Located in the southern suburbs of Reggio Emilia, the Rosta Nuova district encompasses all the characteristics of the INA-Casa plan, which transform a public space into a quality place for all citizens. An urban design that is consistent with tradition and a strong dimensional rooting, both figurative and material, can guarantee greater attention to the relationship with all architectural elements, which will significantly influence the living quality of the settled population. There’s a double square which acts as the beating heart of the Rosta Nuova district, becoming its living and community core. It is crossed by an arcaded street, as per the typical style of Emilian urban centers. Through those porticos you can reach the garden and the neighboring kindergarten, the social center, the elementary school and the soccer field. The offsetting of the buildings, stepped and parallel to the main street, helps to integrate the area into the general complex of Reggio Emilia.
The Library was established in 1798. It is named after Antonio Panizzi, a librarian and Italian patriot, born in Brescello and director of the library of the British Museum from 1856 to 1866. It is currently the main public library of the city, located in the heart of the historic center since the 1800s. Cultural hub for all citizens, with a catalog of about 190,000 pieces for the modern section, “la Panizzi” hosts activities, exhibitions and guided tours for schools every day. The Panizzi Library has recently undergone several internal redevelopment interventions, in order to be able to meeting the needs of all possible visitors. The last intervention was the redevelopment of the internal garden, now used as a place for recreation, reading and relaxation available to readers. This venue is destined to become the setting for editorial initiatives and book presentations, to make the Library an even more people-friendly place.
The All’Arco bookshop has become a point of reference for all citizens since 1991, when it moved to via Emilia Santo Stefano. More than 30,000 books are collected in over 1,000 square meters, distributed among spaces for consultation, a garden on the upper floor and a piano, freely used by visitors. Choosing a book to read and enjoy spending time in this ancient Reggio palace is quite a unique experience, a moment of relaxation and literary escape. In January 2011, the All’Arco bookshop won the annual prize for the best bookshop in Italy, awarded by the “Umberto ed Elisabetta Mauri” school for booksellers, in Venice. A rich calendar of appointments with writers, also of international appeal, and initiatives aimed at children and young people have made it a model throughout the country. Isabel Allende, a guest at the presentation of one of her novels, defined it as: «the most beautiful book store seen in Italy». Since June 2020, the bookshop has become part of Librerie.coop.
Bertani is a leading distributor in Italy and abroad for top brands in the production of systems for the exploitation of renewable resources and energy saving, plumbing systems, furniture, bathroom furniture, lighting and coatings. Since its foundation in 1916, the company has been owned by the Bertani families and is based in Reggio Emilia. Through 13 stores in Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto and Sardinia, it offers its customers a selection of the best brands in Italian and Europe in terms of technology, design and eco-sustainability. In its Reggio Emilia showroom, in via Terezin, 26, it promotes constant technical training activities for designers with the intent of spreading and promoting a concept of architecture at the service of the city and people. By doing so it also highlights the central role of a discipline that seeks to interpret and satisfy the real needs of people. It lays out a different path of intelligent and sustainable development, based on the integration and mutual exchange of knowledge that the variegated world of architecture is able to embrace.
