Arezzo 2020 intervenes on the works on Via Fiorentina

Arezzo, August 1, 2025 – The Via Fiorentina road junction project was declared completed by the Councilor for Strategic Works both at the press conference on May 15th and by the Sole Responsible for the Procedures in the written response provided to Councilor Romizi in response to a question presented a month earlier in the City Council. On the same occasion, the Councilor also stated that the project had been verified and validated, but we were certain that this was not the case, as we had repeatedly stated. Ultimately, both the RUP, in the same response letter, had to admit it, and the Municipality's Head of Prevention, Corruption, and Transparency (RPCT) (also the Secretary General) had to declare it in his July 25th response to my user requesting access to documents.

We also had doubts about the actual completeness of the project declared by the Councilor on that occasion and stated in writing by the RUP in her response. Well, the request for access to documents I submitted on May 25, 2025, to acquire at least the timetable and project drawings of the construction phases, including timing, methods, and traffic restrictions—essential for a project of this kind, if truly complete—received no response, not even a reasoned denial, despite the fact that it is the citizen's right to request and the Municipal Administration's duty to comply with the request. A grave silence, only apparently incomprehensible.

Even more serious and seemingly incomprehensible is the response from the Corruption Prevention and Transparency Officer to whom I had addressed the appeal presented on 06/30/2025, which arrived late compared to the 20-day deadline established from the request. He failed to provide me with what I requested and responded with a reasoned denial.

At this time, we only know what the Councilor said briefly at the May 15th press conference, regarding only the first phase of the work, which was called specifically to announce the start (after several unfulfilled announcements). This was then mentioned verbally to the Via Fiorentina Committee at the two meetings on June 8th and July 22nd, which would like to have a better understanding of its fate and share its decisions. But even to the Committee, which had requested it, the documentation provided was zero.

"State secret," even violating a duty that falls to the municipal administration and the RPCT as Secretary General? But why?

This is a strange situation, given that the work is underway, so it's unclear what documentation is needed. It will only be resolved once the project is truly complete, verified, and validated, but it will very likely undergo design changes and additions. The question is what repercussions, most likely with the work underway, will there be in terms of further delays, increased costs, and further inconvenience for residents and business owners, as we have repeatedly feared?

In the meantime, I have reiterated the request with an urgent response to the RPCT, which, even if it arrives, will confirm either that there had been obstructionism in contempt of the transparency of the documents or that the statements of the Councilor and the RUP were not true at the time of the declarations.

In the absence of a response from the RPCT, I will appeal to the Regional Ombudsman, so that the Committee and all citizens are correctly informed about the management of this project, which has been marred by superficiality and carelessness for all these years.

Roberto Barone

Arezzo 2020 - For a Change on the Left