The Apulian company, a leader in artistic restoration works in Italy, will participate for its first time in the Salone del Restauro in Tour
September 1 – 3, New Pavilion, Fiera del Levante, Bari
Economy, conservation, technology and bringing value to cultural and environmental heritage sites. These are the core values of the International Restoration Fair in Ferrara. This year, as part of the project “Restoration Made In Italy”, the Fair has organized the Restoration on Tour initiative in Bari.
From September 1 through 3, for the first time in the history of Apulia, the Fiera del Levante in Bari hosts, within its New Pavilion, the largest and most important international event dedicated to the world of cultural and environmental heritage. With an organization that allows for both physical and digital participation, companies can expand and develop their international business relations even to those who, due to travel restrictions still in place, cannot be physically present in Bari.
And it is the first time that Cobar spa, a company based in Altamura, Puglia, decided to participate in this event. The company specializes in the design of public and private buildings, and is widely recognized among the leaders in the field of restoration, maintenance and renovation of monuments with high artistic value and protected under cultural and environmental heritage laws (theaters, museums, churches, shrines, monasteries, historic buildings, etc..); additionally, it is also a leading expert in the design, installation, maintenance and servicing of hi-tech systems.
The company’s choice was dictated by the desire to look beyond national borders. Therefore, the company’s stand set up in the New Pavilion of the Fiera del Levante in Bari showcases photographs, videos and exhibits of some of the restoration works carried out, and displayed inside exhibition cabinets.
Among the interventions carried out by Cobar spa, the two latest inaugurated buildings are the Kursaal Santalucia Theatre in Bari, where restoration has been accompanied by the creation of a futuristic technological system able to transform the setup of the theater according to the needs of the show; and the Hypogea of the Colosseum, an unmistakable icon of Italian culture and history. Additionally, the works on the Pontrelli quarry in Altamura has seen the cooperation between paleontologists, archaeologists and Cobar’s technical experts: the resulting works have brought to light dinosaur footprints, that have been restored and made accessible to the public.
Cobar also made the rebirth of the Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari possible, after its destruction in a fire in 1991; the restoration of the astounding Basilica of Santa Maria di Siponto, embellished by the work of Edoardo Tresoldi. In addition, a special mention goes to two masterful examples of artistic restoration, an area in which Cobar has gained extensive expertise and for which it has also obtained the SOA OS 2 -A certification: the interventions on the San Carlo Theatre in Naples and Palazzo Barberini in Rome.
Founded as a local company specializing in design, construction, restoration and renovation of buildings, in its 40 years of activity, Cobar SpA has grown exponentially thanks to the tenacity of its founder Vito Barozzi: he has always devoted extraordinary attention to beauty and cultural enlightenment, and held a deep seated desire to revive the wonders of his home region by investing in it and for it. With an average turnover of more than 60 million euros, over 20 certifications, about 350 employees including workers, technical experts and 1.000 external professionals involved in various ways in the work, Cobar SpA, with more than 500 projects brought to completion, is now among the leading companies in the industry and is able to revive the past while always looking towards the future. Past and future often coexist in Cobar’s work. All of this is achieved through constant updates in skills, planning for improvement, looking ahead while always maintaining timeless values such as respect for its employees: these are the secrets of a bright and successful future.
“Restoration jobsites pose real challenges. There is a need for highly specialized professionals who have perfected expertise and techniques in various sectors. And Italy is a leader in this field, thanks to the excellence in restoration and conservation that its technicians have developed, and also thanks to their cultural inheritance of rich and varied beauty, the likes of which few other countries in the world possess – as explained by Domenico Barozzi, technical director of Cobar Spa – It is only thanks to the dedication of our workers, the competence of the technical experts who cooperate with us, that we can get the results that are clearly visible to everyone. Therefore, the Restoration Exhibition is an ideal opportunity for us, not only to present ourselves on the market, but also to compare ourselves and be inspired by other professionals in the sector. Information and digital communication allow us to break through national borders and open up our business in two ways: on the one hand, we can compare ourselves and draw inspiration from other realities operating in this sector; simultaneously, we can reaching a wider and more international audience. The pandemic has accelerated this process of digitization, and it is precisely this wave that we intend to ride to open up and get involved in the foreign market”.
Parallel to Restauro in Tour, from August 30 to September 4, the third Restoration Week will take place, organized by Agenzia ICE, the operational branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with Assorestauro: a spectacular itinerary will guide international delegates, both on site and connected via videostream, through a visit to the main Italian restoration sites in Naples, Pompeii, Bari and Matera.
Restauro in Tour and Restoration Week are the core of the RESTAURO MADE IN ITALY project, which aims at celebrating the restoration sector as an excellence of Italian manufacture. The project has set out to promote and enhance its brand on a worldwidestage.
Info on: Restauro in Tour Salone Internazionale del Restauro di Ferrara (salonedelrestauro.com)