Minister Anna Maria Bernini visits the Mediterranea
The Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria welcomed the Minister of Universities and Research, Professor Anna Maria Bernini, in the presence of the Mayor of the City, Hon. Francesco Cannizzaro.
Upon his arrival, the Minister inaugurated a new green space called the "Mediterranea Oasis," created by the University's Green and Decorum Unit with the assistance of the Calabria Verde team. The space features drought-resistant plants typical of the Mediterranean scrub, and is designed as a space dedicated to the social and recreational activities of students and the entire academic community.
During the visit, from a vantage point of the University, the Minister was also able to observe the unfinished buildings of the former Ardis and learn about the University's new Master Plan, which includes the construction of the Sports Science Park in that area.
The project envisions the creation of a true open university laboratory, integrating sports facilities, indoor spaces, and scientific equipment into a single system dedicated to education and applied research. The park will offer student services, with spaces and activities for exercise, well-being, orientation, study, socializing, inclusion, and, more generally, third mission initiatives.
The project is part of a broader vision for the University City, aiming to reconstruct the urban edge of the Citadel, enhance the entrance from Viale della Libertà, and enhance the greenery and pedestrian walkways.
Minister Anna Maria Bernini stated, " The Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria is a growing university, combining quality education, planning ability, and a vision for the future. This is the university model we believe in and want to support: a university that creates opportunities for young people, contributes to the development of the region, and strengthens its ties with the city. Here, I see a dynamic academic community, capable of building an increasingly open, inclusive campus that serves its students. "
Mayor Francesco Cannizzaro: " First of all, I would like to thank the Minister, my friend Senator Anna Maria Bernini, for the attention she once again gives to Calabria and, in particular, to Reggio and its University. It is a source of great satisfaction for me to be able to welcome her for the first time as Mayor of this city, sharing an ambitious and strongly forward-looking project, which responds to a strong request that students and citizens have been waiting for for nearly twenty years: to definitively eliminate one of the most evident urban wounds of our territory, an unprecedented eyesore. Today we announce another concrete fact, perfectly consistent with the path undertaken by a University which, in recent years, thanks to the commendable work of Rector Zimbalatti and all its departments and offices, has been able to distinguish itself for dynamism, strategic vision and the ability to increasingly open itself to the international dimension. A working group has already been activated at the Ministry, in close collaboration with the municipal administration and the University. I am confident that, in the coming weeks, thanks to Thanks to the synergy between all the institutions involved, we will be able to achieve this important goal, giving further impetus to the broader urban regeneration process that this Administration has placed among its priorities .”
Rector Giuseppe Zimbalatti concluded , " We thank Minister Professor Bernini for the attention she has once again shown our University. Her visit today, shortly after the one she made to fund the Mediterranea Campus project, proposed by then-MP Francesco Cannizzaro, demonstrates the concreteness and value of her commitment to supporting the growth of our University as a driver of development and change in an area that is both fragile and undoubtedly strategic for the country. This adds an important piece to the puzzle of building a community that is increasingly closer to its students and increasingly capable of forging a new relationship with the city. The path is that of Reggio as a university city connected and integrated with the urban fabric, aiming to be an integral driving force behind the economic, cultural, and social development of the entire metropolitan area, ensuring its young people a future with real prospects and opportunities ."
