THE OLD PORT

The open space between the Jersey Barriers and the sky is the beginning of a reconciliation between the port and the city, of a renewed urban identity.

When the construction netting came down, the wharves, which had become incompatible with the requirements of logistics and were sorely in need of functional spaces and service and handling areas, had undergone a major transformation. Being granted access after having been denied it for so long was a symbolic event, a reclaming, a reconnection with a space that held significance and memories – the ancient monuments, the glimpses, the views – but also visions and perspectives, with the dockyards, the resourceful production chains, the world-famous workshops. Ancona, full of pride for this newly found space – beautiful, dynamic, welcoming, full of promises and future projects – will come together on the docks of the old port to inaugurate Enzo Cucchi’s fountain with shows, performances, and contemporary culture at the Mole. While rewriting the relationship between the port’s monumental heritage – the Arch of Trajan, the Arch of Clement, the Roman port and the Captain’s House, the Medieval walls and the niches – and the port’s transformation, the city and the seaport are constantly reworking their relationship, balancing the civic dimension of accessibility with the developmental requirements of a maritime economy. Thus the port has become a shared value, an identifying feature that, with the new design of its wharves, has enhanced the port and made it more accessible, effectively reorganizing its functions and transit throughout the new logistic and commercial areas. With the refunctionalization of the wharves, new spaces and vitality have become available, the infinite view of the skyline has opened up, and the overall effect has been a renewal of the cityscape as a whole. At the same time, passenger welcoming services have been activated, the areas reserved for fishing have been improved, as have been the operational requirements of the technical nautical services pertaining to various public and private entities entrusted with the functioning of the seaport. The processes of transformation, diversification, and integration have required patience and a gradual approach to the evolution of the Doric port, which is expected to preserve its traditional, daily relationship with the sea, the emotions elicited by travel, and the endless hustle and bustle. So this hard-working port has also become a port of experience and knowledge, of urban installations and of art, of cinemas and of the promenade through its monuments – a port of value, the port of the future.

Text: Cristiana Colli