content in an inclusive way, suitable for audiences of all ages.”
