A museum itinerary will be created in the church to visit the frescoes. In the Convent the library of Camillo and Adriano and the offices of the Olivetti Archive
Three million euros for the San Bernardino complex which will be managed by Fai, the Italian Environment Fund. The Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini allocated them as part of the Strategic Plan for Major Cultural Heritage Projects 2020-2021-2022, approved on 23 September for a total of 53.4 million euros and which provides for 16 projects spread throughout the national territory (two in Piedmont, Ivrea and Il Castelvecchio di Stupinigi, Nichelino).
The substantial sum will contribute to the realization of a large and articulated project – called Casa Olivetti – for the redevelopment of the convent complex of San Bernardino. The aim is to restore to the Convent the original and authentic spirit of the place that springs from its history as the “home” of the Olivetti family.
A museum itinerary will be created in the church of San Bernardino to visit the frescoes, with the possibility of using spaces for meetings and conferences. The Convent, on the other hand, will house the historical library of Camillo and Adriano Olivetti and the offices of the Olivetti Historical Archive Association.
The director of this operation was Fai who, already during the Parma congress in September 2020, had announced that it wanted the church of San Bernardino and the Convent among its assets. The church, in the Franciscan convent complex (formerly the residence of Camillo Olivetti and for many years the seat of the Sports and Recreational Group and of the Golden Brooches) within the Olivetti area of Monte Navale, was included among the Places of the Heart 2020, the national campaign for Italian places not to be forgotten, promoted by Fai, in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo.
The Casa Olivetti operation is followed directly by the Fai executive vice president Marco Magnifico. The ongoing negotiations for the sale of the two assets are very delicate due to the plurality of subjects involved and the ownership structure: the church of San Bernardino belongs to the heirs of the Olivetti family, while the Convent is owned by Telecom.
“We are happy that the Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini has decided to allocate an important contribution of 3 million euros for the redevelopment of the San Bernardino complex which contains the important frescoes by Spanzotti – comment the municipal councilors of the Pd of Ivrea Maurizio Perinetti and Andrea Benedino -. This is excellent news, which can finally create the conditions to take off the Unesco site of Ivrea, an industrial city of the twentieth century also from a tourist point of view ».
“A public investment of this magnitude must serve to create the best synergy between all the players in the field: Fai, Tim, the Olivetti Historical Archive Association, Icon as well as obviously the Municipality of Ivrea – comments the deputy of the Democratic Party Francesca Bonomo – with the aim of creating a qualified cultural center capable of attracting significant tourist flows with an impact on the entire territory. It will not be secondary to obtain the guarantee of the best conditions for safeguarding the deposits of the Olivetti Historical Archive in this new context “.