An example of Italian excellence and now a refurbished shopping center for residents and tourists in Rome, as well as a public meeting place: the Galleria Alberto Sordi is resuming a key role in the city, as a result of the redevelopment and restyling project promoted by the Megas Fund, managed by Prelios SGR, whose sole shareholder is the Enasarco Foundation.
After almost a year of work, the Galleria Alberto Sordi has been returned to the city in a new guise, prior to the opening over the coming months of retail stores including Hamleys, Iginio Massari, Mondadori Bookstore – a space devoted to culture and entertainment – and Uniqlo, which have chosen the prestigious location for their debut in Rome. They will be joined by Havaianas and other brands. The presence of these high-profile names reflects the new appeal of the Galleria as an attractive multifunctional space offering a stylish blend of history and culture, tradition and innovation.
A new point of reference for the city that extends beyond shopping and regains its original vocation as the capital's historic “drawing room”, a meeting place with a variety of restaurants, including the Ristorante Stendhal, the Antica Focacceria San Francesco and Rossopomodoro.
Through the various retailers, once the Galleria is fully operational it will be able to generate revenues estimated at more than 100 million euro, almost double the revenues before the redevelopment. It will also provide direct employment for around 200 people, and more than 600 additional jobs in allied activities.
The relaunch of the Galleria Alberto Sordi, which occupies an area of approximately 10,000 sq.m, also involves an upgrade of the retail offer: the focus will be on the shopping experience, assisted by the new layout which has reduced the number of premises from 27 to 15, necessitating a plant re-organization as well as structural work to ensure a proper welcome for the public.
The redevelopment emphasizes the historic and architectural importance of the existing building, with the removal of the glass partitions to create stronger outdoor-indoor communication, and improve permeability, making the location more welcoming and environmentally more sustainable.
The Gallery modernization project is based on the highest principles of sustainability and aims to obtain BREEAM In-Use certification, an ambitious goal for a structurally complex listed historic building, intervention on which has been approved by the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Assets and the Special Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape Superintendency.
Today, the restyled and repurposed Galleria Alberto Sordi welcomed more than three hundred guests for the inauguration organized by Prelios SGR and the Enasarco Foundation. The opening speech by the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, was followed by addresses from the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, and the President of Enasarco, Alfonsino Mei. A discussion followed with reflections from the President of the Chamber of Deputies’ Culture Commission, Federico Mollicone, the President of Anica, Francesco Rutelli, the General Manager of Enasarco, Antonio Buonfiglio, and the Chair of the Prelios Group, Fabrizio Palenzona.
The event was an opportunity for private operators and local and national bodies to emphasize the importance of safeguarding and enhancing Italy’s real estate assets and excellences, starting with the successful redevelopment of the Galleria Alberto Sordi: a solid example of the Enasarco Foundation's commitment to the community, which reflects the important place held by foundations and welfare funds in investments and the real economy managed by professional entities like Prelios SGR.
The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, commented: “As Rome evolves and prepares for the Jubilee, the re-opening of the Galleria Alberto Sordi is a fundamental element, another tangible sign that the city is returning to growth and attracting investments, to become even more exciting, modern and accessible. We are delighted about this important redevelopment, which has given back to the city one of its smartest and best-loved meeting places: a location that once again will be a key venue for high-quality shopping and art and cultural events. The restoration project, which has optimized the building's wonderful Art Nouveau architecture and also improved its environmental impact, is yet another example of the great ferment of activity in the city, with hundreds of worksites, major redevelopments and significant benefits for employment, with the focus on growth, sustainability and inclusion.”
“I want to express great satisfaction for the restoration of the Galleria Alberto Sordi, which today has been returned to the city of Rome in all its glory,” said the Minister for Enterprise and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso. “Italy is displaying an extraordinary response to the upswing in international tourism, and operations such as this help make the difference. In recent months, the Government, and in particular the ministry I represent, has been rolling out a comprehensive program of legislation as well as subsidies and incentives to help business and Made in Italy, the distinctive feature for which we are known and admired all over the world.”
“The restyling of the Galleria Alberto Sordi is an act of love,” explained Federico Mollicone, “just like the splendid reproduction by a robot of “Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss”, the rebirth of an urban venue and an outstanding example of collaboration with the private sector extending to art and entertainment, establishing a new relationship with the area linking Piazza Colonna with Via del Tritone, and through to Piazzale Flaminio. A public-private operation to be added to our public and private cultural heritage through the reform of the so-called “2 per cent” law and the new supplementary “Italia in scena” circuit, on which Parliament and the Ministry of Culture are hard at work”.
The President of the Enasarco Foundation, Alfonsino Mei, said: “The Galleria is more than a shopping arcade. We want it to be a place that inspires and engages, that speaks to its visitors. It will be the venue for cultural events, art exhibitions, music and theater, with a dynamic, vibrant atmosphere. The Gallery is a symbol of progress and rebirth for our city, and we want it to be a place where everyone is happy to come. I invite you all to explore it and make the most of it. I hope it will become an integral part of your daily lives, somewhere to spend quality time with family and friends, to discover new products and be inspired with new ideas.”
The General Manager of the Enasarco Foundation, Antonio Buonfiglio, added: “Today’s inauguration is a metaphor for how we see the role of pension and welfare funds: as players at the heart of the real economy, at the heart of the city with its historic art and beauty, entities at the service of the nation.”
Prelios Group Chairman Fabrizio Palenzona said: “We take great pride in the inauguration of the new Galleria Alberto Sordi, which confirms our consolidated presence in Rome. In addition to its offices in Milan, Prelios also has an important location here, and through Prelios SGR manages properties for a value of more than 1.5 billion euro in Rome. In the last few years, it has invested more than 200 million euro. The Galleria Alberto Sordi belongs to the Megas fund, of which the Enasarco Foundation is the shareholder. It is our showpiece, but it is not the only well-known and important asset that we manage in Rome. Other properties include the Rinascente building in Piazza Fiume, which has just been opened after a full restyling, or the recently restored building in Via Veneto that houses the new Rome offices of Deloitte and Amazon, or the distinctive large building in Via Tupini, overlooking the EUR lake, which is currently undergoing a full remodernization. All these places are examples of the projects Prelios is completing at the side of the pension funds who are acting as investors.” Underlining the importance of the Galleria Alberto Sordi, Fabrizio Palenzona continued: “This is one of Rome’s crossroads, a location through which thousands of people pass every day. Today, even before its ‘unveiling’, the Gallery already has a tenancy rate of more than 85%. It provides important economic benefits for the city: with the new retailers, once the site is fully operational it will generate revenues double those before the redevelopment and provide jobs, directly and indirectly, for over 800 people. And thanks to the restyling led by Prelios, it will welcome a series of international brands previously not present in Rome.”
Prelios SGR CEO Patrick Del Bigio said: “We are proud of this redevelopment project, which began taking shape when Prelios SGR took over the management of the Megas Fund, whose sole shareholder is the Enasarco Foundation. During the complex period of the pandemic, our long-term vision led us to invest in the redevelopment and re-positioning of the Galleria. Priority has been given to retail activities, with the focus on an attractive brand mix that reflects the return to normality, or, better, the rebound of tourism and consumption Italy has been enjoying recently. The operation enables the Megas Fund to continue its strategy for the optimization and repositioning of the assets in its portfolio, to create value not only for its investor but also for all of Rome's residents and tourists, and, given the unique status of this important building, to deliver a significant social as well as economic benefit. The project further consolidates the presence of Prelios SGR and of the Prelios Group more generally in value-added developments fully aligned with the values of sustainability.”
The inauguration also referenced the world of cinema, which the Gallery, named for actor Alberto Sordi, specifically honors, with an interview with Christian De Sica, who recalled the memorable period in which his father, Vittorio De Sica, and Alberto Sordi, two of the most famous names in Italian cinema, gave prominence to Rome as the setting for a series of timeless movies, and to the importance of the film industry for the city.
Enhancing the inauguration and ideally opening it for a month to all Rome residents and tourists is the installation in the Gallery of the life-size reproduction by a robot of sculptor Antonio Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss. Starting from a 3D scan of the plaster model, held in a private collection, of the artist's most celebrated work (part of the collection at the Louvre Museum in Paris), the robot sculpted a 10 tonne block of white Carrara marble. Another example of the way innovation and cutting-edge technology can give new life to works of art as well as to iconic historic buildings.