Librino come Versailles, l’ultimo progetto del mecenate Antonio Presti

Antonio Presti, founder of Fiumara d'Arte, speaks passionately about transforming the Librino neighborhood, located in the outskirts of Catania and once plagued by crime and neglect. Presti's project, Librino, aims to clean up the vacant lots, plant flowers, and maintain them after the event. The project, which began in 1970, was initially funded by the Catania Comune, but only partially implemented.

The Teatro Moncada and the former "Cement Palace" have faced structural issues, and the Teatro Moncada has never opened to the public.

Presti has worked in Librino for over two decades, introducing artists and poets to schools through the TerzOcchio - Meridiani di Luce project. The children have modeled terracotta figures for the wall that cuts through the neighborhood, leading to the creation of the Porta della Bellezza, the Porta delle Farfalle, and the Porta dei Sogni. These artworks, part of the MAGMA open-air museum, are aimed at inspiring young people to leave their mark on the city.

Although Presti understands the distance between art and the neighborhood's needs, he believes in the power of beauty to bring about human regeneration. In 2023, he reminded residents that Librino prioritizes roads, drainage, and social services. This year, he announced a garden filled with flowers as a concrete solution for maintaining public spaces. With the help of schools, families, and the community, Presti hopes to form a cooperative to care for the landscape and protect the public spaces.

The first realization of this vision is the Roseto di Sant'Agata, inaugurated on January 30, where eleven candlesticks representing the main corporations of the patron's festival were carried for the first time in Librino. Presti has called this "a political act," emphasizing that Librino belongs to Catania. He has also invited children to plant roses and protect them, teaching them the care required for fragile things, both plants and public spaces.