A number of trees have been planted in the city's nineteenth-century public green space
Situated along one of the Apennine ridges that skirts the left bank of the Basento river, enclosed by the Dolomiti Lucane, a cordillera of magnificent mountains where the natural landscape remains pure and uncontaminated, Potenza is the highest regional capital in Italy at 819 metres above sea level, and with 66 thousand inhabitants, is the most populous city in Basilicata.
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti is a long-standing partner of the capital of Lucania, and the projects implemented alongside the municipality over the years have had a very positive impact on the liveability of the city.
With a 100% loan from CDP totalling EUR 115,000, the municipal administration has proceeded with planting a number of trees along the main avenue of the Villa di Santa Maria, the largest botanical garden in Basilicata. The villa, which dates back to the early decades of the 19th century and takes its name from the district of the same name, was originally the vegetable garden of the monastery of the Padri Francescani Riformati (Reformed Franciscan Fathers). The space was transformed into a municipal park and expanded over time, with pathways, trees and flowers of different species, greenhouses for non-native specimens, fountains and areas for a host of various activities, from tennis to bocce (bowls).
Today, thanks to this urban redevelopment initiative, the community of Potenza will be able to see its green “lung” flourish once again.
This project reflects the commitment of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to working alongside public administration bodies in southern Italy to support new investments in sustainability, and to build a better future for local areas and their communities.