'On board the Meraviglia' between memory, identity and future

It is among the ten railway lines most beautiful in the world which, through spectacular landscapes, unites the Piedmont plain with the Ligurian coasts and the French Riviera and the natural parks of the Maritime Alps and Mercantour. The Cuneo-Ventimiglia-Nice, winner of the tenth edition of the census 'Places of the Heart' in 2020, is the protagonist of the cultural enhancement project dedicated to the Railway of Wonders, inaugurated by Fai, the Fund for the Environment Italian. The line is an extraordinary work of human ingenuity which, in just under 100 km and with a difference in altitude of a thousand metres and 33 galleries, it connects cultures and territories. It is a strategic infrastructure, essential during the emergency following the storm Alex that isolated Val Roya in 2020, making the railway the only active link. To return voice to this heritage, the Fai has created the project 'On board of Wonder', developed by the Holden School of Turin: through comics, videos and testimonies collected along the traced, the story develops like a thread that combines history, environment, identity and future. Protagonist of the story is by the cartoonist Claudio Marinaccio, who travelled along the line, meeting those who live it on a daily basis territory. From his journey a comic book story was born, selected and curated by Raffaele Riba, teacher at the School Holden, and accompanied by a series of short videos and a documentary signed by the director Davide Cerreja Fus. Complete the permanent installations project in the Cuneo stations and Ventimiglia and information panels from Borgo San Dalmazzo to Olivetta San Michele. "To save a place you have to tell about it - comments Daniela Bruno, cultural director of Fai - And nobody can do it better than the communities that inhabit it. This railway, which seemed obsolete, is instead still vital and allows for live in territories that would otherwise risk abandonment". "The story - continues Daniela Bruno - also gives space to the historical memory of the railway, the construction of which was conceived from Cavour in the mid 1800s to connect Piedmont to Nice, then Savoy. After the cession of Nice to France in 1860, it was introduced the diversion towards Ventimiglia. Damaged during the Second World War, it was rebuilt and reactivated in 1979 thanks to an Italian-French agreement. Today, despite Investments of 29 million euros, service remains reduced but, from July to September, historic trains will be activated and additional runs between Ventimiglia and Nice". "It's not just a train tourist, but a daily resource for many workers - explains Patrizia Manassero, mayor of Cuneo - We hope that this initiative also serves to improve the service". On the mayor of Ventimiglia Flavio Di Muro who speaks on the same line of "a symbol of connection and collective memory". "It is a strategic infrastructure and a hinge between two countries - comments Federico Borgna, member of the board of directors of the Crc Foundation - It is a common heritage that we want to make to know and preserve".