Promoting urban and landscape regeneration, supporting tourism development and teaching the next generations the value of water: these are the objectives of the €1.8 million loan granted by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) to the Municipality of San Pellegrino Terme (Bergamo) to contribute to the construction of a water technology park called “Magic Waterglow”.
The loan from CDP adds to the €0.5 million in funding from Lombardy Region, enabling the recovery of long-abandoned land. The three-dimensional, virtual and sensory installation, dedicated entirely to the theme of water, will be located in a 284m underground tunnel in the Vetta area. Currently disused, the tunnel was once occupied by the storage tank of the aqueduct that ran from the source in Boione to the Colleoni hydroelectric plant, near the cable-car station.
The initiative is part of a bigger project to revitalise the entire area with total investment in excess of €10 million, thanks to the support of CDP, Lombardy Region and local entrepreneurs. In addition to the "Magic Waterglow", the plan also includes pedestrian paths in the Vetta Park and in the Grotte del Sogno, the recovery of the former cistern, the redevelopment of the former Vetta hotel and a new agritourism business in Sussia.
The redevelopment project arose in discussions with local associations active in the conservation of the area and in the fight against depopulation. Once completed, it is expected to attract 70-80,000 visitors a year, bolstering San Pellegrino Terme’s status as a tourist destination.
The loan is in line with the priorities of the Strategic Guidelines for the Protection of the Territory and Water Resources, as per the CDP 2022-2024 Plan, with the aim of helping to protect the environment and natural resources.