The Monumental Statue of Christ and the Fabulous '50s
MARATEA – If we consider the present situation, with the crisis of values, the collapse of idealism, the financial debacle, and the slow but relentless weakening of the welfare state, it seems impossible that in Italy there was once a time when everything appeared to flourish and shine enticingly in the light of promises that were – unbelievably! – all fulfilled.
Italians had left the war behind them and had worked through the pain, grief, and suffering it had caused. They rolled up their sleeves and began to think about the future. The reconstruction began, fueled by people’s enterprising, optimistic attitude.
That “long decade for a short century” – as the 1950s have been called – laid the foundations of the economic boom of the 1960s, and of future development and progress.
For the country, it was a “second Renaissance”, where creativity spread and imbued all sectors of activity, serving as the mainspring of the upturn. Art and industry finally came to an understanding; reality and utopia merged and interacted.
Words were not deflated balloons dropped on the sidewalk by jaded children. On the contrary, they contained significant concepts and projects, blending practicality and beauty, functionality and lightness. They were spoken by enthusiastic, forward-looking captains of industry, many of whom had artistic sensibilities, and who built factories, roads, bridges, buildings, as well as cars (the famous Seicento), refrigerators, TVs, washing machines, all tailored to meet the needs of a changing society.
Experimentation and research swept through all sectors like a long-awaited, life-giving wave, transforming industries, culture, and daily life.
Though people had little, nothing seemed impossible. Everyone actively contributed to the transformation, driven by optimism, innovation, and a firm belief in the future.
Symbolic of this era were figures such as Coppi and Bartali, De Gasperi and Togliatti, the Vespa and Lambretta, television and cinema, the advertisements of Carosello, the rise of industrial design, the experimentation with new materials and plastics, and the explosion of graphic design.
Above all, the defining feature of the period was its spirit – a force that drove the construction of great infrastructures, works of art, and intellectual movements, encouraging boldness rather than retreat.
The dynamism of those years had concrete effects: from 1952 to 1970, the average income of Italians increased by 130%.
At the start of the decade, the sixth De Gasperi government established the Fund for the Development of Southern Italy with Law no. 646 of August 10, 1950, aimed at financing industrial initiatives to bridge the economic gap between Northern and Southern Italy.
Regardless of its later successes or failures, the law had a noble goal: supporting the weaker areas of the country. Meanwhile, mass migration from Southern Italy to the North and beyond was already underway. Yet, the spirit of migration remained hopeful and ambitious, focused on honest success, far from the narcissism and hedonism of today.
Thanks to this law, Oreste Rivetti, an industrialist from Biella, embarked on a long and arduous journey to Basilicata, eventually arriving in Maratea. To understand the difficulty of this trip, one must consider that the first National Motorway Plan was not passed until 1955, and the Autostrada del Sole was inaugurated in 1964.
A practical and enterprising man, Rivetti managed the Lanificio Rivetti S.p.A., a textile giant employing 20,000 workers. He arrived in Maratea in March 1953, accompanied by his son Stefano, an economist and textile engineer trained in Germany.
While Oreste remained skeptical, Stefano fell in love with Maratea – a sleepy yet wild town, nestled between mountains and sea, rich in freshwater springs and bathed by crystal-clear Mediterranean waters.
Although Maratea had a proud and independent past, the post-war years presented an opportunity to rewrite its history.
Rio de Janeiro. While flying over the Corcovado, Stefano Rivetti was mesmerized by the monumental Christ the Redeemer. Inspired, he envisioned a similar statue for Maratea. His project took shape in his mind during long walks and sleepless nights.
Undeterred by logistical difficulties, bureaucratic obstacles, or financial challenges, he remained driven by the unshakable spirit of the 1950s and 1960s – an era when even the impossible became reality.
Today, thanks to his visionary ambition, the Monumental Statue of Christ in Maratea stands 21.20 meters tall, with an arm span of 19.75 meters. Its mysterious and benevolent smile greets visitors climbing the path from the Basilica of San Biagio, telling the story of a man and his era, where dreams became reality.
Sara Palmieri, 2014