Foreign Ministry with MAXXI and Triennale to reconstruct architectural heritage in Odessa

MAXXI President Alessandro Giuli and Milan Triennale President Stefano Boeri will be in Odessa on Sept. 6 and 7 for talks with local authorities and a reconnaissance of the destroyed sites, starting with the Cathedral of the Transfiguration. With them will be Unesco Director for Ukraine Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi and Italian Ambassador Pier Francesco Zazo.

The initiative was presented this morning by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to his EU colleagues and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba at the European summit in Toledo. The minister’s new Special Envoy for Ukraine Reconstruction, Davide La Cecilia, will also be present in Odessa.

The visit is part of the Triennale and MAXXI’s initiative, supported by the Prime Minister’s Office, MAECI and the Ministry of Culture, to establish a Workshop on Ukraine’s Reconstruction. As part of Italy’s vocation for the protection and preservation of the world’s cultural heritage, the project aims to bring together Italian and international cultural institutions, architectural and engineering firms, companies, and economic actors on the topic of urban and architectural regeneration of Ukraine’s cities and cultural heritage, creating a European hub for reconstruction, with a focus on social infrastructure such as schools and cultural institutions.

“We are going to Odessa with the idea of providing our capacity to rebuild several war-affected architectural assets,” explained architect Stefano Boeri. “It will be a first reconnaissance mission, we will start immediately with a survey of the cathedral, we have activated the Italian Society of Architectural Restoration. Rebuilding the architecture of Odessa to start rebuilding normality in a nation that deserves peace.”

The Foreign Ministry together with MAXXI and Triennale will organize an event on October 31, 2023 in Milan to launch the Laboratory project, with the participation of the Ukrainian government and cultural and economic stakeholders.

The initiative could be preparatory to Italy’s assumption of patronage for the reconstruction of the City of Odessa, whose historic center was recently included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are numerous reasons in favor of this choice: from Odessa’s strong historical ties to Italy since its foundation, to the traditional presence of a large and influential Italian community, to active twinnings with Genoa and Venice. Decisive is the presence of port infrastructure that makes it a neuralgic transit point from the point of view of trade, including those protecting global food security to which Italy has directly committed itself.

Photo of the Cathedral: Konstantin Brizhnichenko. Photo of the damage: Ministry of Culture of Ukraine

Foreign Ministry with MAXXI and Triennale to reconstruct architectural heritage in Odessa

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