The recent debate about the themes regarding the safeguard of Venice , closely linked to the unsuccessful financing of the special law – which has not been allocated since 2002 – involves me directly with my role of new president of the society that takes care of the maintenance of the Venetian historic centre. The lack of resources is first of all a tragedy for Venice, and only as a consequence creates difficulties for Insula. Today, Insula is a well structured society, representing a precious and necessary heritage of the public administration for the safeguard of the city, thanks to the high ability to elaborate both the extraordinary interventions of the program agreement of 1993 between State, Region and City Council, and to handle the programmed urban maintenance – to preserve from decay what is being realized – and the punctual interventions which become necessary. There are thus several projects, but what lacks is the financing. The work of urban maintenance entrusted to Insula could see a dramatic slowing down, if it does not receive the financing foreseen by the long-term program undersigned by State and Region.

In the last years it is known that the Government chose to finance uniquely the interventions to the hatches. A position that appears politically unsustainable and culturally shortsighted, because it denies the complexity of the safeguard action. Luckily, against all these undervaluations, the City Council gave a great part of the urban maintenance to Insula inside the historic centre, recognizing its efficacy and thus consolidating the strategic “mission”. It is also possible the hypothesis that the assignment could be gradually extended to the whole communal territory. Thanks to the qualities of the society’s competencies, in the next months it will be possible to start a strategy that will allow us to reach a completely public order of Insula, at the service of the whole city, putting at disposal the acquired abilities of knowledge and programming, possibly without limiting itself to the communal property. The region, for instance – which contributes to the realization of the integrated program rii with the 10% of the whole sum destined to the regional safeguard – could have a legitimate interest in participating, with a presence of knowledge and control of the operational activity of Insula. The same proposal has been submitted to the president of the province, Davide Zoggia, who said to be interested and willing to participate actively to the planned society.

The deadline that we fixed in order to define the new financial structure of the society is the end of this year, hoping for the participation of more subjects from public institutions. In this period we will also need to define the governmental position respect to the city’s future. It is up to the new government to give more attention to the question of Venice. On the other hand, it is the city’s responsibility to show firmly that financing is really needed, that it will be cautiously used, without waste, because they will be used to satisfy needs and urges that have as aim the safeguard of the city itself. To be able to guarantee the programming of the maintenance of Venice is fundamental for the survival of an extraordinary heritage which has been given to us as citizens, but which belongs to everyone wanting to preserve it, keeping Venice alive.