Meet… The association Le Franche Villanesi

It is a formation whose aim is the cultural promotion and the revaluation of the Villanesi hills of Francavilla al Mare

The Association «Le Franche Villanesi» was founded on 21st December 2003 by the paediatrician Maria Rosaria Sisto. Sensitive and attentive to the problems of children and adolescents, she is delegate of the presidency of the National Federation of Paediatricians for immigrant children and regional representative of Unicef.

It is an artistic and cultural association formed by women residing or living in the Villanesi hills and is based on bonds of friendship and solidarity with the aim of promoting and enriching civic and civil participation.

Among its objectives are art, which according to Maria Rosaria Sisto «is a vehicle of knowledge and awareness for the redevelopment projects of the Villanesi Hills, rescuing from degradation a wonderful area with the participation of institutions and associations whose mission is to protect and promote the environment and society and to improve the living conditions of the neighbourhood».

The Villanesi area has been a residential area since ancient Rome, as evidenced by the existence of an archaeological site with the remains of a domus. Since the early 19th century, the area has been the site of a villa whose adjacent land was donated by Napoleon to one of his generals when it was occupied by the French. That general, in turn, gave it to Carlo Petrosemolo d’Ortona, husband of Regina Bon, a lady-in-waiting from Naples. This is why the popular name of the area, ‘Carletto’, derives from the name of the new owner.

It should also be noted that the Association is a signatory of an urban planning project called «Colline Villanesi, a system of parks overlooking the sea», which was included in 2013 in the UNESCO DESS Week 2013 for Education for Sustainable Development. With it, the Association aims to help young people discover the feeling of belonging to a land that has a valuable historical identity. It is a place chosen by all past generations for its nature, the intellectual liveliness of its population and the artistic and literary effervescence that has made it the cradle of many talents from the first Neolithic men, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Middle Ages, to D’Annunzio, Tosti and Michetti.

Source: Pescara News