|
Il
Parco Colle Celeste
The
Park is located a short distance from the Town Centre in the East side of
Maiolati Spontini. The place was anciently known as ‘Colle Bellavista’.
Camaldolesi Monks from the Cupramontana caves monastery, had noticed the
beautiful position of the place and decided to start building a new
monastery from 1600 to 1700.
Colle
Celeste Park has been named after Gaspare Spontini’s wife, Celeste Erard.
The musician in fact bought it expressly for her and so wrote of her
passion for the place::
“My wife, that is so respectful of everyone, would
be delighted if there were… lots of plants on all the Colle….she would
avoid seeing even a small area not covered in plants, trees, citrus fruit
trees, and flowers. Do your best, Mr Gardeners, this is her utmost desire.”.
Gaspare Spontini bought the place in 1842 and all the works,
superintended by the Architecht Ciriaco Santini and guided by Mrs Celeste
Erard, started in 1846.
Nowadays the entrance to the Park is through a gate that leads onto a tree
lined avenue. It passes through a wood sided by a balcony that offers a
wonderful view from the Esino River Valley to the Adriatic Sea.
The
original project had in store the building of a Greek like temple with
colonnade.
After Spontini died, his wife more than once expressed the desire of
having the temple built so to use it as her husband’s tomb. In 1858
though she was inspired by a monument seen in Plombiéres.
She then replaced the temple-to-be with a statue of the Virgin Mary made
in Lione.
The image of Holy Mary was meant to protect all the surrounding villages
and especially Maiolati. The statue is 2,15 m high. It was unveiled on 19th
September 1858. Celeste took part in the celebration.
The occasion was accompanied by several events whose programme was even
published by the Town Council, church festivals, a concert on the
Belvedere. Fire works and the flight of 300 balloons delighted the
spectators. The park is a rare example of English style public park.
The
plans of the temple are kept in Spontini Museum. There are also sketches
of the location of trees, flowers, bushes there where Celeste wanted them.
Nowadays
the park is often chosen as background for events, concerts, plays and
ballets.
Sponsored by
Comune
di Maiolati Spontini
|