PRINTPRESENTATION OF THE NEW MUSEUM CENTRE IN THE PORT Where the submarine “Fecia di Cossato” is going to be musealized
16 December 2009
Today in Trieste there was the presentation of the project for a new Museum Centre as part of the restyling of the Old Port.
Present at the press conference were the Chairman of the Port Authority, Claudio Boniciolli, the Chairman of the Institute of Maritime-Port Culture of Trieste, Aldo Cuomo, the Managing Director of the "Leonardo da Vinci" Foundation, the National Museum of Science and Technology, Milan, Fiorenzo Galli, the Director of Corporate Studies and Strategies of Fincantieri, Piercipriano Rollo, and the Director of Fincantieri Foundation, Mauro Martinenzi.
The Museum Centre is to be located within the old docklands which the Port Authority intends to recover and enhance, including, in particular, the restoration of the old hydrodynamic plant and its neighbouring electrical substation. The submarine “Fecia di Cossato” is to be housed in an adjacent area.
The “Fecia di Cossato”, the second vessel in the “Sauro” class, was the Italian Navy’s largest submarine to be built after the Second World War. Constructed by Fincantieri at Monfalcone shipyard, the submarine entered service in 1979 and was decommissioned in 2005. Fincantieri will carry out maintenance work on the vessel - which will be donated by the Italian Navy to the Port Authority of Trieste - at the company’s naval shipyard in La Spezia, where it is currently moored.
Thereafter the submarine will sail to San Marco shipyard in Trieste where, again under the supervision of Fincantieri, work will be carried out to convert the vessel into a museum. Final refurbishing for visitors will be carried out in the Old Port where the submarine will be permanently housed.
To coordinate the musealization activities of the “Fecia di Cossato” and to enhance and promote maritime-port culture and heritage and the museum centre as a whole, a memorandum of agreement has been undersigned between the Institute of Maritime-Port Culture of Trieste, Fincantieri Foundation and the "Leonardo da Vinci" Foundation, the National Museum of Science and Technology of Milan. Under the agreement the signatories will work together to promote the scientific and technological culture of the sea. The cornerstones of their work will be the submarine musealization and the enhancement of the cultural and technological patrimony which the parties will make available.
The Institute of Maritime-Port Culture will be tasked with managing the enhancement of the site and the property which the Port Authority will provide for the initiative. Fincantieri, a well-established, important company in the local area of Friuli Venezia Giulia, will provide all the company’s know-how and expertise to ensure that the submarine is converted from a working naval vessel to a visitors’ centre of great cultural importance. The “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology of Milan, in the light of the experience it has gained both nationally and internationally and its success in managing the visitors’ centre of the submarine “Enrico Toti”, will provide its know-how in setting up and conducting both the musealization and interactive educational activities.
Cooperation will also be open to synergies with other bodies, including the Maritime Association “Aldebaran”, which, alongside Fincantieri Foundation, will contribute part of its archive of models and photographs to a permanent exhibition within which the “Fecia di Cossato” may be visited.
Present at the press conference were the Chairman of the Port Authority, Claudio Boniciolli, the Chairman of the Institute of Maritime-Port Culture of Trieste, Aldo Cuomo, the Managing Director of the "Leonardo da Vinci" Foundation, the National Museum of Science and Technology, Milan, Fiorenzo Galli, the Director of Corporate Studies and Strategies of Fincantieri, Piercipriano Rollo, and the Director of Fincantieri Foundation, Mauro Martinenzi.
The Museum Centre is to be located within the old docklands which the Port Authority intends to recover and enhance, including, in particular, the restoration of the old hydrodynamic plant and its neighbouring electrical substation. The submarine “Fecia di Cossato” is to be housed in an adjacent area.
The “Fecia di Cossato”, the second vessel in the “Sauro” class, was the Italian Navy’s largest submarine to be built after the Second World War. Constructed by Fincantieri at Monfalcone shipyard, the submarine entered service in 1979 and was decommissioned in 2005. Fincantieri will carry out maintenance work on the vessel - which will be donated by the Italian Navy to the Port Authority of Trieste - at the company’s naval shipyard in La Spezia, where it is currently moored.
Thereafter the submarine will sail to San Marco shipyard in Trieste where, again under the supervision of Fincantieri, work will be carried out to convert the vessel into a museum. Final refurbishing for visitors will be carried out in the Old Port where the submarine will be permanently housed.
To coordinate the musealization activities of the “Fecia di Cossato” and to enhance and promote maritime-port culture and heritage and the museum centre as a whole, a memorandum of agreement has been undersigned between the Institute of Maritime-Port Culture of Trieste, Fincantieri Foundation and the "Leonardo da Vinci" Foundation, the National Museum of Science and Technology of Milan. Under the agreement the signatories will work together to promote the scientific and technological culture of the sea. The cornerstones of their work will be the submarine musealization and the enhancement of the cultural and technological patrimony which the parties will make available.
The Institute of Maritime-Port Culture will be tasked with managing the enhancement of the site and the property which the Port Authority will provide for the initiative. Fincantieri, a well-established, important company in the local area of Friuli Venezia Giulia, will provide all the company’s know-how and expertise to ensure that the submarine is converted from a working naval vessel to a visitors’ centre of great cultural importance. The “Leonardo da Vinci” National Museum of Science and Technology of Milan, in the light of the experience it has gained both nationally and internationally and its success in managing the visitors’ centre of the submarine “Enrico Toti”, will provide its know-how in setting up and conducting both the musealization and interactive educational activities.
Cooperation will also be open to synergies with other bodies, including the Maritime Association “Aldebaran”, which, alongside Fincantieri Foundation, will contribute part of its archive of models and photographs to a permanent exhibition within which the “Fecia di Cossato” may be visited.