Organised in the Municipality of Alghero by Legambiente and the Abbado family, and born from the commitment of the C. Ri.M.M (Mediterranean Macchia Research Centre) and the School for Sustainable Development and Business Creation as part of the ASviS Festival for Sustainable Development 2022, the initiative Laying the foundation stone of the Third Paradise wants to root the innovative and regenerative spirit of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the territory and especially among young people, involving local and international communities through art and culture, facilitating education and information. The limelight of this event – held in the morning of 19 October and harmoniously combining art with social responsibility – is on the Abbado-Legambiente grounds, where, as the title suggests, the first stone of a new representation of Michelangelo Pistoletto‘s trinamic symbol was laid: a symbolic act that will start the cultural process of involvement of the community necessary for a concrete and effective integration of the full installation. It is an invitation to act for change, in a land of great environmental value and an ideal place to meet, research and listen. Purchased and reclaimed thirty years ago by the famous orchestra conductor Claudio Abbado, it is now entrusted by his family to Legambiente in order to protect a naturalistic jewel and to offer opportunities for awareness and education on environmental and social issues through studies, research and workshops.
A collective support from all over Sardinia, including young people
The creation of the Third Paradise, strongly desired and led by the Rebirth/Third Paradise embassy in Alghero, directed by Maria Gabriella Lay, envisages the active involvement of other 377 Sardinian municipalities, which will each donate a block of typical local stone (discarded or salvaged) for the installation. This gesture is charged with meaning, uniting both physically and symbolically the entire Sardinian community in the intent to protect, preserve and enhance their territory, while celebrating the multiple local identities as part of the whole. Also, young people are going to be the protagonists of this desire for renewal: Wednesday’s ceremony was in fact attended by many students from schools of all levels, including universities, who brought testimony of their active participation in the regeneration process. ‘Open your eyes to the future’ is the message conveyed by the artistic creation, which was illustrated by its authors, the pupils of class 3F of the Maria Carta middle school in Alghero.
The choice of the Third Paradise
Music, culture, education and the environment were the compass of Claudio Abbado‘s values. In this sense, the work is considered as an artivator of the C.Ri.M.M. project; the symbol of the Third Paradise itself represents those fundamental and shared values of hope and rebirth of mankind, in relation to the two outermost circles of the sign-symbol, i.e. artifice and nature, which meet in the project idea of a new, responsible and lasting balance. The idea of a dry-stone wall made up of stones from different Sardinian municipalities – each with its own plaque indicating its origin and geological cataloguing – symbolises that multiple parts share the same objective of territorial protection and enhancement. In the centre will be two circular tables, creating a meeting space, and a centuries-old tree, reminding man of the indispensable importance of nature.
The Legambiente-Abbado project
As of January 2021, the Abbado family has entrusted Legambiente – through a multi-year free loan – with the task of guaranteeing over time the conservation of the area so tenaciously defended and redeveloped by Claudio Abbado, turning it into a place for meetings, research and education, in compliance with the regulations of the Regional Landscape Plan, the provisions of the Special Protection Area and the Porto Conte Regional Natural Park. The objectives are the carrying out of educational, research, and environmental protection and promotion activities addressed to the territory and the local community, for an improvement of the quality of life; the participation in projects that can be financed, compatibly with the statutory purposes of the parties and with the management plan of the Special Protected Area of Capo Caccia; the stipulation of partnerships or collaborations with local administrations, universities, management bodies of protected areas and schools; and the establishment of a civil economy network for the revitalisation of the area, with the involvement of citizens, businesses, third sector organisations, public administrations and the world of research.
The organisations involved in the project and the participants at the laying of the foundation stone
The planned process envisages the involvement of the Municipality of Alghero, the Region, the Porto Conte Regional Natural Park and ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities) Sardegna, as well as a collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the United Nations International Labour Organisation, Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto in Biella, Accademia Unidee of the Third Paradise, the University of Sassari, the Italian Botanical Society and Formula Ambiente SpA, in order to encourage the participation of the island’s schools, some university faculties and the many volunteers already involved. Also in attendance at the inaugural event were Alessandra Abbado, member of the land management committee, and Tommaso Abbado; Giorgio Zampetti, National Director of Legambiente; Roberto Barbieri, President of the Legambiente Alghero Club; Michele Meloni, President of the Legambiente Sassari Club; Michelangelo Pistoletto; Maria Gabriella Lay, Third Paradise ambassadress and representative of the International Labour Organisation’s Office for Italy; Pier Luigi Stefanini, President of ASviS; Michele Pais, President of the Regional Council of Sardinia; Mario Conoci, Mayor of Alghero, and Alessandro Cocco, Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Alghero; Mariano Mariani, Director of the Porto Conte Park; ANCI; Pietro Fois, Province of Sassari; Mario Bruno, Director of the Training School; Emmanuele Farris, Union of Sardinian Botanists; Francesco Guillot, President of LIPU.
The comment of the director general of Legambiente
“Our commitment is continuing,” said Giorgio Zampetti, “thanks to the trust of the Abbado family and the extraordinary work of our Sassari and Alghero clubs, and the support of Legambiente Sardegna in enhancing the beauty and value of one of the most evocative territories in the north-west of the island. From the social vegetable garden to the restoration of the orchard, and the research and study of the area’s natural heritage: several projects have been launched this year, completed or still underway. A process of protection and development that with the installation of the Third Paradise becomes a space where people can enter and go through a sequence of significant moments, initiating a cultural transformation that starts from nature and arrives at addressing the issues of rights, justice and welfare, with particular attention to the Mediterranean Sea basin, in line with what the United Nations established with their 2030 Agenda”.
The Abbado family’s acknowledgements
“We want to thank all the participants,” said the Abbado family, “especially the young protagonists of the day. It is an honour for us and for Sardinia that the first work on the ground represents the thought of the artist Michelangelo Pistoletto. With the dream of a union between art and nature, we are working on the creation of an artistic and a scientific committee”.
