ALES. Open Monuments 2019 “Roots to the Future.”

The 23rd edition of Monumenti Aperti, an event coordinated by Imago Mundi Onlus, for its third weekend, arrived for the first time in the municipality of Ales on Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19. Thanks to the willingness of the municipal administration and the enthusiasm of volunteers, nine monuments of artistic, and religious heritage were made open to visitors. Among the monuments opened were the Birthplace of Antonio Gramsci and the Museum of the Traditional Toy of Sardinia.

Mayor Francesco Mereu and Councillors of Public Education and Culture Emanuele Trudu – Nicolò Muscas commented on Ales’ adherence, for the first time, to the XXIII edition of Monumenti Aperti as follows: “The pleasant springtime also brings with it the Monumenti Aperti event that invites us to discover the artistic, naturalistic and cultural beauties of the region, and for several years now also the national ones. The 2019 edition has also been joined by the municipality of Ales in the spirit of the slogan “Roots to the Future,” entrusting the young generations with the local historical heritage of the past, to preserve it and project it to the community of tomorrow. We joined with the hope that the monuments and documents proposed by our itinerary will be a stimulus to convey and attract visitors to Ales and Zeppara during the event, and this will constitute an invitation to return. Volunteers, the school, students with the guidance of the school headmaster and teachers, have been entrusted with the central role of the event, taking care of welcoming, informing and illustrating our monuments to visitors who are guests of our community.”

MONUMENTS. These are the monuments that made accessible to the public: the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul with its Baroque-style exterior facade; the Museum of Sacred Art with a rich collection of silverware that belonged to the bishops and the cathedral from the 16th to 20th centuries; the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary – Capelledda which houses the majestic 1.75-meter-high wooden statue of Our Lady with Child; the Birthplace of Antonio Gramsci Jan. 22, 1891; the Church of St. Sebastian built in 1663 as thanksgiving for Ales being spared from the great plague of the previous decade; the Collective Use Plan to Antonio Gramsci: a monument built on the 40th anniversary of the death of the Alerese philosopher, by architect Giò Pomodoro, with the collaboration of local stonemasons and citizens, in limestone and basalt from Mount Arci; the Square the Hedgehog Tree with a mural by artist Massimo Spiga, where Gramsci is depicted embracing his sons Delio and Giuliano, surrounded by greenery inspired by the story; the Church of San Simeone Vescovo the only church in Sardinia dedicated to the bishop of Jerusalem; and finally the Museum of the Traditional Toy of Sardinia, born from ethnographic research by Nando Cossu and containing a permanent exhibition and educational offerings unique in all of Sardinia with an important display of reproductions of toys used in the past throughout the island.

The theme of Open Monuments 2019 is Roots to the Future, that is, what belongs to us as history and on which the tomorrows of communities rest. It draws inspiration from European policies aimed at enhancing the entire tangible, intangible and digital cultural heritage, accessible and inclusive. Roots to the Future relaunches its vision as a tool to foster a sense of belonging to the local community, as a dialogue between generations, valuing confrontation and mutual enrichment. Roots to the Future is the synthesis of a transformation, the condensation of a passage of witness told by the unbroken cycle of matter. Roots to the Future draws on drawing on cultural traditions and history to build the future society under the banner of creativity and innovation. Cultural heritage becomes, therefore, a continuous source of learning and inspiration, and the basis for active and responsible citizenship. THE 2019 EDITION. Monumenti Aperti 2019 questions the different generations (and their interaction) and the formation of a firm awareness of being custodians and users of cultural heritage.