A bridge of solidarity for finding the spirit to start afresh together.
We have created the new Casa di Quartiere 13D Certosa community centre
offering activities and services dedicated to the communities most affected by the collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa.
In collaboration with: Municipality of the City of Genoa
On 14 August 2018, the city of Genoa experienced one of the most dramatic moments in its recent history.
The collapse of the Morandi bridge was a deep wound that literally broke Genoa in two.
The city of Genoa, deprived of such a strategic infrastructure link has suffered extremely serious repercussions both at an economic and social level. In addition to causing numerous victims, this tragedy has affected communities in a devastating way living near the motorway viaduct. Hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes and those living in the area and working at various businesses were effectively cut off from the rest of the city.
The Certosa district suffered this isolation the most and paid the highest price.
Together for Genoa is a project arising out of the desire to take action following a dramatic event for bringing tangible benefits to the community. The goal was to proactively rebuild and create a living space that would respond to the real needs of local people and serve citizens: a local node capable of bringing together an offering of many projects and activities while encouraging participation.
The project promoted by the Costa Crociere Foundation was launched in August 2018 with a fundraiser that involved all Costa Cruises main stakeholders: guests on board ships, travel agents, suppliers and employees. Also the Company contributed by donating 1 euro for all bookings made from August to November 2018, as well as for all the pesto trofie dishes served on board during the same period.
A collective commitment to generosity that was renewed in the big charity event that was organised on board the Costa Fortuna during its first return stop at Genoa, in March 2019, helping to raise over EUR 300,000.
The project, working together with the Municipality of the City of Genoa, therefore took the form of renovating and redeveloping a disused building to create a new neighbourhood community centre.
The centre, covering an area of 530m2, is located in the Certosa district, on the first floor of a building owned by the City of Genoa. Work involved restructuring all interiors including plumbing, electrical and conditioning and heating systems, as well as doors and fixtures. All bathrooms were also remodelled, providing statutory disabled toilet facilities, as well as bathroom decor. All areas and spaces were repurposed and outfitted with furnishings, accessories and an audio and video system. The communal and outdoor areas of the centre on the ground floor were also renovated. Finally, the building facades got a facelift.
Thus, the Casa di Quartiere 13D Certosa community centre was inaugurated on 9 December 2020: a space conceived and designed to be an integral part of the rest of the district, focussing on inclusivity as its main value and distinctive factor. In fact, by promoting and adopting this novel participatory approach, made possible by Municipality V’s coordination, local authorities and the main associations operating in the district shared the vision, purposes and activities allocated this new space, as well as the choice of the name which is the centre’s street number. The Neighbourhood Centre community space is therefore the result of a response to the real needs expressed by local communities and provides skills, spaces, tools and resources for local people.
The centre hosts support and welfare services for the local area, with the aim of providing a hub for both associations and individual citizens and groups that intend to promote new projects. It represents a welcoming and inclusive space open to all, especially young people, with the option of organising after-school and social-oriented activities, as well as a co-working space for young businesspeople and start-ups: a space, therefore, destined to become the very heart of the whole neighbourhood.
