Salesforce CEO’s support of the Piazza St. Francis project in San Francisco made a big splash on Twitter and drove the petition to near completion. This promising project will enhance the Italian character of North Beach. After all, St. Francis was Italian and the piazza will be an enduring symbol of Italian culture and lifestyle.Only 200 more signatures are needed to meet the campaign goal of 1000. Click HERE to sign the petition!
What’s the big deal, you ask?
The jewel of North Beach is historical Washington Square where community members congregate under the shade of the spires of Saints Peter and Paul Church to eat, game and converse. This famous park began as farmland and cattle pasture in the mid 1800′s and currently is hemmed in by the busy streets of North Beach on all sides. Now a community initiative led by Angela Alioto and supported by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is launching the project of a dazzling new centerpiece of Italian life in San Francisco, always in North Beach. It will be called “Piazza Saint Francis, the Poets Piazza”, in honor of Italy’s patron saint, Saint Francis of Assisi. How fitting, then, that the Piazza would be neighbors with the Porziuncola Nuova near the National Shrine of St. Francis, another iconic project spearheaded by Alioto, former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and daughter of San Francisco Mayor Joe Alioto.
I, for one, am a huge fan of the proposed Italian Piazza, which was conceived years ago and is now gaining steam toward actualization in the near future. To learn more about what is envisioned, check out the video below
Piazza Saint Francis will be oriented to lovers of poetry, music and art, much like the piazzas of Italy. The promenade will be constructed of green and white granite and be abutted by olive trees, tables, chairs and benches where passerbys can enjoy a coffee or morning newspaper. Quotations from dozens of great poets and peacemakers from around the world will be incised in the paving of the Piazza. Best yet, there will be no street traffic, a true pedestrian area.
This civic project was created by neighborhood volunteers and donations. Major supporters include the Chinatown Community Development Center, North Beach Merchants Association, Telegraph Hill Dwellers, North Beach Citizens, and hundreds of local residents. Moreover, the Mayor and his office, City Planning Department and a diverse group of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are actively involved in vetting and bringing the project to fruition. Asd mentioned, the greatest champion of the Piazza is the inestimable Italian cultural ambassador Angela Alioto. She is a proud Italian citizen. See below for some of her personal, political and cultural history that relates to San Francisco and human rights.
The total cost of the Piazza will be approximately 2.4 million dollars. If you are interested in supporting the project or getting more involved click here. To contribute online to the realization of this important cultural project, click here.