Work on the restoration of the courtyard of the Ducal Palace, located in Piazza Saturno in the heart of the town’s historic centre (costing €600,000), has been at a standstill for about a year. It appears that the Superintendency is short of funds and that there is no money in the coffers to pay for the work the contractor has carried out so far. The work completed to date has largely consisted of investigations aimed at ensuring that the subsoil of the courtyard held no secrets or surprises.
What was not there. In fact, as soon as excavation began beneath the post-war paving, the original medieval paving was discovered, featuring numerous dressed stones, drainage channels and the inlets of two cisterns for collecting water. What came to light led to a review of the project, which initially envisaged a series of solutions that would have compromised the full use of the courtyard. In the meantime, however, a characteristic passageway has been reopened, which originally connected the courtyard with Piazza Marconi behind the building.
via Il Tempo
